Translation: Sexy Zone, More Magazine October 2019
Lately I've been using magazine articles to practice my Japanese for a change of pace so I thought it might be nice to start posting them when they're finished. I don't know that anyone would read my blog lol but just in case, I am NOT a native Japanese speaker and am very much still learning. So although after I translate these I always run through my translations with my teacher (she really ends up knowing far more about Johnny's than she ever wanted to lol) please bear in mind that my translations aren't perfect and I try to capture the intention more than the literal phrasing a lot of the time. I think a lot of my translation to English can be kinda awkward, so I'm hoping that gets better over time haha.
Please don't steal/claim my translation as your own or post in full elsewhere, the post is open so just link to the page. If you want to quote part of it please credit hashiridase@dw
This translation is from the October 2019 edition of More, and it's from a series where Sekuzo members choose a word beginning with each syllable in turn as a topic to talk about - this time the syllable is 'do' and the word that members chose was 'Drive', with FumaKen talking around this topic.
Vol 7: "do" - Drive
I like heading for a long drive to somewhere far away. More than just starting to drive aimlessly without a purpose, it feels best to just drive with focus to a destination with the spirit of "I'll go for a drive". To me, driving is probably a bit similar to the way I run my life. (Nakajima)
I got my license when I was 18. On the day of the final exam, a rent-a-car was reserved ahead for me. When I passed and got the license, I went straight away to Hakone. I was probably pretty nervous. There are absolutely no memories remaining of the first drive in my life (laughs) (Kikuchi)
Kashima Shrine and Atami Trip
Nakajima: Speaking of a recent drive, I went to Kashima shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture. It took around 2 hours, by myself.
Kikuchi: That sounds so grown up. By the way, why did you go to that shrine?
Nakajima: Recently, I was able to spend my time at leisure for the first time in ages. So not long ago, I got a break and took a trip to NY by myself. I suddenly set my mind on it and reserved the flights and hotel 3 days before (lol). I went to the theatre in Broadway, went back and forth from art museums... I had an exciting time every day in New York and I was able to gain a lot of energy. So to speak, as far as I'm concerned this moment right now is the preparation period for my next battle. So, for the sake of myself and the group, and in order to pray for the next fighting victory... that's why I went to Kashima shrine, which is known for the gods of luck in battle and victory.
Kikuchi: Nice, it makes me happy to hear that.
Nakajima: When you pass under the large torii gate and you continue along the inner road to the shrine, there's a rear shrine dedicated to gratitude for Tokugawa Ieyasu's passionate victory at Sekigahara. Furthermore, when you continue to the inner area of the shrine you feel a different aura. I fully recharged my energy there. Although I'm not sure exactly if it's a blessing from the shrine, at once I became able to wake even without an alarm clock. But still, for 3 days only (laughs).
Kikuchi: But I have a feeling that this is nothing to do with a blessing (lol).
Nakajima: By the way, what about you? Did you go for a drive recently?
Kikuchi: I went on a trip to Atami with my grandparents. I've had a close relationship with my grandparents since I was a small child. When there's a 2 day break, where possible I always take the two of them somewhere. For the Atami trip we stopped by the service station and went to a ramen shop we wanted to try. After arriving at the inn, my grandfather and I bathed in the inn's onsen together. Because neither my grandfather or I talk much, we only spoke from time to time, but it felt comfortable. On the other hand, at dinner time I exchanged updates on this and that about what's been going on recently with my grandmother who loves to talk. And, I don't know why but the next day at Atami I ended up changing my grandmother's mobile phone (lol). My grandmother said "Because I don't understand well, Fuma can you help me please", so I ended up listening to the explanations and thinking about the plans instead of my grandmother.
Nakajima: Hahahaha!! You're able to do these things so naturally, it's a really good point of yours.
"Important people" who ride in your car
Nakajima: Do you often drive your family in your car?
Kikuchi: I do. I often do. Because I have a younger brother and sister. I also collect them from cram school.
Nakajima: Eh, when they leave cram school Kikuchi Fuma is there?!
Kikuchi: I'm there, just normally (lol). My family also ride in my car and we go around the local area shopping. Recently as well, my younger sister came along shopping with me. I told her "you can buy anything you want", so I've just bought her some clothes at a fast fashion store, where the price was reasonable no matter how many you buy (lol).
Nakajima: What a nice older brother!!
Kikuchi: In my case, it's usually for someone else's sake when I am driving the car. There are many times when family or friends are riding along in my car. But, Nakajima said this too right? You said "I got my license to make it easier for my father who always drives us around".
Nakajima: That's right. So when I turned 18 I immediately got my license. From then on, for a family holiday it was me that took the wheel. Lately as well, we just went to Karuizawa as a family. There were many times that we went to Yokohama where my father lived before a long time ago. There are several routes from Yokohama to the Tokyo area but my father without fail will say "take the Daisan-Keihin road. Because it's wide and easy to drive on." In fact, he's right about that. Within the fun memories of time spent as a family, the Daisan-Keihin road was the driving route I liked.
