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世界は狭くなりました
新婚旅行で訪れた南イタリアの小さな街で
日本を知る多くの人たちに出会ったことが、
私に心地よい満足感を与えてくれた。
It's a small world
I've just returned from my honeymoon in Italy, where we stayed in the beautiful town of Amalfi, at the Hotel Santa Caterina, where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stayed during the filming of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," which was quite exciting.
The hotel was stunning, and perfect for honeymooners! I was amazed at how peaceful and charming the town was. I was also amazed to find that several of the other guests at our hotel had quite a strong Japan connection.
There was a man from Switzerland who had spent many years visiting Japan on business, as he is part-owner of a wedding ring company: In fact he said that his company creates the most popular brand of wedding rings in Japan. He also writes a lot of articles and assists in the publishing of a trade magazine they produce, so of course we had quite a lot in common and we ended up talking a lot about publishing in Japan.
There was also an American man who worked for a recruitment company that specifically placed people in Japan, and he had been on several business trips here over the years.
But even more surprising were the two men who were staying in the room next door to us. An American man and his father were taking a holiday together, and it turned out that the son had actually lived in Japan for nine years. And yet even more surprisingly, he had spent some time in his early years in Japan working part-time in one of my favorite Roppongi bars.
You would think that a holiday in a remote part of Italy would mean that you would meet very few people, let alone non-Japanese people with a connection to Japan. It is a small world indeed!
I still often think of Japan as an unusual and exotic place to live or visit, so I think I am always surprised to meet non-Japanese people in other countries who have been to Japan before. But I shouldn't really be surprised: With so many people travelling so much more now, both for business and for pleasure, we are bound to encounter people who have been to the same countries that we have. It made me wonder if the same thing would have happened 20 years ago though, when we travelled less, and there were fewer Westerners in Japan.
Bumping into people with that Japan connection overseas always gives me a bit of a glow inside. Almost invariably you can see the fond memories flick through people's minds when they realize you live in Japan. If they have only ever visited Japan before, then you get the sense that they would love to have spent some time actually living here. And if they have lived in Japan before, then the connection deepens as they are keen to mention old friends and hang-outs, and try to find mutual acquaintances. It gives you a topic of conversation that can last for hours, and for me, gives me a bit of comfort in talking about Japan, which is now familiar and like home to me, while in strange surroundings.
(512 words)
Discussion:
Have you had encounters like this before with people from your home town or prefecture? Would the kind of encounters Caroline had in Italy have occurred 20 years ago?
Shukan ST: Nov. 4, 2005
(C) All rights reserved
- Amalfi
- アマルフィ(イタリア南部、カンパーニャ地方の街)
- Hotel Santa Caterina
- ホテル・サンタ・カテリナ(アマルフィの街から1キロ離れた断崖に立つ最高級ホテル)
- filming
- 撮影
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith
- 12月3日に日本公開されるアクション映画
- stunning
- 素晴らしい
- was amazed at 〜
- 〜に驚いた
- had quite a strong Japan connection
- 日本と深い関わりを持っていた
- part-owner
- 共同所有者
- articles
- 記事
- assists in 〜
- 〜に関わっている
- trade magazine
- 業界誌
- had quite a lot in common
- 共通項がたくさんあった
- recruitment company
- 人材派遣会社
- placed people in Japan
- 日本に人を送り込んだ
- on several business trips
- 出張で何回か
- yet
- さらに
- remote
- 遠く離れた
- meet very few people
- ほとんど人に会わない
- let alone 〜
- 〜は言うに及ばず
- indeed
- 本当に
- think of 〜 as 〜
- 〜を〜だと思う
- unusual and exotic
- 独特で異国情緒がただよう
- are bound to 〜
- 〜することになる
- encounter
- 遭遇する
- Bumping into 〜
- ばったり〜と出くわす
- glow
- 心地よい満足感
- fond memories
- なつかしい思い出
- flick through 〜
- 〜をよぎる
- get the sense that 〜
- 〜という感触を得る
- deepens
- 深まる
- are keen to mention 〜
- 〜について話したがる
- hang-outs
- 行き付けの場所
- mutual acquaintances
- 共通の知人
- last for hours
- 何時間も続く