左団扇から左前

9月30日（水）快晴

日本から友人がやって来たので久し振りにシティーを歩きました。日本人観光客がよく泊まるインターナショナル・ホテルがシーベル・ホテルに身売りしたのに伴い、高級和食料理店・山玄やカフェや花屋などテナントが揃って撤退。そしてホテル周辺の和食店や土産物店も軒並み閉店。ケアンズ観光の構造変化。大阪、名古屋、福岡からケアンズへの直行便が廃止。もはや日本人観光客を相手に左団扇とはいきません。反面インドや中国からの観光客が増大し、飲茶やカレーを提供する店が増えているそうです。

シーベル・ホテル

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From great comfort to downturn
Wed. September 30 : fine

One of my friends from Japan visited me in Cairns, so I walked in City after a long time. After the International Hotel that was popular among Japanese tourists was sold to Sebel Hotel whose tenants such as the high class Japanese restaurant, Yamagen, the café, the florist have all withdrawn. And other Japanese restaurants and souvenir shops around there have also been closed. Cairns tourism is facing a structural change. The direct flights from Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka to Cairns have been abolished. Cairns cannot have the great comfort time by hospitalizing only Japanese tourists any more. On the other hand, the number of the tourists from China and India has been skyrocketing and so as that of restaurants that offer yam-cha or curry.

Sebel Hotel

紅団扇

9月29日（火）快晴

日本ではトイレに一輪挿しを良く見かけますが、我が家では10輪挿し。客用トイレに花持ちの良いアンスリウム（ベニウチワ）やランを10輪飾っています。ケアンズの青物市場では野菜・果物だけではなく生花も安く売っています。アンスリウムは1本20円で4週間、ランは1本50円で3週間持ちます。アンスリウムは熱帯アフリカ原産で、花に見える部分は苞。極楽鳥花は1本100円、百合は1本200円ですが1週間くらいで萎れます。引っ越しからジャスト13ヶ月になりますが我が家にまだ来客はゼロ。

水芭蕉も苞です

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Anthurium
Tue. September 29 : fine

There is often a single-flower vase in Japanese toilet, but ten-flower vase at my house. We arrange long-lasting 10 anthuriums or orchids in the guest toilet. They sell not only vegetables and fruit but also flowers reasonably at Cairns green market. Anthuriums are $0.30 each and last 4 weeks. Orchids are $0.70 each and last 3 weeks. Anthuriums are originally from tropical Africa and the parts that look like flowers are actually their bracts. Paradise bird flowers are $1.50 and lilies are $3.00 each but they both scorch within a week. It has just been 13 months since us moving here but we have had no guest yet.

Asian skunk-cabbage also has bract

紅砂

9月28日（月）快晴

9月23日シドニーが砂嵐に見舞われました。翌24日からケアンズでも砂塵が舞い、青空も水平線も消え、太陽が赤く見えます。車のフロント・ガラスには細かい紅砂がうっすらと付着。視界は500mほどで熱帯雨林の山並みもかすんでいます。豪州の国土の半分は赤い砂の砂漠。砂塵は4000kmある豪州東海岸全体を襲い、昨日遂にニュージーランドまで達したそうです。雨が降らないことには砂塵は容易に収まりそうにありません。吸引すると健康被害が出るので窓を閉め切って家に引きこもっています。

シドニーの砂嵐

紅砂の砂漠

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Red sand
Mon. September 28 : fine

Sydney was hit by the sand storm on September 23. Since the next day, the 24th the sand dust has flown in Cairns, the blue sky and the horizon has disappeared and the sun looks red. Fine red sand has faintly clanged on the front grasses of the cars. The field of vision is around 500m and the mountain range of the tropical rain forest looks blurred. A half of Australian country consists of red sand desert. The sand dust has attacked the whole Australian east coast of 4000km and it finally reached New Zealand yesterday. It will not easily end, until it rains. To avoid absorbing it and getting health damage I have been staying home shutting all the windows.

