以前にアサヒ化学研究所という会社で働いたことがあるが、その当時親しかった同僚の英国人バリーが米国からカナダに移り住んでいる。バリーが訪日する度に、近隣の観光地を案内し楽しい時を過ごした。英国人特有のエクセントリックな性格は時に彼を気難しい外国人にしてしまう。そんなわけで、彼のガイド役として会社から業務命令が下ったようである。確かに食べ物に関しては好き嫌いが激しく、日本人の世話役を困らせることは多々あったようである。ダイエットコーク以外の飲み物は一切受け付けない。糖分を摂取しすぎないという理由らしいが、そのくせ朝からドーナッツを何個も朝食代わりに食べていた。理解に苦しむ。宿泊先のホテルの和朝食にでる味噌汁の臭いが我慢できないと、ホテルの洋食も避けてスターバックスに逃げ込む。バリーは、今時めずらしい和食嫌いの外国人であった。俗に言う、食わず嫌いで、食材の正体を聞いただけで尻込みしてしまう。そんな彼との共通の趣味は写真とカメラへの興味だった。どこへ行っても、バリーは物珍しげに写真を撮りまくっていた。久しぶりにバリーにメールを送ったら、すぐに返事が届いた。「カナダからの手紙」である。昔、そんなタイトルの歌があったことを思い出した。ここ２，３年で彼の暮らしぶりも様変わりしていた。一緒に働いていた会社も退職したようである。かれとの交信を原文のまま載せることにした。興味のある人は辞書を片手に二人の絆を見つけてください。
Shiro,
It was a pleasant surprise to receive your email but it was a devastating blow to hear of your current health problem. I am very, very sorry...... but you are Japanese....... and Japanese people should outlast their ginger-monkey friend colleagues and peers..... I am very sad to hear your bad news. I must say that the tone of your email was surprisingly positive, you have a very nice attitude.
My doctor tests me for prostrate cancer each year. She told me that she won't have to do the test in the near future because it is slow moving and after a certain age, people die of old age before they are smitten by prostrate cancer. I wish yours was like this. Sounds as if you had an interesting time with local politics. Hope your medication is helping you to maintain your enthusiasm for whatever you enjoy.
I think the last time we communicated, you were very depressed and living in bad conditions. I sent you a long rambling reply hoping to raise your spirits. I hope you got over that dark period OK. Since then much has changed this end. First, I had to leave Asahi because the company was struggling. I was too old to get another job so I reluctantly retired with very little pension income. I planned to make extra income by working in my basement workshop. It was equipped with woodwork machinery suitable for furniture making. I also built and perfected a painting machine that helps me paint wonderful works of art. Since my sales and marketing skills are not very good, I failed to make an income from my woodwork.
I then focused on my art, built a Web site and made an effort to market my art by attending some local exhibitions. Time ran out and we had to sell our house……. However, I had started to get art commissions for people portraits and animal portraits. You can see some of my art at the following: http://barrieart.com/
We moved out of our home two days ago and we are now living temporarily with our daughter, her husband and two grand-children.
We will be going to England within the next few weeks. Ginnie wants to return to England permanently so we are going to see if it is a practical proposition. If we decide that we have to be closer to our children, we will return to Canada buy a small house. Wherever we end up, I will need a reasonable workshop / studio.
That's about all the news for now.
I hope the doctors are wrong and hope you are doing interesting things.
Barrie
Dear Barrie san,
Long time no seen!! Though I have left ASAHI Japan I wish to keep in contact with friends that I came across during the ASAHI time in the past. I have been busy working for my elder brother's company with a lot of troubles in the way of running company, with senior staff of this company. This is the very tough time that we are going through in the business of construction work (mainly road constructions) as the public spending (of the local government) being reduced. However, our company was doing well in the last accounting year of 2011 ending at the last April of this year. So things are improving in our company.
In the middle of last April, I was suddenly hospitalized and had been kept there until May 17th for a month. In the last February to the March I was suffering from lumbago, or back-ach and pains in the bones of right leg. At the time, I believed that it was caused by the aging of my bones, or the sciatic neuralgia as such. At the second visit to the hospital, X-ray photos were taken, but no serious damage was found by the medical check. However, I was losing my weight by 8 or 9 Kg in a few months. So the doctor suggested me to have my blood tested, and during blood-taking process I collapsed and was suggested to stay in hospital for further medical check. Then in that week, I had a medical check by a stomach endoscope and that was for the first time for me to go through the experience. It was more than uncomfortable, I suffered a bit with pain. Nothing found in my stomach. Then check went to intestines, but nothing found there too. Finally my doctor found irregularity at the prostate gland and prostatitis was suspected. After the biopsy, cancer cells were found at the prostate gland. So the doctor told me that back-ach and hip bone-ach were caused the cancer. No wonder the pain was unbearable. With pills and medical treatment, after a month I was well enough to be released from this hospital. I stayed at home for two weeks or so before started working at same company. According to my wife, the doctor told my family that my life would not last two years so that they should let him do what he wishes to do. Though I knew I was a terminal cancer patient in the hospital, but expected my life would last another 5 or 10 years. However, my life seems to be shorter than that if I believe the doctor's explanations to my family. So I have started the countdown, just like the way we do at the every year end. No regret, I have spent a good life, far better than the average Japanese. Although my wish or dream of becoming photo-journalist was never realized, at least I have travelled a lot and seen many Ginger-monkeys so to speak. I was lucky to come across many English and American friends not to speak the neighbor Asian friends while I worked for Asahi Chemical Research Laboratory. I still believe that you are one of the best friends that I met during the Asahi time. So, I thought that I should tell you what happened to me for the last few months.
