日本的圣诞节（对话）

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Before today's episode you're going to hear some advertisements which help make it possible for me to do this as my job, but if you want to support me and would rather not hear adverts I completely understand.

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You should try Easy Stories in English Premium.

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Premium means extra special and by joining you not only get all the episodes without adverts but also extra special bonus content like extra stories and conversational podcasts.

请前往 easystoriesinenglish.com/supportsupport 开始你的七天免费试用。

Just go to easystoriesinenglish.com/supportsupport to start your seven day free trial.

如果你是在 Apple 播客上收听，只需点击节目列表顶部的‘免费试用’即可加入。

If you're listening on apple podcasts just click try free at the top of the episode list to join.

现在让我们听听赞助商的广告。

And now a word from our sponsors.

我们花了很长时间编辑这些照片，然后有几位女孩进来，说：‘不好意思，我觉得那是我们的照片’，这时我们才意识到，我们刚刚编辑了别人的照片。

We were editing these pictures for ages, and then these girls came in and said, excuse me, I think that's our picture, and we realized we had just edited someone else's picture.

这太让人尴尬了，简直羞愧得无地自容。

It was incredibly embarrassing, like deeply, deeply mortifying.

你好，欢迎收听《轻松英语故事》，这个播客将帮助你的英语从一般提升到良好，再从良好提升到出色。

Hello, and welcome to easy stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from okay to good and from good to great.

我是这档节目的主持人阿里尔·古德贝迪。

I am Ariel Goodbody, host for this show.

今天，我要和大家聊聊我在日本度过的圣诞节假期，因为没错。

And today, I will be talking all about my Christmas holidays in Japan because that's right.

我决定，圣诞节，这一年中最美好的时光。

I decided, Christmas, what a wonderful time of the year.

还有什么地方能比日本更有圣诞气氛呢？

What's more Christmasy place could exist than Japan?

我当然是在开玩笑。

I'm joking, of course.

日本并不是一个很有圣诞氛围的地方。

Japan is not a very Christmassy place.

它可能比中国更有那么一点圣诞气氛，但我还是想在圣诞节去那里，于是我就去了。

It's perhaps a bit more Christmassy than China, but I wanted to go there for my Christmas holidays, so I went there.

说实话，圣诞节这部分有点无关紧要。

And to be honest, the Christmas part was slightly irrelevant.

但别再谈这个了。

But enough about that.

你稍后会听到全部细节。

You'll hear all about that later.

首先，我们来直面这个房间里明显的问题。

First of all, let's just address the elephant in the room.

嗨，大象先生。

Hello, mister elephant.

天哪，你的鼻子真大。

Gosh, you have a very big trunk.

不。

No.

当我们说‘房间里的大象’时，指的是一个大家都心知肚明、却无人提及的重大话题。

When we say the elephant in the room, we're talking about a big topic, a big item of conversation that everyone is thinking about, but nobody is saying.

而房间里那头长着漂亮长鼻子的大象就是，现在是2026年了。

And the elephant in the room with a very nice trunk is, it's 2026.

新年快乐。

Happy New Year.

哇哦。

Woo.

我的意思是，当你听到这段录音时，2026年可能已经过去一段时间了，但在我录制的时候，今天还是元旦。

I mean, as you're listening to this, it's probably been 2026 for a while, but as I record this, it is New Year's day.

新年闻起来清新、甜美又可口，因为在中国进入2026年才大约十三个小时，也许，不对。

The New Year smells fresh and sweet and delicious because it has only been 2026 in China for about thirteen hours, and perhaps, no.

这意味着还没有。

That means it's been no.

时区是怎么运作的？

How do time zones work?

也许在世界的某些地方，现在还不是2026年。

Maybe in some parts of the world, it still isn't 2026.

我没去学校学数学或年代学，所以别再想这个了。

I didn't go to school to become a mathematician or a chronologist, so let's stop thinking about that.

但不管怎样，说到新年、年份更替，就是从一个数字变成下一个高一的数字，因为年份是逐年递增的。

But anyway, when it comes to New Years, to the turning of the year, the passing of one number to another number that is one number higher because years go up one by one.

明白吗？

See?