sand storm in Sydney

red sand desert

ドラゴンフルーツの花

9月27日（日）快晴

高さ10mにもなる蔓性の多年生サボテン。和名はヒモサボテン。豪州の栽培農家では2mの支柱を立て、傘状に枝作り。下垂した枝先に花が付きます。本体は無骨でも花は意外と清楚。アボガド大の実がなりますが、ケアンズでは稀に椰子の実大のものも見かけます。中南米原産。日本でも沖縄などで栽培していますが気候が合わないのか不味い。追熟ができないので輸入物も甘味に欠けます。やはり熱帯で食べるべき果物。果肉は赤、白、黄色、ピンクなどがあり、ピンクが甘くて美味しい。

ヒモサボテン

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Flower of dragon fruit
Sun. September 27 : fine

Dragon fruit is a kind of perennial lianoid cactus that grows 10m high. Its Japanese name is “string cactus”. In Australia the producers set a 2m-pole to guide the branches in umbrella shape. The flowers bloom at the top of the branches. Its body is burly but the flowers are unexpectedly elegant. It yields avocado-size fruits but you can sometimes see coconut-size ones in Cairns. Dragon fruit originally comes from Latin America. In Japan they are produced in Okinawa but they are not tasty because the climate may not be good for them. Since the force-ripening is not suitable imported ones are lack of sweetness. They are to be eaten in the tropical areas. The flesh is either red, white, yellow or pink, and the pink one is quite sweet and tasty.

lianoid cactus

バナナの花

9月26日（土）快晴

バナナは高さが4mにもなりますが木ではなく草。茎は地下にあり、地上部分は偽茎と呼ばれる葉の束。つまり筍か玉葱を細長くしたようなもの。バナナの花は椰子の実ほどの大きさの蕾が偽茎から垂れ下がります。大きな花びらに見えるのは苞葉（蕾を包む葉）で、果軸に4-8段の果段が付き、各果段には10-20本の果指があります。この果指が本当の花で、それぞれが1本のバナナになります。開花は１偽茎につき1回だけ。食用バナナに種はなく、開花後は枯れて株元から吸芽を出し、翌シーズン偽茎に成長します。

バナナ農園

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Banana flower
Sat. September 26 : fine

Although a banana plant grows 4m high, it’s a grass but a tree. Its stem runs underground and the part aboveground is a leaf bundle called pseudostem. So, it has an elongated shape resembling that of bamboo shoot or onion. A banana bud is the same size as that of a coconut and it hangs from the pseudostem. The leaves that look like large petals are bract (leaves that wrap the bud), the fruit steel has 4-8 fruit tiers and each fruit tier has 10-20 fruit fingers. These fruit fingers are the real flowers and each of them grows into a banana fruit. Each pseudostem blooms just once. Edible banana has no seed. After booming the pseudostem decays and produces the sprouts that will grow into pseudostem the next year.

banana farm

バナナ

9月25日（金）快晴

羊の体重は雄が40kg、雌が35kg。毛刈りは腕力に自信がないとできません。ところでバナナは1房が約30kg。2房だと僕の体重より重い。豪州のバナナの90%は隣町のインニスフェール、タリーで生産。収穫に従事しているのは主に日本人留学生。切り落とされた30kgのバナナ1房を肩で受け止め、トラックまで運んで100円。それでも時給1000円以上にはなるらしい。中腰にならないので腰痛の心配はありませんが、日焼けと蛇は覚悟しないといけません。

時給640円

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Bananas
Fri. September 25 : fine

The weight of sheep is 40kg for male and 35kg for female. Only the one who is confident with his or her muscle can shear. By the way, a bunch of banana weighs around 30kg. 2 bunches of them are heavier than me. 90% of Australian bananas are yielded in Innisfail or Tully that are next to Cairns. People who work during the harvest time are mainly Japanese students. They receive 30kg of banana bunches that are cut down on their shoulders and convoy them to the trucks, and then get $1.35 each time. Still, they are likely to earn more than $13.50 per hour. As they don’t take half-sitting posture they don’t have to worry about getting lumbago but sunburn and encounter with snakes.

