Book review: 池井戸潤's 七つの会議
(日本語は英語の後にあります）
I have read Jun Ikeido's Nanatsu No Kaigi in Japanese. The title means seven meetings. There was one main character through the novel and each chapter featured one sub character. I never got bored because of that structure. Every those characters were ordinary office workers I could see the same type of people around me and the setting of the novel was a small ordinary electric manufacturer, so I felt sympathies for them many times. This was my first time to read this author's novel. I appreciated my friend who introduced me to this novel.
池井戸潤の七つの会議を日本語で読みました。 タイトルは7個の会議を意味します。 小説には主人公が1人いて、各章には章ごとにフィチャーされたキャラクターが1人います。 その構造のために退屈しませんでした。 キャラクターはみんな普通の私の身の回りにいるようなサラリーマンで、小説の舞台は小さな普通の電気メーカーだったので、何度も共感を覚えました。この著者の小説を読むのはこれが初めてでした。 この小説を紹介してくれた友達に感謝しています。
My diary: cooking Kakuni
英語の添削サービスIDIYを使って日記を添削してもらいました。使い勝手はそのうちブログにしたいと思います。日本も英語の後ろに載せています。
On the last weekend, I tried to cook "Kakuni" for the first time.*1 Kakuni is Japanese stewed pork. Its origin might be China. To tell the truth, I bought mistakenly rib-pork with bone instead of boneless pork ribs. Cooking Kakuni took much more time than I expected. I boiled the pork for 30 minutes and steamed for the same time. I repeated this cycle three times. After that, I boiled it with seasoning soup which included soy source, sake, sugar, and ginger slices. Because it took much time, I ate it the next day and the taste was good. *2 It took much time, so I ate it the next day and the taste was good.
point
*1 I tried to cook "Kakuni" for the first time last weekendの語順の方が自然
*2 Becauseを文頭に置くのはよくない。
先週末、はじめて角煮を作ってみました。角煮は豚を煮込んだ和食の料理です。きっと中国に起源があります。実を言うと、豚バラを使うのに間違えて骨付きの豚のリブを買ってしまいました。角煮を作るのは思ったより時間がかかりました。豚を30分煮て、そのあとに同じ時間蒸らします。これを3回繰り返しました。その後、醤油、料理酒、砂糖、スライスしたしょうがを入れたスープで煮込んで味付けをしました。時間がかなりかかったので次の日食べました。味は良かったです。
My favourite snack Toppo
今週のお題「好きなおやつ」
My favourite snack is Toppo. Toppo is long stick biscuits filled with chocolate. There are some similar snacks such as Pocky, Fran in Japanese market. I like those but still I believe Toppo is the best.
私の好きなおやつはトッポです。 トッポはチョコレートを詰めたロングスティックビスケットです。 日本市場には、ポッキーやフランなどの似たようなおやつがいくつかあります。 私はそれらが好きですが、それでもToppoが最高だと思います。
Here are some reasons.
At first, the taste is very good. The stick uses two different tastes and textures. The outside part is like biscuit while the inner is chocolate. So, you can feel slight sweetness and crispiness in the beginning and then feel strong sweetness. The balance between two types of sweetness is great.
ここにいくつかの理由があります。
最初は味がとても良いです。 スティックは2つの異なる味と質感を使用しています。 外側はビスケットのようで、内側はチョコレートです。 なので、最初はほんのり甘みとサクサク感があり、その後は強い甘みが感じられます。 2種類の甘さのバランスが良いです。
At the second, you can buy Toppo in many places with reasonable price. There are Toppo packages in convenience stores, super markets, vending machines, kiosks, etc.
第二に、あなたはリーズナブルな価格で多くの場所でToppoを手に入れることができます。 コンビニエンスストア、スーパーマーケット、自動販売機、売店などにトッポのパッケージがあります。
At last but not least, you can eat Toppo, keeping your hand clean. When you eat chocolate, your fingers become sticky and you have to wash or wipe your fingers. You don’t need to worry about it for Toppo, because the outside is biscuit. It means that you can eat it while you do desk work.