也许我真可以当个数学家和年代学家。

Maybe I could be a mathematician and a chronologist.

说到这些事，还有另一个显而易见的问题，就像一只小象坐在那只大象身上。

When it comes to these things, there's another elephant in the room, kind of maybe like a smaller elephant sitting on top of that other elephant.

嗨，小象。

Hello, baby elephant.

天哪。

Gosh.

你的鼻子又小又可爱。

Your trunk is so small and adorable.

而这头大象就是新年决心。

And this elephant is New Year's resolutions.

没错。

That's right.

新年是一个绝佳的时机，一个改变生活、制定计划、做出决定、树立愿景的机会，可以说：今年我要做X、Y、Z，或者今年我要停止做A、B、C。

The New Year is a wonderful time, a chance, an opportunity to make some changes in your life, to make plans, decisions, visions, to say, this year, I will do x y zed or this year, I will stop doing a b c.

近年来，贬低新年决心似乎成了一种潮流，人们说：新年决心？不了，谢谢。

Now, it's become kind of trendy in recent years to poo poo New Year's resolutions to say, New Year's resolutions, no, thank you.

我不想立新年决心。

I don't want to make New Year's resolutions.

人们提出了各种理由，比如：它们根本不起作用。

People have all kinds of arguments, like, oh, they're not they don't really work.

你一个月内就会放弃它们。

You'll just give up on them in a month.

这似乎太追求效率，太注重目标了。

It's trying to be, like, too productive, too project focused.

这并不符合我们身体的自然节律。

It doesn't really align with the natural seasons of our bodies.

对此，我想说两点。

And to that, I say two things.

首先，坐在那头大象身上的小象，现在哭了起来，因为你不喜欢新年决心。

First of all, the baby elephant sitting on the other elephant, the bigger elephant, the baby elephant is now crying because you don't like New Year's resolutions.

你让他伤心了。

You've made him cry.

你开心吗？

Are you happy?

你听过大象哭泣吗？

Have you ever heard an elephant cry?

哦，那是世界上最令人心碎的声音之一。

Oh, it is one of the most heartbreaking sounds in the world.

其次，我非常喜欢新年决心。

And number two, I love New Year's resolutions.

我觉得新年决心很棒。

I think New Year's resolutions are great.

即使你的决心没有成功，即使你最终放弃了，但只要你曾下定决心制定计划，你首先就做出了规划，采取了行动，并努力改变自己以实现自我成长，这本身就是一件美好且值得庆祝的事。

And even if your resolutions aren't successful, even if you do give them up, merely the fact that you committed to a plan, you made that plan in the first place, you did something and you were trying to change yourself to self actualize, to build upon the project of yourself, that is wonderful and worth celebrating.

因此，趁这个话题，我该跟你们说说我的2026年新年决心了。

So on that note, I should tell you my New Year's resolutions for 2026.

嗯。

Mhmm.

我不该说吗？

Shouldn't I?

嗯。

Mhmm.

嗯。

Mhmm.

好吧，我不说了。

Well, I shan't.

我不会告诉你，因为我认为当我们开始新项目时，非常非常重要的一点是不要过多谈论它们。

I will not tell you, because I believe that when we're starting new projects, it's really, really important to not talk about them too much.

如果你总是说，我想做这个，我计划做这个，我打算做这个，那么很可能你最终什么都不会做。

If you're always saying, I want to do this, I plan on doing this, I'm going to do this, And then the likelihood is you are going to do nothing of this sort.

你不会去做那些事情，因为你把所有本可以内化并用来驱动自己实际行动的能量都通过谈论消耗掉了。

You are not going to do those things because you're talking out all of that energy that you could be holding inside and using to drive you towards actually doing that thing.

这其中也有一种乐趣。

There's also a fun in it.

比如，如果我开始这个项目但不告诉任何人，那么我只能在坚持一段时间后才能告诉大家，这本身就是一种强大的动力。

Like, if I start this project, but I don't tell anyone about it, then I can only tell people after I've been doing it for a while, and that in itself is a great motivator.

总而言之，我现在还不会告诉你们我的新年决心。

All that is to say, I'm not telling you my New Year's resolutions yet.