Kikuchi: When you say it like that, I guess the route I liked was the Tokyo-Nagoya Expressway. Because when I was at university I travelled that route many times. After school, my friends would ride in my car and we'd go around on trips to service stations too. We'd go around splitting the cost to buy the things we'd wanted to try like "Japan's best meat steamed buns', with everyone saying "is this really the best in Japan?!' while eating (lol). When going to Kamakura on the way back to school, we made trips to eat the local menus too. There are many fun memories of taking the Tokyo-Nagoya Expressway.
Nakajima: Ah, that sounds so youthful. So as I thought, there's always someone riding in your car.
Kikuchi: Usually someone else is riding with me, there's probably not many times I go for a drive on my own. What about you?
Nakajima: For me there are times I drive alone. There are often times I go for a drive on my own along avenues lined with trees in the Tokyo area. When the Ginkgo trees on the side of the road in town start changing colour, there's an ambience like you are overseas. There are families and couples walking close together there. This might be normal for them, but it's an unusual sight for me. Though I'm only watching, it puts me in a good mood or rather, I should say the tenseness in my heart softens. I stop my car for a short time and just admire this scene (lol).
Kikuchi: That is quite a suspicious scene but... if you can reset from your busy everyday life with this I'm glad (lol).
(fin)
I really enjoyed this one, and I felt especially fond of Fuma's grandmother lol because that's exactly the sort of thing my grandmother would make me do hahaha. I love how close Fuma is with his family, he mentions them in pretty much everything of his I read. The way he takes care of his younger siblings is like a parent, very cute. Kento is so responsible! It's really nice that he learned to drive quickly so that it wouldn't have to be his father driving the family everywhere. Though I have to admit, I got really annoyed with how hard I found Kento to translate lol, Fuma's way of speaking is quite similar to my own so it was ok but Kento was a real struggle at times. When I checked my translation for this with my teacher (she's the best!!!) she told me not to start hating Kento when I complained about it lol, but when I said to her that his way of speaking is very frustrating for me she said that actually she would also like him to be clearer lololol so I felt a little better after that!
Like I said, there's no way this is perfect even though she checked it line-by-line with me, though the meaning shouldn't be too off on that basis. It's certainly not the most natural English lol but as a first time for me doing an article of this length I think it's an ok start, and I hope to get better as I continue. The translation was for me but I'm sharing it on the basis that other people might want to read and get the idea of it too, rather than because it's a perfect translation. I hope anyone reading enjoys it as much as I did!
Please don't steal/claim my translation as your own or post in full elsewhere, the post is open so just link to the page. If you want to quote part of it please credit hashiridase@dw
This translation is from the October 2019 edition of More, and it's from a series where Sekuzo members choose a word beginning with each syllable in turn as a topic to talk about - this time the syllable is 'do' and the word that members chose was 'Drive', with FumaKen talking around this topic.
Vol 7: "do" - Drive
I like heading for a long drive to somewhere far away. More than just starting to drive aimlessly without a purpose, it feels best to just drive with focus to a destination with the spirit of "I'll go for a drive". To me, driving is probably a bit similar to the way I run my life. (Nakajima)
I got my license when I was 18. On the day of the final exam, a rent-a-car was reserved ahead for me. When I passed and got the license, I went straight away to Hakone. I was probably pretty nervous. There are absolutely no memories remaining of the first drive in my life (laughs) (Kikuchi)
Kashima Shrine and Atami Trip
Nakajima: Speaking of a recent drive, I went to Kashima shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture. It took around 2 hours, by myself.
Kikuchi: That sounds so grown up. By the way, why did you go to that shrine?
Nakajima: Recently, I was able to spend my time at leisure for the first time in ages. So not long ago, I got a break and took a trip to NY by myself. I suddenly set my mind on it and reserved the flights and hotel 3 days before (lol). I went to the theatre in Broadway, went back and forth from art museums... I had an exciting time every day in New York and I was able to gain a lot of energy. So to speak, as far as I'm concerned this moment right now is the preparation period for my next battle. So, for the sake of myself and the group, and in order to pray for the next fighting victory... that's why I went to Kashima shrine, which is known for the gods of luck in battle and victory.
Kikuchi: Nice, it makes me happy to hear that.
Nakajima: When you pass under the large torii gate and you continue along the inner road to the shrine, there's a rear shrine dedicated to gratitude for Tokugawa Ieyasu's passionate victory at Sekigahara. Furthermore, when you continue to the inner area of the shrine you feel a different aura. I fully recharged my energy there. Although I'm not sure exactly if it's a blessing from the shrine, at once I became able to wake even without an alarm clock. But still, for 3 days only (laughs).