最後になりましたが、手を清潔に保ちながら、Toppoを食べることができます。 チョコレートを食べると指がベタベタになり、指を洗ったり拭いたりする必要があります。 外側はビスケットなので、Toppoは気にする必要はありません。 デスクワークしながら食べられるという意味です。
While writing this short essay, I want to bite a stick of Toppo. If you are very rare person who never eat Toppo, I recommend you try it.
この短いエッセイを書いている間、私はトッポの棒を噛みたいです。トッポを食べたことがない、めったにない人はぜひ食べてみてください。
東京海上がカーボンニュートラルを達成しているからCO2排出量を他社と比べてみた
東京海上のサステナビリティの取り組みに関するニュースを見て感銘を受けたので他社状況もチェックしてみたいと思いました。はじめてネタっぽいブログを書くのですが感想・コメント・ご指摘・ツイート・スターなどリアクション貰えるとやる気がさらに出てありがたいです。ではお付き合いください。
こちらがそのニュースに関するニュースリリースです。
東京海上ホールディングス株式会社（取締役社長 グループCEO 小宮 暁、以下「当社」）は、グループ全体（国内・海外）の事業活動において2013年度から2019年度まで7年連続で「カーボン・ニュートラル(※1)」を達成しましたので、お知らせいたします。
私のツイートです。
東京海上は、マングローブ植林活動で植えた木たちでCO2を吸収してカーボンニュートラルを達成しているんですね。1999年から始めたそうですが、先見の明というか、社会貢献をずっと行ってたからこその素晴らしい成果ですね。他の大手２社の取り組みは、
— ハシノヤスト (@CG_Map) 2020年9月24日
ツイートの通りなんですが、環境問題に長年着実に取り組んできたことがカーボンニュートラルという結果に結びついていて素晴らしいと思いました。グローバルの中でも結構すごいことなんじゃないでしょうか？
Swiss Reでさえ2030年のカーボンニュートラル（＝ゼロ排出、ネットゼロエミッション）を目指している途中のようです。（ところで内部炭素税も気になる概念ですね、、、）
内部炭素税って概念があるんですね!?どの部門が計算するんでしょうか?→Swiss Reは、2030年までのゼロ排出を目指して現在CO2 1tあたり8$の内部炭素税を2021年に100$に高めるそうです。集めた税は、事業ででる排出の補償に使われますSwiss Re steps up internal carbon levy https://t.co/BhzLX8uP09
— ハシノヤスト (@CG_Map) 2020年9月22日
保険業界での比較と東京海上のマングローブ植林
損保大手３社の状況を表にしました。年度以外の単位はトン(t)です。
| 会社 | 東京海上HD | SompoHD | MS&ADHD |
| 年度 | 2019 | 2019 | 2019 |
| CO2排出量 | 111,172 | 163,637 | 547,700 |
| スコープ１ | 17,478 | 18,645 | 23,441 |
| スコープ２ | 62,100 | 64,584 | 65,615 |
| スコープ３ | 31,594 | 80,408 | 458,644 |
| CO2吸収・固定・削減量 | 133,617 | NA | NA |
ここで東京海上だけが「CO2吸収・固定・削減量」という項目があり、これがCO2排出量と相殺してカーボンニュートラルを達成しているようです。主にマングローブ植林 によるCO2吸収・固定のおかげです。
東京海上は1999年からアジアなどの9か国で１万ヘクタールをこえる範囲にマングローブ植林活動をしてきていたためこの恩恵を受ける当然の権利があると言えます。一朝一夕では達成できないことで地道な取り組みが他社より抜きんでる結果を生んだようです。
また単純にCO2排出量について比較しても一番良い結果に見えます。
気づいたこと
東京海上とSompoのCO2排出量は、似通っているのですがMS&ADだけかなり多いのが気になります。とくにスコープ３の排出量が他２社と桁がひとつ違います。気づいたこと
また時間をみつけてスコープ１・２・３の定義も整理して書きたいですし、この違いの原因をみつけたいとも思っています。
あとは生命保険会社についても比較したいですし、世界の会社もみてみたいですね。
なので近々書き足そうと思います。
My travel memory : Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay)
Socialist country
During my trip in Vietnam, I had some chances to see its face of a socialist country. I was interested in how people had dealt with the conflicts between socialism and their greed, I am not sure this could be called capitalism. Four days trip was not enough to find the answer but I was satisfied with touching the culture to some extent. I didn’t know Vietnamese language and rules in a socialist country, so I joined a tour group. This essay was based on my trip in the late summer of later 2010s.
