Author: Masayuki (Yuki) Kawagishi

Festivals / 祭りの秋

日本文が後ろに続きます。

October is a month of fruits, readings, sports, art, and — more than those — festivals. There were various kinds of festivals in Kiba Park, which was close to my house. The biggest one was the Koto Kumin Matsuri festival from the 16th through the 17th of October.

１０月は食欲の秋、読書の秋、スポーツの秋、芸術の秋といろいろありますが、なんといっても祭りの時期だと思います。近所にある木場公園では毎週いろんなイベントがありましたが、なかでも一番大きいのが１０月１６日〜１７日の江東区民まつりでした。

It was the third time for me to see this festival, so there was nothing new in it. Everything was almost the same as usual. All I did there were to eat Indian foods bought from stalls inside the park and to watch a performance by Vivace, a marching band consisting of only female employees of ALSOK, a Japanese security company.

In the same days, there was a festival by the students of the University of the Sacred Heart, which had been built in the former residence of Empress Dowager Nagako, the previous Emperor Hirohito’s wife. This university is for women only, so it’s usually closed to people other than the students of it, except on special days like the festival. I wanted to get inside the university because I wanted to see the historical houses inside, such as the former house of Nagako and the chapel of the university. During the festival, the university was open to the public, so it was one of the perfect chances to see them, which wouldn’t come so many times.

After seeing the Koto Kumin Matsuri, I went to Hiroo to see the festival of the University of the Sacred Heart called Seishinsai. I took the subway to Shibuya and there I took a bus to Japan Red Cross Medical Center, where I got off the bus, and I had a gate of the university. After the ID check at the gate, I got inside and walked along the path for several minutes then I had the Palace, the former house of the Prince Kuninomiya, where his daughter Nagako had been raised and lived until she had married the previous Emperor Hirohito.

江東区民まつりを見るのも３回目なので特に目新しいものはありませんでしたが、屋台でインド料理を食べ、ＡＬＳＯＫの女子儀仗隊「Ｖｉｖａｃｅ」の演奏を楽しんできました。

ところで同じ日に、広尾の聖心女子大学で「聖心祭」という学園祭がありました。ここの大学は旧久邇宮家の邸宅の跡地に建てられていて、香淳皇后が昭和天皇とのご成婚までの間、ここに住まわれていた場所にあります。女子大なので当然、普段は一般人はシャットアウトなんですが、聖心祭の期間中は一般人にも開放されています。ということで、久邇宮邸やクニハウスなどの歴史的建造物を見てみたかったので、聖心祭期間は絶好のチャンスというわけです。

ということで、江東区民まつりのあと、広尾に行ってきました。渋谷から日赤医療センター行きのバスに乗り、終点で降りると、すぐに大学の門が見えてきます。入口でＩＤチェックをすませ、中の小径を数分歩くと、「パレス」とよばれる久邇宮邸がありました。香淳皇后がご成婚までここに住まわれていた場所です。

The Palace　パレス

The Kuni House, the site of the main entrance of the Palace, where Empress Nagako departed to the Imperial Palace at her wedding.

クニハウス。久邇宮邸の正面玄関跡です。ご成婚に際して、ここから宮城へご出立あらせられました。

The Marian Hall, an auditorium of USH. The Latin phrase on the top made me feel it was gorgeous.
マリアンホール、講堂です。上のラテン語がゴージャス感いっぱいです。

The chapel, used daily for masses and prayers. An alumna of USH can use it for her wedding.
チャペル。ミサや礼拝など日常的に使われており、卒業生はここで結婚式をあげることもできます。

The interior of the chapel, where the student choir practised singing. I heard their sounds reflected in multiple directions on the round ceiling and resonated fantastically. I admired its gimmick of construction for helping Catholics feel God’s Power.