如果我告诉你们了，那就意味着它们成功了，我相信几个月后你们就会听说的。

If I do tell you about them, it will mean that they were successful, and you shall hear about them, I believe, in a few months time.

这真的要看事情进展如何了。

It really depends how things go.

当然，我很希望你们能支持这些未命名的项目。

Obviously, would love your support in these unnamed projects.

所以，如果你们能留言说一句：‘艾瑞尔，你可以的！’

So if you could just leave a comment saying, you can do it, Ariel.

我相信你。

I believe in you.

我不希望那只大象哭泣。

I don't want that elephant to cry.

我希望那只大象能无比快乐。

I want that elephant to be so happy.

请这么做吧。

Please do that.

那样的话，我或许就能实现我的新年决心了。

And then I might achieve my New Year's resolutions.

所以，不管怎样，接下来我要去度假了。

So anyway, on to my holiday.

我从12月20日到12月27日在日本待了一周，天哪，我差点忘了月份。我从上海机场出发，这意味着我必须从我的家乡宁波往返，并在前后各住一晚，所以我在假期开始和结束时都住在上海的酒店里。

I spent a week in Japan from the December 20, my god, I almost forgot the month, to the December 27, and I flew out from Shanghai Airport, which meant I had to travel from my city Ningboa and spend a night on either end, so I stayed in a hotel in Shanghai at the beginning and the end of the holiday.

我周五下班后赶紧回家拿行李、换衣服，然后直奔火车站。

So I finished work on Friday and I rushed home to grab my suitcase, get changed and head straight to the train station.

时间非常紧张，因为我五点差二十分下班，而火车六点一十分发车，问题是正值高峰期，我不能直接打车去火车站，否则可能会堵在路上，所以我选择了地铁。

It was a pretty tight window because I finished work at about twenty to five and the train was about ten past six, and the problem is it was rush hour, so I couldn't just get a taxi to the train because then I might get caught in traffic, so instead I got the metro.

但当然，提着沉重的行李跑着赶地铁，这根本不可能。

But of course, running for the metro, carrying a heavy suitcase, well, it's not really possible.

你可以快步走，但真的没法跑。

You can power walk, but you can't really run.

所以我一开始就开始了一段紧张而压力重重的行程，但一切还算顺利。

So I was already starting things off with a bit of a manic stressful movement, but it was all fine.

我上了开往上海的火车，因为没时间吃晚饭，所以在火车上特别饿，虽然火车上有卖食物，但价格当然贵得多。

I got on my train to Shanghai, and I was really hungry on the train because I didn't have time to pick up dinner, and they sell food on the train, but of course, it's a lot more expensive.

我买了一些四川风味的辣薯片，这种我以前吃过，包装上还有可爱的小刺猬图案。

I asked for some crisps, these kind of like crisps from Sichuan, so they're very spicy, that I've had before, and they have cute little hedgehogs on the packet.

但卖食物的女士，那个推餐车的女士说：‘你不想买这个吗？’

But the woman selling food, the the the food trolley woman said, don't you want these?

这是新鲜的。

They're fresh.

这很中国风，是一种完全不同的客户服务方式。

Which is a very Chinese thing, like, it's a very different approach to customer service.

你明明说想要那个，她们却说：‘不，你不想那个，你该要这个。’

Like, you say what you want and they say, no, you don't want that, you want this.

我当时就想：好吧，行啊。

I was like, okay, cool.

于是我买了一盒名字里有鸭肉的东西，打开一看，原来是鸭脖，一堆美味的鸭脖。

So I bought a box of something that had duck in the name and I opened it to discover it was duck's necks, a collection of delicious duck's necks.

鸭脖骨头很多，而且特别辣，因为是四川风味的鸭脖。

And duck's necks are quite bony and incredibly spicy because it's Sichuan style duck neck.

于是我坐在火车上吃着鸭脖，当然，因为太辣了，我眼泪直流、鼻涕横流，只好赶紧吃完，好去擤鼻涕、擦眼泪。

So I sat there on the train eating my duck necks, and of course, because of all the spiciness, my eyes were watering and my nose was running, and I had to finish them very quickly so I could go and blow my nose and wipe the tears away.