Hanoi
Heavy traffic on Friday night
It was evening when I arrived at the airport. Soon after feeling humid and warm breeze, I got on the shuttle bus. When the bus was entering central of the capital and waiting for the traffic lights, I found that our bus was surrounded by a lot of motorcycles. The spectacle of motorcycles crossing the road was overwhelming. It was like the migration of gnus. To my surprise, a whole family got on the same bike. Most cases, there were 3 or 4 people.
The tour guide told us that they were going to the beach after the work on Friday and they would swim in the sea from next morning. She also said that it was recently booming and meant people became afford to enjoy leisure. Then, I thought this night exodus implied the development of Vietnam toward dawn.
Road to Ha Long Bay
Our tour went down to Ha Long Bay from Hanoi. The bus was running on the highway. According to the guide, the road was not paved decades ago and bumpy. I sometimes saw a stand which sold something in long plastic bags on the side of the road. The guide told us that it was a baguette stand and lorry drivers often bought those. Vietnam and a baguette, it seemed intriguing combination. However, given this country is a former colony of France, it is natural. Other things bumped into my sight were skinny cows which were not for milk but for supporting cultivating the land, vast crop fields, and leaf cone hats. The hat is known for the symbol of Liberation Army of South Vietnam in Vietnam War. Agriculture is the main industry in this country and most of rice is exported to China, another sociologist country next to Vietnam. Unexpectedly, it is said that relationships between both is not good.
Defoliant and factory
On the way to Ha Long Bay, our tour bus stopped at the factory and its shop for a break. The factory was run by public organisation and hired disabled people. They had been disabled since their birth because their mother had been affected by the toxic defoliant in Vietnam War. They made elaborate crafts. But those were expensive and not my preference. It might have focused Chinese people.
Ha Long Bay
Ha long Bay includes thousands of isles in it. Each of isles has different size and shape and is monolithic. The rocky islands were covered with deep green plants. It seemed that they showed that they had been there for a long time.
According to the old folklore, when Chinese invaded Vietnam, the parent and child of dragon appeared and defeat them. At the same time, the dragons put out jewelleries from their mouths and they became each islands of Ha Long Bay. The bay was the den of pirates until a few centuries ago.
In the perspective of geography, the bay is on the limestone plateau which extends to Guilin in China. Certainly, the scenery of Guilin is similar to the bay.
Cruise
I got on the luncheon cruise to see around the bay. I enjoyed local seafood seeing the beautiful and magnificent landscape. While having lunch, the small boat was approaching to our boat. It was local fishing boat and the family sold fresh fish, shells, and crabs on the deck. I bought some and the chef of our boat cocked it soon. Those were much more delicious than the inclusive meal. I also landed one of islands where had a large limestone cave. The lighting in the cave was so colourful and it spoil its natural taste.
Electricity failures
The area had been developing for sightseeing and there was new amusement park which attracted many young people. Vietnam labour population had been increasing constantly. People consumed more electricity and it made the provision of electricity unstable. It could have cause a few electric failures at the hotel overnight.
Other miscellaneous things
Make a chicken
Our tour guide was a woman in 30s and told a lot about the daily life of common people in that country. All of the land was possessed by the government. People bought the ownership of the land for a duration. In most cases, the shape and size of the land was determined uniformly. The type of residential house was also regulated such as it had three floors.
The woman who would get married had better know how to make chicken meat from living one. The guide said she was not good at it and her step mother might not think well about it.
Bat Trang grill
Our tour visited the village where was known to traditional pottery, Bat Trang grill, and the workshop. We observed the process of making the pottery. The staff eagerly explained how it was difficult to put the colours on the surface and I was impressed and bought a few pot mats. After coming back to Japan, I found the same kind of pottery was sold in one dollar store. I didn’t know it already became common products.
My travel memory : Croatia (Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, Dubrovnik)
Croatia
Mirko Cro Cop
I didn’t know much things about Croatia and I knew it was as a home country of Mirko Cro Cop, who had fought many kick-boxing matches in the K-1 promotion for long time in Japan. This essay was based on my trip in the summer of later 2010s.