Besides, there was an open-air stage, stalls selling foods and goods, and many kinds of events and amusements during the festival, but I left in haste because there were such young and bright boys and girls that a middle-aged man like me couldn’t stay any longer 🙂

チャペル内部。学生の聖歌隊が練習してました。丸い天井で音が反響して神秘的に響くように工夫されてつくられているのに感心しました。

それ以外にも露天ステージやら模擬店やらその他もろもろお楽しみイベントがいっぱいでしたが、若くてまぶしい男女がいっぱいいて、オジサンとしてはいたたまれなくなったので早々に退散しました。。。

October 30, 2010
Going back to Japan

The last night of the trip I stayed within Changi Airport because if I had stayed in a hotel room, I would’ve missed the returning plane departing at 7:10 in the morning. Fortunately, Changi Airport opens 24 hours a day, and it doesn’t close at midnight. Because UA check-in counters were closed until 4:30 am, I had to stay on a bench on the departure floor.

However, sleeping on the bench wasn’t successful. When I lay on the bench, security guards came to wake up and said, “There’s no oversleeping here, sir.” I moved to another bench and slept hiding from them, but I couldn’t sleep very well, just slept only for an hour, because every time I heard the sound of somebody’s footsteps I was afraid that the security officers came to wake me up. Later I saw guests in the coffee shop on the same floor sleeping very well. I should’ve done it!

At 4 am, I saw the UA check-in counter open and began check-in. Although there were automated check-in machines, it became error while processing. I finally was led to a human-operated counter by UA staff and managed to have a boarding pass.

Soon I entered into a departure gate. I was surprised to see that there was just a screening machine for luggage, no security gates nor screening officers. Its security check was effortless. After luggage screening, there were immigration counters, where a piece of the disembarkation card I had got at Woodlands Checkpoint was taken away, and a departing stamp was stamped on my passport.

While in a restricted area, I went in front of the boarding gate for UA804 to Tokyo and opened my laptop to surf the net, because duty-free shops were closed until 6 am so I had nothing else to do. I was disappointed that there were no free WiFi spots even in the boarding gate areas in Changi Airport, unlike other international airports. Priced WiFi operated by StarHub was all in that airport. Even if I tried to pay for the WiFi by my credit card, the authentication of the credit card failed. I found that if I sent an SMS by a Singaporean mobile phone, I had an SMS by StarHub with user id and password. I tried to do it and once successful, but ten minutes later, the connection became unavailable. That’s why I rate Changi Airport as very badly in international airports in the world.

At 6 am, the duty-free shops began operation, but we had not so much time to shop because the boarding on UA804 was to begin at 6:30 am.

More than that, there were strict security checks at the entry of the boarding gates while there were simpler screening at the departure entrance, so I had no time to take a rest in front of the gate.

Anyway, the aeroplane arrived at Narita at 3:10 pm, just on time. I managed to return to Japan alive 🙂

September 25, 2010
Foods eaten in Singapore and Malaysia

As is often the case with me, I don’t usually go to luxury restaurants to eat foods abroad because I prefer foods local people usually eat daily. Here’s a list I’ve eaten in Singapore and Malaysia:

Chicken macaroni soup: at a food court of Changi Airport.

Chicken rice plate: at another food court of Changi Airport, where stewardesses of Singapore Airlines were having breakfast.

Mutton biryani: for lunch at a hawker stall in Tekka Centre, Little India.
This wasn’t put on a banana leaf but just paper, while in another local restaurant, Indians were eating foods on a banana leaf by hand.

Chicken kebab, hummus, and hibiscus juice: for dinner at Arab Quarters.

Nasi ayam (chicken rice) and sate (grilled chicken) sticks with coconut sauce: for lunch at a cleaner restaurant in Larkin bus terminus in JB. Those two foods and nasi goreng are what I couldn’t help eating in Malaysia.

Pizza Margherita (left) and sea bass with soba (right): eaten at a poolside bar of Thistle Hotel for dinner.

Nasi lemak: rice boiled with coconut milk with vegetables and half a boiled egg covered with a leaf. Bought at a restaurant in a Gemas station building. It was challenging to eat because the rice was fragile. That restaurant was dirty, with small flies flying around the table. I couldn’t eat even half of it.

The meal set at KFC: at a KFC in Gemas. It was cleaner, but shop girls of it were blunt and it tasted not very good.

Nasi goreng: at last, I found it. With this, my travel to Malaysia was complete.

