第1部 39.事務所を出る

 

 

さあ，きょうはどこかの食堂に寄って夕食をすませてから帰らなくちゃいけない。
Let's see, now, I have to stop off and have dinner at some restaurant before going home tonight.

 

どこにしようかな。
Where should I go?

 

西銀座へ出て，一杯やるか。
I know what. I'll go out to Nishi-Ginza and have a few drinks.

 

久しぶりだ。
It's been quite a while since I've done that.

 

日中は暖かい天気だったが，少し涼しくなってきたぞ。
It was pretty warm during the day, but it's beginning to get a little cool.

 

雨は降らないだろうな。
I hope it doesn't rain.

 

最近，この地下道は広くなったなあ。
This underground passage was widened recently.

 

これで人込みもかなり緩和されたようだ。
It's relieved the overcrowding problem quite a bit.

 

以前はひどかったからなあ。
It was really pretty bad before.

 

わあ，やはり夕方は人が多いなあ！
Wow! There are so many people out after dark.

 

人間が多すぎるのか，電車が足りないのか，どちらだろうか？
I don't know whether it's because there are too many people or too few trains.

 

うヘーっ！　超満員じゃないか！
Oh, no. It's filled beyond capacity.

 

驚いたなあ。
What a surprise.

 

きょうは特別ひどいようだ。
It's worse than usual today.

 

あいたたた。横腹をひどく押す人がいるぞ。
Ouch! Someone is pushing my side really hard.

 

体の向きを変えよう。
I think I'll change my direction.

 

きついなあ！
It's really tight!

 

有楽町でおりるんだから，あんまり奥へ入らないほうがいい。
I'm getting off at Yurakucho, so I'd better not go too far from the door.

 

日本人は毎日こんなひどいめにあってよくがまんしていられるなあ。
The same awful thing happens to Japanese everyday and yet they're able to put up with it.

 

さあ，有楽町だ，おりよう。
Yurakucho. I've got to get off.

 

うーん，苦しい。押さないで！
Ugh! I can't breathe. Quit pushing!

 

ああ，ひどい目にあった。
Phew! That was terrible.

 

やっとの思いでおりられたなあ。
I don't know how I got off there, but I did it!

 

服はしわだらけになるし，靴も泥だらけだ。
My clothes are all wrinkled and my shoes have dirt all over them.

 

さあ，どの方向へ行こうかな。
I wonder which way I should go.

 

交通会館の左側に沿ってまっすぐ行こうか。
I think I'll go straight along the left side of the Kotsukaikan.

 

日本人は男も女もみなりっぱな服装をしているなあ。
The men and women are all dressed so sharply in Japan.

 

二ューヨークとはだいぶ様子が違うなあ。
It's quite different from New York.

 

でも，同じ洋服を着ていても，なんだか妙な感じがするんだ。
But even though they wear the same clothes as foreigners do, the Japanese somehow look a little strange in them.

 

日本人の洋服が身についていないのではなくて，皮膚の色か体格のせいなのかな？
It isn't that the clothes don't look good on Japanese, but maybe it's because of the skin color or build.

 

それに日本の男は，服を着ると，やたらにネクタイをつけたがる。
And besides that, Japanese men seem to wear neckties with everything.

 

そしてネクタイをつけるとタイピンをつけたがる。
And when they wear neckties, they have to wear tiepins, too.

 

タイピンなどは，アメリカではとっくの昔にすたれてしまったのに。
In the States, tiepins went out of style a long time ago.

 

日本人の若い女は，昼間からイヤリングなどをしている。
Young girls in Japan wear earrings and other jewelry during the day.

 

昼間にパーティーがあるわけでもないだろうが――。
It isn't as though they have parties to go to or anything.

 

さあ，どの店へ入ろうかな。
I wonder where I should go.

 

このあたりは高いから慎重に選ばなくちゃ。
It's pretty expensive to drink around this area, so I'd better choose very carefully.

 

輸出３課のヤマモトさんが言っていたぞ。銀座で飲み歩く日本人には成り上り者が多いんだって。
Mr.Yamamoto in Exports, Section 3 was saying that a lot of the Japanese who go drinking on the Ginza are just people who've suddenly become rich or influential.

 

ほんとうの通は銀座には来ないらしいなあ。でも，ぼくはめったに繁華街へは飲みに出ないんだから，成り上りものでも通でもないや。
The real experts don't come to the Ginza, but since I hardly ever go to the really hustling, bustling sections of town to drink, I'm neither an expert nor part of the nouveau riche.

 

これという店が見当たらないな。
I can't seem to find a good place.

 

安くて，たっぷり飲める店がいいんだが――。
I want someplace where I can drink a lot for a little. A lot for the least amount of money.

 

どれもこれも高そうだな。
They all look so expensive.

 

日本では，あとで勘定するから，そのときに吹っかけられても，文句が言えないんだ。
In Japan, they hand you the bill later, so you can't complain if they demand an outrageous price.