hourly earning is $9

羊の毛刈り

9月24日（木）快晴

熟練した毛刈り職人は1日300頭の羊を刈ります。1頭1分のペースです。大変な肉体労働で腰痛は職業病。豪州の輸出農産物のベスト５は、①小麦、②砂糖、③牛肉、④羊毛、⑤ワイン。しかし輸出全品目を見ると、鉄鉱石、石炭、アルミニウムなど鉱物資源が圧倒的に優位。鉱夫への転職が増え、全国的な毛刈り職人不足。全国に毛刈りの職業訓練校がありますが人気は今1つ。毛刈り職人の給料は良くても季節労働。1頭刈って500円だそうですが誰か挑戦しませんか？

羊の毛刈り

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Shearing
Thu. September 24 : fine

An experienced shearer shears 300 sheep a day. It takes 1 minute per sheep. It is a physically hard labor and lumbago is their occupational disease. The best 5 Australian agricultural exports are ①flour ②sugar ③beef ④wool ⑤wine. But regarding to the total experts, the mineral resources such as iron, coal and aluminum are predominant overwhelmingly. Recently, many shearers change their jobs to miners and the shortage of shearer has been a big problem. There are vocational training schools for the shearers all over the country but they are not so popular. Shearer’s wage is quite high but it is a seasonal work. You make $7 per head. Is there anyone who would like to challenge it?

shearing

砂糖工場見学

9月23日（水）快晴

砂糖は小麦に次ぐ豪州第2の農業輸出品。砂糖工場は巨大なジューサーのようなもの。工場に必要なものはサトウキビと水だけ。搾りカス（バガス）はボイラーで燃やされて発電し、工場の動力となり、余剰電力は電力会社に販売。燃えカスは肥料として販売、製造過程の不純物は飼料として販売。産業廃棄物を一切出さないそうです。発電だけでも年間10億円の副収入があるというのに、見学料を大人1人当たり1000円も徴収し、出来立ての砂糖を舐めさせてくれただけ。

豪州第2の製糖工場

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Inspection tour of sugar factory
Wed. September 23 ; fine

Sugar is the Australian second largest agricultural exports followed by flour. The sugar factory is like a huge mixer. It needs only sugar cane and water. The strained lees (bagasse) are burned in the boiler to generate the electric power that is use as the motive power in the factory, and the surplus power is sold to the power company. The cold ashes are sold as the fertilizer and the foreign matter that is made during the production process is sold as the livestock feed. Our guide said that the factory emits no industrial waste. Although they make $10M additional money only by generating power, they charge $13 per adult and just let us lick some newly produced sugar.

Australian second biggest sugar factory

マイホーム無残

9月22日（火）快晴

僕のアパート・ＶＵＥは海辺の丘の上にあるので、洪水、高波、山火事が来ても大丈夫。セキュリティーも万全。玄関横の洗車場に太陽鳥が巣作り。高さ1ｍ位で安全な立地条件からは程遠い。案の定、猫に襲われて卵からかえったばかりの雛は全滅。だから僕の書斎のテラスに巣作りすればよかったのに。悲嘆の親鳥カップルは空中回廊にマイホームの再建場所を探しています。そこも攻撃的な外来鳥のインドハッカの縄張りだから危険なのに。熱帯の楽園も弱肉強食の世界です。

太陽鳥（サンバード）

インドハッカ

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Tragic end of my home
Tue. September 22 : fine

As our apartment, VUE stands on the top of the hill beside the beach it will be safe, even if the flood, the high tide or the bush fire hit. The security is also perfect. A sunbird couple has built the nest at the carwash bay beside the entrance. As the height was about 1m it was far from the condition for the safe location. As was expected, a cat attacked the nest and killed all the newly-hatched chicks. I wished they would have built their nest on the terrace of my study. The sorrowful couple is looking for the location to rebuild their nest on the sky corridor of VUE. This place is also dangerous because it is the territory of offensive exotic bird, common myna. The tropical paradise is where the law of the jungle prevails as well.