September 25, 2010
How to get to MRT Tanjong Pagar from KTM Singapore station
I wanted to walk to MRT Tanjong Pagar station from KTM Singapore station, but I could not find anywhere any signs leading to Tanjong Pagar station. I followed the people walking, but all of them went into a car park because they parked their own car there. I, having no my own car, had completely lost my way. Even if I asked the ticket counter staff of Singapore station how to get to the MRT station, all she answered embarrassedly was “Over there, 15 minutes’ walk.”

I walked to the direction as she said “over there”, but I lost my way walking for a while. The Lonely Planet I carried with me had no such maps. My iPhone didn’t show the map because M1’s prepaid sim card stored in the iPhone didn’t have enough balance. I walked on dark streets managed to get to Tanjong Pagar station 50 minutes later, sometimes losing my way.

The Lonely Planet and any other travel guidebooks I know have no clear maps or instructions between KTM Singapore station and MRT Tanjong Pagar. There are no signs to guide you to the MRT station anywhere in the Singapore station building. Then I’m the first person to guide you the correct way from KTM Singapore to MRT Tanjong Pagar. I’VE BEATEN THE LONELY PLANET!!
1. First, get out of the station building on Cantonment Link, and you’ll see a road sign indicating the direction of “Tanjong Pagar.” Follow the sign and go ahead on Cantonment Link.
2. Walk forward on Cantonment Link and then you’ll see an interchange of Cantonment Rd. and a road sign indicating that Tanjong Pagar is on the right. DON’T FOLLOW IT! Just walk ahead.
3. You’ll get to an intersection of Anson Rd. Turn left on Anson Rd.
4. You’ll see an entrance to MRT Tanjong Pagar station.
Or:
1. Get out of Singapore station building, walk along on a wide road under an elevated highway, to the direction opposite to the station building.
2. You’ll see a FUJI XEROX building, and turn left on Anson Rd.
3. You’ll see an entrance to MRT Tanjong Pagar station.
That being said, the Singapore station should distribute guide maps at ticket counters or information booths and should build a taxi stand to let taxi cabs gather there to pick up passengers to the MRT station. It’s one of Singapore’s disappointing points, even if Singapore is one of the cleanest and most sophisticated cities.
September 25, 2010
Rail travel in Malaysia

On the last day of my stay in Malaysia, I wanted to try to visit a small town in Malaysia accessible by train. I thought that Gemas, Negeri Sembilan was the most appropriate town to visit for a one-day trip.

I checked out of the hotel one hour before the train departure time (9:02 am) and asked the taxi cab parked in front of the hotel to send me to KTM JB station.

The waiting room of JB station was a bit dirty, and only a few people were waiting for the train. While sitting on a bench to wait for the train, a priest-looking man with an ocher robe walked up to me and talked in Chinese or Malaysian language to me, trying to force a charm and prayer beads upon me. I told him that I couldn’t understand what he said because I didn’t speak Malaysian. He then switched the language into English and said, “Doe-neh-sen, doe-neh-sen.” I understood that he was saying “donation,” so I refused it. He moved out of the waiting room and went somewhere else.
Half an hour later, quite a few passengers gathered in the waiting room. Then the priest came back and asked for a donation to each of them and was refused one after another. I guessed he should be a fake priest. It was the only morning, and my feelings were hurt by him.

About fifteen minutes before the departure time, the boarding gate was open. We had my ticket punched and was allowed to get out to the platform. The rail had a 1000mm gauge, a little narrower than that of the Japan Railway. As far as I could see, it had almost the same width as JR’s rails, though. All the operation section is single-track, and non-electrified except certain sections in Kuala Lumpur.

No sooner had I get out to the platform than a train came in.

It was Express Rakyat, which had departed Singapore early in the morning and was to Butterworth late at night via Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. A diesel locomotive was pulling coaches.

Inside view of a coach. The seats were hard like a bench, and the windows were dirty, just like a Japanese old train. Oops! It’s not a coach; it’s a dining car.

A coach was like this. It was much cleaner with soft seats and an LCD TV equipped on a wall, which displayed a movie while driving non-stop sections.

The train departed JB at 9:02 am, just on time. It stopped at Kempas Baru and Kulai, and ran for about an hour and stopped at Kluang. After departing Kluang, it drove for almost two hours before stopping at Segamat. Every station was simple.

They are the views from the train, which sped across jungles where palm trees, cycad trees, and other trees of tropical rain forest were growing in colonies.
Several minutes past twelve noon, the train arrived at Gemas.