Five senses
Croatia was totally different country from Japan. My five senses always taught me that thing during my travel. As for eyesight, the buildings were different and those in a city of Zagreb and old town of Dubrovnik were seemed Gothics and Baroque. As for hearing, language was different. Croatian spoke Croatian. As for touch, the weather was different. It was dry and not annoying even in summer. The humidity in the summer of Japan is terrible. As for taste and smell, food culture was different. It is interesting to note that the food culture of North Croatia and it of the South are different each other.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital, but it is not as famous as Dubrovnik, the South tourist spot. I stayed in Zagreb as a transit point to Plitvice Lakes National Park. It was not a big city like Tokyo, so we looked around main sightseeing places in a half day on tram and foot. I like tram. The blue trams run through the town. It was not fast and run on the rails on streets so we slowly and closely enjoyed the town view from the window. The cheaper ticket than taxi was also nice.
Most places to see are accessible on foot from the central square, Trg bana Josipa Jelačića. One of the symbols of this city is Sv. Marka Crkva. The church is not so far from the central square. We dared to get on the cable car, Funicular, to go there.
Sv. Marka Crkva had cute and beautiful tile art on its roof.
I couldn’t help but write about the hotel I stayed, even though I am not particular about hotels. I was so attracted its interior decoration, which was Art deco style. The hotel name is Esplanade Zagreb. This hotel was built in front of Zagreb Central Station in 1925 to accommodate the passengers of the famous Orient Express. That could be why there were different time zone clocks on top of the wall inside the entrance. One of them showed Tokyo time. The history and retro decoration made me feel like I were a passenger of old.
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Plitvice Lakes National Park was my primary destination of this travel. The place had been on my bucket list since my colleague told me its magnificent scenery. The words of my colleague was definitely true because it became the best hiking in my life.
It took about 2 hours and 15 minutes to the park from Zagreb by bus. There were 2 entrances in the park and tourists could choose a course from several one-way courses. I chose C course which start at Entrance 1. The course surrounds both parts of lakes, lower lakes and upper lakes, and includes a ferry-ride. It takes 8000m distance and 4-6 hours.
Soon after ticket gate, I came to the deck on which I saw the strong water fall. At the same time, I recognized that this place was so special and there might be many further impressive spots.
The footpath was amazing. I always walked along the water of lakes, falls, and rivers. I always listened to the murmuring of water and songs of birds. It was summer but I didn’t feel too hot because I could walked under the shade of trees.
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is also known for its nickname, Pearl of the Adriatic. The old town of the city was surrounded by the high and heavy castle wall. Inside the wall, the town were crowded with historical orange-roof buildings. In every alley from the main street, there were many small cafes, bars, and restaurants. They set tables and chairs outside their shops. I thought the narrow alley was cooler even in summer because both-side walls of tall buildings made shade on the alley all day long.
I walked round the old town on the circular pedestrian route on the castle wall. The length was about 2km. It took 1.5 hours. On the wall, I saw the beautiful orange roofs against a background of the Adriatic ocean.
There was another way to enjoy the roofs. I got on the cable car and visited the top of Mount Srd. There was a nice outside cafe. I had a cup of iced coffee. The breeze from ocean and view of the pearl of the Adriatic facinated me very much. I forgot the passage of the time and just saw the landscape on the table for an hour.
The islands around Dubrovnik
Various ferries and tours to visit neighboring islands started at the eastern port of Old Town. One of those was the one-day tour to neighbor country such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.
The nearest island from Old Town is Lokrum. It takes 15min by ferry. The ferry ticket was sold only for round-trip because of the legend. If you would stay overnight in the island, you would be cursed. In the island, there were many attractions, botanical gardens, historical building, castle ruins, the dead sea, and beaches (rocky). Peacocks walked freely.
I took one-day tour to visit three islands, Koločep Lopud, and Šipanska. To be honest, the islands seemed similar for me. However the beach in Lupad was amazing. The Beach Sunj was on the other side of the island from the port but it worth to visit. It was really comfortable beach. The beach was surrounded by a pine forest. There were not too many food stands and restaurants. The most impressive thing was shallow sandy beach prolonged so long distance. I could walk up to 50m from the beachside with keeping the water level under my waist.