sunbird

common myna

グリーン・アント（ツムギアリ）

9月21日（月）快晴

ＶＵＥの空中回廊で常に目にする緑色の蟻。夜の縄張りを持たない弱小ヤモリも蟻を食べれば良さそうに思えます。しかしこの緑蟻は体長こそ1ｃｍ足らずですが、性格は獰猛で強い毒（蟻酸）を持っています。この蟻を怒らせると人間をも攻撃し、咬まれるとかなりの痛み。軍隊的な規律で大きな敵でも攻撃します。不気味なのは彼らがしばしば円陣を作って作戦会議をめぐらしていること。会議中も油断なく見張りを配置しています。弱小ヤモリは空腹で体力がなくなると最後は緑蟻の餌食になります。

ツムギアリ

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Greenants (Weaver ants)
Mon. September 21 : fine

They are the green ants you can always see at the sky corridor of VUE. It seems that it is a good idea that the powerless geckos without having any night territories eat these ants. But these greenants are quite fierce and they have strong poison (formic acid) even if they are smaller than 1cm. Once they get furious, they would even attack humans and bite to give you uncommon pain. They attack big enemies with some military discipline. Uncannily they often make a circle to call a strategy meeting. During the meeting they carefully arrange guards around them. Powerless geckos finally become the weaver ants’ prey when they lose their power due to hunger.

weaver ants

貧民ヤモリ

9月20日（日）快晴

ヤモリは大変な大食漢。日中は鳥の餌食にされるので夜行性。日没後街灯や窓ガラスに集まる虫を次々と食べます。良い餌場は力のある個体が独占。ＶＵＥの空中回廊は両側が吹き抜けですが、エレベーター・ホール部分だけは温室のようにガラスの壁があります。日中に迷い込んだアブやハエを細々と食べているのは弱小ヤモリ。ガラスの内側だから鳥の攻撃も平気。夜間は他のヤモリから追い回されるので堂々と動き回れません。ヤモリの世界も貧富の差が激しいようです。

月光のヤモリ

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Poor gecko
Sun. September 20 : fine

Geckos are quite big eaters. They are nocturnal because they are often attacked by birds during daytime. They continuously eat the insects that gather the street lights or the windows after sunset. Better feeding spots are occupied by stronger ones. There are no walls on the both sides of the sky corridor of VUE except the elevator hall that has the glass wall just like the green house. The ones that poorly eat horseflies and flies there during daytime are powerless geckos. There is no danger of bird attack as it is inside the glass. They cannot stand out during night because other geckos chase them. It seems that there is a big gap between the rich and the poor in the geckos’ world, too.

moonlight geckos

豪州の植物７不思議

9月19日（土）快晴

①食虫植物・ウツボカズラ。　②やたらに愛想の良いオジギソウ。　③絞め殺しの木・ガジュマル。　④空中で生きるビカクシダ。　⑤山火事で発芽するユーカリ。　⑥パッション・フルーツの花。　⑦さかさまの木・ボアブ。ボアブが星を破壊？星の王子様が出会った不思議な人は①体面を保つことに汲々とする王。　②賞賛の言葉しか耳に入らない自惚れ屋。　③恥じながら酒を飲む呑み助。　④夜空の星の数の勘定に夢中な実業家。　⑤1分ごとにガス灯の点火や消火を行なっている点燈夫。　⑥自分の机を離れたこともない地理学者。　⑦戦争ばかりしている地球人。

星の王子様

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7 mysteries of Australian plants
Sat. September 19 : fine

①The insectivorous plant, the pitcher plant　②The quite amiable plant, the sensitive plant　③The strangulating plant, the banyan tree　④The living in the air, the staghorn fern　⑤The eucalyptus sprouts in the bushfire　⑥The flower of passion fruit　⑦The tree up-side down, the boab. The Boab will destroy the stars? The 7 mysterious people whom the petit prince met are: ①The king who only cares about how to uphold his honor　②The conceited person who can only hear the words that applause him　③The drinker who drinks with a shame　④The businessman who is crazy about counting the numbers of starts in the night sky　⑤The lamplighter who is turns on and off the lamps every minute　⑥The geographer who has never left his desk　⑦The earthmen who always fight.