Gemas was an important intersection of two major lines of KTM, so it was a large-scale station. The station building was as simple as any other station, though.

At the moment when I got off to the platform, a stinky smell attacked me. It stank just like a dustcart collecting garbages. All the town was covered with such a smell. I don’t want to say that, but such kinds of smells were in the air in JB, Gemas, and every city in Malaysia.

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September 25, 2010
Johor Bahru

On the third day of this trip, I went to Malaysia.

I exchanged my own 100USD bill into Malaysian Ringgit at a money changer in Orchard. The 100USD became 299 Ringgits.

I went to Woodlands by MRT to catch an SMRT950 bus, which would cross Causeway and go to Johor Bahru. Crossing Causeway on foot was possible so far, but now it’s forbidden.

People waiting in line at the dusky bus stop were, in comparison with other places of Singapore, in a weird mood.

After waiting dozens of minutes, a bus for Johor Bahru came. You can pay the fare by tapping your EZ-Link card. There were very crowded people on the bus. I’m afraid that, because I had such large luggage, it probably disturbed other people.

The bus passed MRT Marsiling station and then it was about to cross Causeway, but I couldn’t see outside very well because other people were packed on that bus.

Before crossing Causeway, the bus stopped, and every passenger, including me, was forced to get out of it to pass the immigration. After going upstairs to the building, there were immigration counters in charge of departing Singapore. The disembarkation card I had kept since Changi Airport was taken away, and a departing stamp was stamped on a visas page of my passport.

After clearing the immigration, I was caught by a woman with a hood on her head and asked me to fill out a survey for me. I accepted her request because I had enough time and I saw she had a validly authorised ID card. I was asked some questions, like airline name coming to Singapore, nights of stay, the amount spent per day, impression for Singapore. After the survey, a little strap was given to me.

I went downstairs and saw the bus stop. The SMRT950 bus was already gone, but the next bus came soon, and I got into it. That bus had fewer people than the previous one. While onboard, I tapped my EZ-Link card here as well.

I took a picture of the view from the bus crossing Causeway. I couldn’t find where the national border was. All I saw was the sign saying “Welcome to Malaysia” in the middle of the bridge. After crossing Causeway, the bus stopped again, and every passenger had to get off to have Malaysian immigration. Going upstairs as I did at Woodlands, I saw there were immigration counters of Malaysia. I filled out an immigration card behind the booths, handed in it to an immigration officer along with my passport, and had my passport stamped a Malaysian immigration stamp. At last, my immigration process was complete.

I made up my mind to keep going by bus, though taking a taxi to KTM Johor Bahru station was also available. SMRT950 bus would’ve taken me to Kotaraya bus terminus, but I decided to take another bus coming earliest because I had to wait for a long time to catch SMRT950. Most of them would go to Larkin bus terminus instead of Kotaraya, but buses going to Larking was more popular.

The bus came first was Singapore-Johor Express from Bugis and was air-conditioned and enough vacant seats. However, the EZ-Link card was no longer available, and I paid one Ringgit cash instead.

The bus ran on a wide road like an expressway for a while and arrived at Larkin bus terminus.

When the bus arrived, dirty-looking pimps-like people came around the bus, and they started asking us to take their taxis. I was frightened from the very beginning of the travel to Johor Bahru. Although they did nothing as long as I ignored, I felt I’ve come to the very place I least wanted to come, seeing many pimps around the bus stop and fierce-looking men walking boringly around there. Nevertheless, I got used to that mysterious situation after being there for an hour. The pimps didn’t follow me any longer once I said no to them. There was a police station in the terminus so I could rush into it if they attacked me.

Once I got used to it, I walked in the terminal building. Dirty-looking newsstands, markets, and mobile phone shops were crammed into the building with a stinky smell. I wanted to buy some pictured postcards if there was a souvenir shop, but no such shop was in that building.

Of course, I first dropped in on a mobile phone shop. I got a DiGi Prepaid SIM card for 10 Ringgit and had it activated there.

The building was a two-storey high. Mobile phone shops and newsstands were on the ground floor, and a Seven-Eleven convenience store and clothing shops were above.