By the way, I was involved with an election of the mayor of OYAMA city where I live now. Current mayor has been in power for 12years, and it is about time a new mayor should be chosen for the next term. Our company is supporting a new young candidate in his forties. This election will take place on July 22nd and we will see the result in a week's time. I do hope he will be elected to change this city, with full support of younger generation of OYAMA citizen.
Good night. Shiro Tamura from the countryside of Japan.
Shiro,
It was a pleasant surprise to receive your email but it was a devastating blow to hear of your current health problem. I am very, very sorry...... but you are Japanese....... and Japanese people should outlast their ginger-monkey friend colleagues and peers..... I am very sad to hear your bad news. I must say that the tone of your email was surprisingly positive, you have a very nice attitude.
My doctor tests me for prostrate cancer each year. She told me that she won't have to do the test in the near future because it is slow moving and after a certain age, people die of old age before they are smitten by prostrate cancer. I wish yours was like this. Sounds as if you had an interesting time with local politics. Hope your medication is helping you to maintain your enthusiasm for whatever you enjoy.
I think the last time we communicated, you were very depressed and living in bad conditions. I sent you a long rambling reply hoping to raise your spirits. I hope you got over that dark period OK. Since then much has changed this end. First, I had to leave Asahi because the company was struggling. I was too old to get another job so I reluctantly retired with very little pension income. I planned to make extra income by working in my basement workshop. It was equipped with woodwork machinery suitable for furniture making. I also built and perfected a painting machine that helps me paint wonderful works of art. Since my sales and marketing skills are not very good, I failed to make an income from my woodwork.
I then focused on my art, built a Web site and made an effort to market my art by attending some local exhibitions. Time ran out and we had to sell our house……. However, I had started to get art commissions for people portraits and animal portraits. You can see some of my art at the following: http://barrieart.com/
We moved out of our home two days ago and we are now living temporarily with our daughter, her husband and two grand-children.
We will be going to England within the next few weeks. Ginnie wants to return to England permanently so we are going to see if it is a practical proposition. If we decide that we have to be closer to our children, we will return to Canada buy a small house. Wherever we end up, I will need a reasonable workshop / studio.
That's about all the news for now.
I hope the doctors are wrong and hope you are doing interesting things.
Barrie
Dear Barrie san,
Long time no seen!! Though I have left ASAHI Japan I wish to keep in contact with friends that I came across during the ASAHI time in the past. I have been busy working for my elder brother's company with a lot of troubles in the way of running company, with senior staff of this company. This is the very tough time that we are going through in the business of construction work (mainly road constructions) as the public spending (of the local government) being reduced. However, our company was doing well in the last accounting year of 2011 ending at the last April of this year. So things are improving in our company.
In the middle of last April, I was suddenly hospitalized and had been kept there until May 17th for a month. In the last February to the March I was suffering from lumbago, or back-ach and pains in the bones of right leg. At the time, I believed that it was caused by the aging of my bones, or the sciatic neuralgia as such. At the second visit to the hospital, X-ray photos were taken, but no serious damage was found by the medical check. However, I was losing my weight by 8 or 9 Kg in a few months. So the doctor suggested me to have my blood tested, and during blood-taking process I collapsed and was suggested to stay in hospital for further medical check. Then in that week, I had a medical check by a stomach endoscope and that was for the first time for me to go through the experience. It was more than uncomfortable, I suffered a bit with pain. Nothing found in my stomach. Then check went to intestines, but nothing found there too. Finally my doctor found irregularity at the prostate gland and prostatitis was suspected. After the biopsy, cancer cells were found at the prostate gland. So the doctor told me that back-ach and hip bone-ach were caused the cancer. No wonder the pain was unbearable. With pills and medical treatment, after a month I was well enough to be released from this hospital. I stayed at home for two weeks or so before started working at same company. According to my wife, the doctor told my family that my life would not last two years so that they should let him do what he wishes to do. Though I knew I was a terminal cancer patient in the hospital, but expected my life would last another 5 or 10 years. However, my life seems to be shorter than that if I believe the doctor's explanations to my family. So I have started the countdown, just like the way we do at the every year end. No regret, I have spent a good life, far better than the average Japanese. Although my wish or dream of becoming photo-journalist was never realized, at least I have travelled a lot and seen many Ginger-monkeys so to speak. I was lucky to come across many English and American friends not to speak the neighbor Asian friends while I worked for Asahi Chemical Research Laboratory. I still believe that you are one of the best friends that I met during the Asahi time. So, I thought that I should tell you what happened to me for the last few months.
By the way, I was involved with an election of the mayor of OYAMA city where I live now. Current mayor has been in power for 12years, and it is about time a new mayor should be chosen for the next term. Our company is supporting a new young candidate in his forties. This election will take place on July 22nd and we will see the result in a week's time. I do hope he will be elected to change this city, with full support of younger generation of OYAMA citizen.
Good night. Shiro Tamura from the countryside of Japan.