petit prince

ナナフシ

9月18日（金）快晴

VUEの空中庭園でナナフシを見つけました。グレート・バリア・リーフが「現代7不思議」の最終候補に残っています。日本滞在体験のあるOZに聞きました。日本人の7不思議は？①何故都会に住みたがるのか？　②何故血液型や星座にこだわるのか？　③何故シルバー・シートに健常者が座るのか？　④何故みんなが大学に行きたがるのか？　⑤何故美味いものを食べたがるのか？　⑥何故そんなに働くのか？　⑦何故ケータイに夢中になるのか？

不思議なナナフシ

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Stick insect
Fri. September 18 : fine

I found a stick insect at the sky garden of VUE. Great Barrier Reef has climbed onto the shortlist of the New World 7 Mysteries. What are the 7 Japanese mysteries? The panel is the OZs who have stayed in Japan. ①Why do they want to stay in big cities?　②Why are they obsessive about their blood types and asterisms?　③Why none-handicapped people sit on the disability seats?　④Why everybody wants to go to universities?　⑤Why do they want to have tasty food?　⑥Why do they work so hard?　⑦Why are they have keen interests in mobile phones?

mysterious stick insect

そっくりさん

9月17日（木）快晴

鳩山くる夫氏、35歳。18歳で浅草のフランス座に入り阿部定忠治という芸名で漫談を中心に舞台をこなしていた。４年前からビートたけしの付き人。身長、体重は鳩山由紀夫首相とほぼ同サイズ。現在、出産をひかえた妻と木造モルタルアパートの一間暮らし。キャッチフレーズは「自分の暮らしが一番」。最後に鳩山首相に一言。「できるだけ政権を維持していただきたい。由紀夫先生がいる限り僕の生活支援はなくても大丈夫」。そのまんまじゃなくなった東国原氏のような勘違いにはご注意。

僕のそっくりさん

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Look-alike
Thu. September 17 : fine

Mr. Kuruo Hatoyama is 35 years old. He joined France Theater in Asakusa when he was 18 and performed comic chat on stage with his stage name, Chuji Abesada. He has been working as a Beat Takeshi’s attendant for 4 years. His height and weight are almost the same as Mr. Yukio Hatoyama’s. He lives in the one room apartment made of wood and plaster with his parturient wife. His catch phrase is “the most important thing is my own life”. Finally, his expectation is that “Please maintain the power as long as you can. Then I wouldn’t need any livelihood support during that period”. Watch out to some mistake like Mr. Higashikokubaru has made.

my look-alike

イチローとエイジロー

9月16日（水）快晴

1946年の総選挙で自由党が第一党になると、鳩山イチロー総裁が首相の指名を待つばかりでしたが、マッカーサーにより公職追放。1951年追放解除を目前に脳梗塞で倒れる。病床で「ＥＵの父」と呼ばれるエイジロー・カレルギー（映画「カサブランカ」の亡命者・ラズロ）の薫陶から「友愛の政治」を提唱。1954年貴族趣味でワンマンと呼ばれた吉田茂が不人気で政権を降りた後2年間首相を務め「鳩山ブーム」を起こす。親米の吉田外交から転換し懸案の日ソ国交を回復。自由党と民主党の保守合同を実現。鈴木イチロー？豪州では野球はニュースにもなりません。

吉田茂と鳩山一郎

エイジロー・カレルギー

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Ichiro and Eijiro
Wed. September 16 : fine

In 1946 when the Liberal Party won the general election and became the leading party, the president Ichiro Hatoyama was there just waiting for becoming to the prime minister. However, he was purged by Mac Arthur. In 1951 he had come down with stroke just before he was depurged. Studying under Eijiro Kalergi (the model of the exile, Lazlo in the movie, “Casablanca”) in his sickbed he advocated “politics with fellowship”. In 1954 after unpopular PM Shigeru Yoshida who was aristocratic tastes and called “one man” resigned he was a prime minister for 2 years and made “Hatoyama boom”. Changing Yoshida’s pro-American foreign policy he solved the long standing problem, the diplomatic relationship between Japan and Soviet Union. He also put the conservative merger between Liberal Party and Democratic Party into action. What about Ichiro Suzuki? Baseball does not become any news in Australia.

Mr. Shigeru Yoshida and Mr. Ichiro Hatoyama

Eijiro Kalergi