I completely lost my way in Johor Bahru, so I was afraid that if I took a taxi to the hotel, I was gonna stay the taxi driver would charge me an unreasonable price. But I had no other way. I went to a taxi stand where red taxi cabs were because the red cabs seemed to be authorised. I asked a driver out of the taxis how much it cost to Thistle Hotel, where I was going to stay that night, and the driver answered he didn’t know where the hotel was. Then I caught the next taxi driver as well. He understood it, so I got into it. The cab arrived at the Thistle Hotel for ten minutes or so, for about 6.1 Ringgit. I didn’t know if it was reasonable because I didn’t know how much it should be. Probably it was acceptable because the taximeter seemed to work well and 6.1 Ringgit was equivalent to just 200 JPY or so.

Thistle Hotel is a British-capitalised hotel located in various places worldwide.

It’s the view from the hotel room. You’ll see typical Malaysian houses.

I went out of the hotel to see a downtown area before dark. Af first I walked Jalan Sungai Chat, where the hotel was on, then turned left on Jalan Abu Bakar. JB was a pedestrian-hostile city as well as I heard. There were no sidewalks or had broken one too poor-maintained to walk on.
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September 24, 2010
Singapore – the second day

I purchased a prepaid SIM card with 3-day broadband service at the M1 counter in Changi Airport. Unlike normal mobile phones like Nokia, iPhone didn’t receive an APN or other network setting information needed for internet access. The M1 counter lady said I needed to bring the iPhone to the M1 shop at Paragon and have it installed settings there.

I asked the MRT station staff where I could get to Paragon, and she answered I should go to Orchard station, so I took the MRT train to Orchard.

Here’s Paragon. It was huge.

M1 shop was on the B1 level. When I waited in line in front of the shop, a shop-girl came to me and asked what she could help me. I told her I wanted to activate internet service for my iPhone. Then she led me to the front of counters in charge of activation or other services and gave me a paper printed a queue number to let me wait until the number was called. Tens of minutes later, I was called by a counter girl. The activation took a little more time because my iPhone hadn’t been purchased at the M1 shop but in Hong Kong. Anyway, the activation was successful, and I could have access to the internet with my iPhone.

After activation, I went to Little India.

There were dozens of gold jewellery shops on the streets selling golden stuff and buying items with gold. I wonder if there are many such stores in Asian cities.

There were plenty of Indian restaurants as well. Below is one of the local restaurants. People were eating foods put on a banana leaf by hand, as people in India do.

Because Singapore is very close to the Equator and today was the almost autumnal equinox, the Sun passes the top of the sky. This video is when the Sun was on the top at solar noon. Vertical sunshine can never be experienced in Japan.

September 20, 2010
Trip to Singapore and Malaysia / シンガポール・マレーシアの旅

日本文が後ろに続きます。

I’m going on a trip to Singapore and Malaysia until next Thursday because we have the “Silver Week” in Japan, with two national holidays (next Monday and Thursday) and three days of leave. For me, this is this year’s second trip to foreign countries. As I have 20,000 miles of United Airlines’ frequent flyer program, I can get a round-trip ticket from Japan to South Asia. I chose Singapore because Singapore is the country where I enjoyed six years ago, and I have looked forward to visiting again. This time, I’m going to visit Johor Bahru and another city in Malaysia because they are close to Singapore and maybe I can have easy access to those cities.

I’ll bring unlocked iPhone bought from Hong Kong other than regular cell phones I use daily, to use it at cheaper costs by replacing Softbank’s SIM card I always use in Japan with prepaid SIM cards I’ll get at destination countries. Skype is installed on the iPhone so that I can receive calls at any time regardless of countries I’ll be in, even if a phone number will be frequently changed.

