September 7, 2013

I was in Obihiro until yesterday for three academic meetings of the Hokkaido Veterinary Medical Association. Today I leave Japan for Edinburgh. I take the 5:40 a.m. bus for New Chitose Airport. The summer heat lingers in Sapporo, but I’m wearing a thick jacket, considering how much cooler it’ll be in Edinburgh. I depart without incident from Narita Airport on flight KL864. The flight is almost full. Europe-bound tourists seem to be on the rise, probably because business has begun to pick up. The Dutch tend to be large (even females), and I have a bit of trouble during the flight: Every time a flight attendant goes by, she jostles my shoulder. The in-flight meals are unexpectedly good. I’m happy with the ice cream. I’m able to keep from getting bored on the eleven-hour flight by preparing for my presentation and watching two movies. I doze off during the layover at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and my connecting flight starts boarding before I know it. Arriving at Edinburgh Airport at 9:30 p.m., I meet Prof. Inaba and Assistant Prof. Yanagawa. We take a taxi to our hotel. (The fare is 23 pounds.) I bump into Prof. Ohashi at the hotel and found out how things have been and what we’ll be doing the next day. Our study tour program seems to be going smoothly. With a mixture of expectation and anxiety about the work that is to start the next day, I fall asleep.

 

September 8

I leave the hotel at 9:45 a.m. to catch the 10:30 train. I joined Prof. Ohashi and four students. On the way, I got together with Prof. Yanagawa and the two Suzukis who are administrative staff, and nine of us head for the seabird observation spot. It’s a clear day, and the expansive of blue sky reminds me I’m in Scotland. After booking seats on the 2 p.m. boat, we have free time. I idle the time looking across the Atlantic Ocean while relaxing over a coffee. The boat we take is filled with passengers. I’d been informed that northern gannets inhabit the island we were heading for and that the island is actually covered by the birds. When I take a closer look, I realize it’s white from all the northern gannets. The island has a colony of 150,000 northern gannets, and the view of these birds flying in large flocks is spectacular. I feel grateful for seeing the view. We take a train at around 4:30 p.m. for Edinburgh and have dinner with Prof. Inaba (Dean of the Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine) at 6 p.m. I enjoy Atlantic salmon, beer and wine, all for the price of 30 pounds.

 

September 9

It’s an extremely important day for me. I get nervous even before leaving the hotel in the morning. I plan to take the 8:06 a.m. bus, but the bus departure time has changed the day before to 8 a.m. I almost miss the bus, though I just manage to catch it. Two students miss the bus and have to use a taxi. Immediately after arriving at the University of Edinburgh, I’m happy to see Alastair for the first time in years. We shake hands. The conference starts at 9:30 a.m., and the three faculty members from Hokkaido University give their presentations smoothly. Students also do their best to give presentations in English. The conference is a fine opportunity for academic exchanges. I hope this program is held next year and beyond. During the conference, I retire to a separate room for a meeting of about 30 minutes with the Dean of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies about future exchange programs. I propose the continuation of the undergraduate student exchange program as well as the commencement of a research exchange program for graduate students. The dean and I agree to gradually expand the number of programs, starting from the most feasible one. I get a positive response from the dean regarding the means and steps for receiving accreditation from the AVMA and the EVMA. The University of Edinburgh is likely to accept students on the Nitobe College program of Hokkaido University who are required to study abroad, but we need to develop the details before we ask for their cooperation. The program is over by 5 p.m., and I return to my hotel. That evening, the four faculty members and two staff members go out together on the town again for dinner. We enjoy good seafood, wine and whisky. Over dinner, we end up talking about minor problems at work.

 

September 10

At 8:45 a.m., I exchange goodbyes with Prof. Ohashi and get on a minibus with other members to head for Stirling. Neil drives the minibus. At the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University, we’re given explanations about their research on fish culturing. They’re focusing on tilapia culture, and show us tilapia at every growth stage, from juveniles to mature fish. One of the faculty members there is a vet, and he talks about the importance of the fish culturing industry. We’re given a tour of the facilities and explanations for about 2 hours.
After a light lunch at a roadside restaurant, we head for the Firbush Point outdoor center. The fabulous scenery I see at the lakeside is unique to Scotland, and it’s just how I remember it from three years earlier. After getting briefed on the day’s itinerary, we’re divided into two groups and each enjoys sailing or kayaking for two hours. I join the kayaking group and enjoy paddling for the first time in a while. But it’s really embarrassing when everyone sees my kayak almost capsize toward the end of the two hours. It was just a simple mistake. After a 7 p.m. dinner, I have a quick drink at a bar and go to bed. Students make a late-night racket.

 

September 11

Immediately after breakfast, we depart for the Highland Wildlife Park, a kind of safari park. The landscape I seem from the car is exactly what people expect from the highlands. There’s only a steep range of grassy hills. I can see few trees. We arrive at the Highland Wildlife Park around noon and have sandwiches that we’ve brought with us. In the afternoon, a staff member of the park gave us a tour of the park. I learn that European bisons, wolverines and wildcats (which didn’t look much different from housecats) are native to Scotland. Those are exotic animals for me. The park seems to feature polar bears. It’s my first time to see polar bears in a grassy field. We listen to a lecture for about an hour and learn lots about wildlife conservation in Scotland. Their approach to conservation isn’t much different from ours, and they talk a lot about the important roles of zoos and zoo-reared animals. We leave the Highland Wildlife Park after 4 p.m., and a three-hour drive brings us back to Edinburgh. In the evening, I have beer, wine and salad from the Tesco supermarket for supper.

 

September 12

It’s the final day of the study tour. We take the 8:30 bus for the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. We meet Neil at 9:30 and listen to the final lecture. It’s about the red squirrel. Because its niche has been taken over by non-native gray squirrels, the native red squirrel lives in fairly limited areas of Scotland. The decimation of the red squirrel population from the pox virus brought to Scotland by gray squirrels is a very serious problem. The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies has been addressing this problem jointly with Anne. The lecture concludes with a call for ongoing monitoring. The lecturer looks very friendly and e-mails me shortly after the lecture to tell me that he’s searched the Internet for information about my research on bears. Scots generally have fine personalities. After taking a commemorative photo one last time at the end of the lecture, we say goodbye to Neil. The students seem relieved to have completed the two-week study tour. In the afternoon, each student goes into the town for souvenirs. I return to my hotel to book a taxi for the next day. Among my e-mail messages, I find one from Neil informing me that the Scottish restaurant he meant to reserve (Howies at Waterloo Place) is booked for a wedding. Neil has kindly reserved a table at another Howies, on Victoria Street, but I don’t know how to tell all the students about the change in reservation. I rush out in search of them. I walk down the street, telling myself, “With any luck, I’ll be able to find them. Otherwise, that’s it; no chance.” I end up meeting all five students by happy chance. All the members in the program end up enjoying a Scottish dinner together. The dinner costs 300 pounds, partly because we’ve consumed two bottles of wine. I ask the students to pay 20 pounds each, and I pay the balance of 120 pounds. I allow myself the luxury of splurging on dinner for the students. While it wasn’t easy to look after the students, I believe they’ve had good opportunities for exchanges. I’ve accomplished my task for the study tour program.

 

 

September 13

I check out at 6:30 a.m. and take a taxi to the airport. I buy lots of Scotch and depart for Japan.

The End