Kikuchi: But I have a feeling that this is nothing to do with a blessing (lol).
Nakajima: By the way, what about you? Did you go for a drive recently?
Kikuchi: I went on a trip to Atami with my grandparents. I've had a close relationship with my grandparents since I was a small child. When there's a 2 day break, where possible I always take the two of them somewhere. For the Atami trip we stopped by the service station and went to a ramen shop we wanted to try. After arriving at the inn, my grandfather and I bathed in the inn's onsen together. Because neither my grandfather or I talk much, we only spoke from time to time, but it felt comfortable. On the other hand, at dinner time I exchanged updates on this and that about what's been going on recently with my grandmother who loves to talk. And, I don't know why but the next day at Atami I ended up changing my grandmother's mobile phone (lol). My grandmother said "Because I don't understand well, Fuma can you help me please", so I ended up listening to the explanations and thinking about the plans instead of my grandmother.
Nakajima: Hahahaha!! You're able to do these things so naturally, it's a really good point of yours.
"Important people" who ride in your car
Nakajima: Do you often drive your family in your car?
Kikuchi: I do. I often do. Because I have a younger brother and sister. I also collect them from cram school.
Nakajima: Eh, when they leave cram school Kikuchi Fuma is there?!
Kikuchi: I'm there, just normally (lol). My family also ride in my car and we go around the local area shopping. Recently as well, my younger sister came along shopping with me. I told her "you can buy anything you want", so I've just bought her some clothes at a fast fashion store, where the price was reasonable no matter how many you buy (lol).
Nakajima: What a nice older brother!!
Kikuchi: In my case, it's usually for someone else's sake when I am driving the car. There are many times when family or friends are riding along in my car. But, Nakajima said this too right? You said "I got my license to make it easier for my father who always drives us around".
Nakajima: That's right. So when I turned 18 I immediately got my license. From then on, for a family holiday it was me that took the wheel. Lately as well, we just went to Karuizawa as a family. There were many times that we went to Yokohama where my father lived before a long time ago. There are several routes from Yokohama to the Tokyo area but my father without fail will say "take the Daisan-Keihin road. Because it's wide and easy to drive on." In fact, he's right about that. Within the fun memories of time spent as a family, the Daisan-Keihin road was the driving route I liked.
Kikuchi: When you say it like that, I guess the route I liked was the Tokyo-Nagoya Expressway. Because when I was at university I travelled that route many times. After school, my friends would ride in my car and we'd go around on trips to service stations too. We'd go around splitting the cost to buy the things we'd wanted to try like "Japan's best meat steamed buns', with everyone saying "is this really the best in Japan?!' while eating (lol). When going to Kamakura on the way back to school, we made trips to eat the local menus too. There are many fun memories of taking the Tokyo-Nagoya Expressway.
Nakajima: Ah, that sounds so youthful. So as I thought, there's always someone riding in your car.
Kikuchi: Usually someone else is riding with me, there's probably not many times I go for a drive on my own. What about you?
Nakajima: For me there are times I drive alone. There are often times I go for a drive on my own along avenues lined with trees in the Tokyo area. When the Ginkgo trees on the side of the road in town start changing colour, there's an ambience like you are overseas. There are families and couples walking close together there. This might be normal for them, but it's an unusual sight for me. Though I'm only watching, it puts me in a good mood or rather, I should say the tenseness in my heart softens. I stop my car for a short time and just admire this scene (lol).
Kikuchi: That is quite a suspicious scene but... if you can reset from your busy everyday life with this I'm glad (lol).
(fin)
I really enjoyed this one, and I felt especially fond of Fuma's grandmother lol because that's exactly the sort of thing my grandmother would make me do hahaha. I love how close Fuma is with his family, he mentions them in pretty much everything of his I read. The way he takes care of his younger siblings is like a parent, very cute. Kento is so responsible! It's really nice that he learned to drive quickly so that it wouldn't have to be his father driving the family everywhere. Though I have to admit, I got really annoyed with how hard I found Kento to translate lol, Fuma's way of speaking is quite similar to my own so it was ok but Kento was a real struggle at times. When I checked my translation for this with my teacher (she's the best!!!) she told me not to start hating Kento when I complained about it lol, but when I said to her that his way of speaking is very frustrating for me she said that actually she would also like him to be clearer lololol so I felt a little better after that!
Like I said, there's no way this is perfect even though she checked it line-by-line with me, though the meaning shouldn't be too off on that basis. It's certainly not the most natural English lol but as a first time for me doing an article of this length I think it's an ok start, and I hope to get better as I continue. The translation was for me but I'm sharing it on the basis that other people might want to read and get the idea of it too, rather than because it's a perfect translation. I hope anyone reading enjoys it as much as I did!