United 803 to Singapore

The plane departed Narita at 1735 and arrived at SIN at 2330. It was earlier than scheduled. Seven hours’ flight in the economy seat of United Airlines was kind of tough, and I had severe back pain when I got off 🙁

Arrival Gate

Immigration

Arrival Level

シルバーウイークを利用して、今日から２３日までシンガポールとマレーシアに行ってきます。台湾に続き今年２回目の海外です。ユナイテッド航空のマイルが２万マイルたまり南アジアに行けるようになったので（北アジアはＮＧ）、６年前に行ったことのあるシンガポールと、ついでだからジョホールバルとかマレーシアの他の都市にも足をのばそうと思ってます。

沢尻エリカの元旦那の高城剛氏の「サバイバル時代の海外旅行術」を大いに参考にして、香港版ＳＩＭロックフリーのｉＰｈｏｎｅをメインに、現地でプリペイドＳＩＭカードを入れ替えながらガンガン使おうと思ってます。着信用にはＳｋｙｐｅを入れておけば電話番号が頻繁に変わっても着信を受けることができます。他にもいろいろ真似をして、ソーラー充電器やらドクター・ショールやら、（効くかどうかわかりませんが）ホメオパシー・レメディーなどを持ってカリマー・エアポートプロ４０のキャリーバックに詰め込みます。もちろん東急ハンズで買ったカードケースの中にクレジットカード、ＡＴＭカードから絆創膏、白いガムテープ（緊急に何かを貼るためのもの。文字が書けるように白いもの）、緊急用の１００ドルと２０ドルのキャッシュ、３２ＧＢのＳＤＨＣカード（顔写真やらパスポートのコピーやら携帯を落としたときのための連絡先やら人間ドックの身体データやらが入っている）に至るまで携帯していきます。財布も使わず、日本円と現地通貨の小額紙幣とチップ用の１米ドルを１０枚、裸でポケットに突っ込みます（チップは使うかどうかわかりませんが）。

旅行記のほうはフォートラベルに書いています。

September 19, 2010
Oklahoma! / オクラホマ！

日本文が後ろに続きます。

This year I saw Oklahoma! at Kokugakuin Tochigi University High School. Every year I go to the cultural festival of this high school to see a play performed by the Musical Club. This club consists of tenth and twelfth graders of this high school, playing musical on an after-school basis. They have regular performances several times a year, and the biggest one is a show at the cultural festival in early September. Mieko Saigusa, one of this club’s instructors in charge of choreography, is the lady I know well and look forward to seeing once a year. That’s why I go to this high school even though I didn’t graduate from it and, to be sure, I’m nothing to do with it.

The city of Tochigi is about 50 miles to the north from central Tokyo. Car is the most convenient option to go there, but I went there by train for the last two years as I didn’t have my own car since I sold it two years ago.

Nevertheless, this time I rented a car to get there faster and more comfortably.

Ms. Saigusa was fine, worked energetically, and looked a bit younger than last year. To my happiness, when I came this morning in front of the entrance door of the musical venue, she led only me to the front row of the spectator’s seats inside the theater where the show was performed, while other guests were still waiting in front of the door 🙂

The musical was perfect. All the cast members played almost as skillfully as professional musical players. I enjoyed it very much.

The synopsis of Oklahoma! is shown here.

今年も國學院栃木高校の文化祭の時期がやってきました。恒例のミュージカル部公演を見るべく、今回はレンタカーを借りて朝から栃木まで行ってきました。今年の演目は「オクラホマ！」。

高校生の部活ですが、内容はプロ顔負けの高レベルです。主役２人を含めみなさん好演していましたが、特にJudを演じた人の演技は際立っていたと個人的に感じました。それから、Gertieの怪演も見事でした。

指導する三枝美江子先生に会いに行ってきました。今年もお元気でした。今年は少しお若く見えたような気がします。毎年見に行ってる常連だということで配慮してくれたのか、今年は入口に立っていると、特別に他のお客様に先んじて最前列の席をご案内いただきました。おかげさまで維持員席でかぶりつきで堪能することができました 🙂 ちょうど理事長先生もお見えだったようでその専用席も用意されていたんですが、理事長席は２列目だったので、理事長先生よりも前の席でちょっと恐縮だったんですけどね。

ちなみに他の展示はというと、英語部が３年ぶりに復活してました。部員が確保できたんですね。その代わりというわけではないですが、恒例だったアイオワホームステイの展示が今年はなかったようです。他にも電車の実験とか面白そうなものはいくつかあったんですが、レンタカーの時間もあったのでお昼過ぎには失礼しちゃいました。。。

【2017年10月22日追記】

動画でウエディングドレスを着て歌っている女性は関谷ひかりさん。今の宝塚宙組 天瀬はつひさんです。

September 12, 2010