这充分说明了我来中国后口味的巨大变化。

And this just really goes to show how much my tastes have changed since coming to China.

以前我根本不会吃这么辣的东西，而且我的辣味耐受力也有了极大的提升。

Previously, I would never eat something that spicy, and generally, my spice tolerance has improved massively.

我现在在这里吃的食物太多了，常常吃到一半才意识到：哦，这其实很辣，但这种辣度已经完全不会让我有感觉了。

There's so much food I eat here now that it's only halfway through eating it, I realize, oh, this is actually spicy, but it's a level of spiciness that just doesn't register to me anymore.

而回到英国时，我一吃就能立刻察觉到辣味。

Whereas back in The UK, I would have immediately noticed the spiciness.

现在我真希望可以说，从上海虹桥火车站到浦东机场附近的酒店这段路也一样顺利，但事实并非如此，而且这段路上我连鸭脖都没吃。

Now I wish I could say my journey from Shanghai Hongchiao Train Station to my hotel near Shanghai Pudong Airport was as smooth, but it simply was not, and it didn't even involve any duck's neck.

首先，从这个大型火车站到这个大型机场有三种方式，其中一种是乘坐地铁2号线，它直达机场，也是最传统的方式，但需要大约两个小时。

First of all, there are three ways to get from this big train station to this big airport, one of them is to take metro line two, which goes directly and is the, I guess, the oldest way of getting there, but that takes like two hours.

另一种方式是乘坐地铁2号线到市中心，然后换乘磁悬浮列车，它速度非常快，从市中心出发大约只需二十分钟。

Another way is to get Line two into the center and then get the Maglev train, which goes very, very fast, it takes like twenty minutes from the city center.

第三种方式是使用新建成的地铁线路，它直接从虹桥通往浦东，中途停靠站极少，大约需要五十分钟。

The third way is to use the newly constructed metro line, which goes directly from Hongchou to Pudong with very few stops between and takes about fifty minutes.

尽管这条新地铁线路大大缩短了这两个交通枢纽之间的通行时间，但它的指示标识却非常不清晰。

Now despite constructing this wonderful new metro line that halves the time it takes to get between these transport hubs, it is not well signposted.

当你到达车站时，根本不清楚该去哪里乘坐这条线路。

It is simply not clear when you get to the station where you need to go to get on this line.

所以我误上了2号线，因为我根本看不到任何关于这条新线路的标识。

So I accidentally ended up getting on the Number 2 metro Line because I could not see any signs for this new line.

他们根本没有对这条线路进行宣传。

They simply were not advertising it.

就连售票机旁边都挂着指示牌，写着：‘您要去浦东机场吗？’

They even had signs next to the ticket machine saying, do you want to go to Pudong Airport?

请乘坐2号线。

Get metro Line two.

于是我就照做了。

So that's what I did.

所以我花了将近两个小时才到达，那时已经晚上10点了，我想打车，但浦东机场的出租车排队长得吓人，我告诉司机我误上了错误的楼层，结果在机场里跑了十分钟到处找他，非常紧张，但最后我还是搭上了出租车，他载我去了酒店——你知道，从机场开车十五分钟听起来也不算太糟。

So it took me like two hours to get there, and then it was like 10PM, and I tried to get a taxi, but they have huge taxi ranks at Pudong Airport, and I told the taxi driver I was on the wrong floor by accident, so I was like running around for like ten minutes trying to find this guy, it was very stressful, but finally, I got my taxi and he drove me to my hotel, which, you know, fifteen minutes drive from the airport doesn't sound too bad.

对吧？

Right?

你本来会以为这是个繁华区域。

Like, you would think it was a built up area.

我感觉像是走进了什么军营之类的地方，因为天太黑了，什么也看不清。

I felt like I was going into, like, an army base or something because it was dark, so I couldn't see anything.

道路非常颠簸。

The roads were pretty rough.

周围到处都在施工。

There was, like, construction going on everywhere around.

我们终于到了酒店，酒店名字里有‘精品’二字，但我感觉‘精品’对这家酒店来说更像是种奢望。

And finally, we arrived to the hotel, which, had boutique in the name, but I feel like boutique was rather aspirational for this hotel.

这家酒店基本上是在骗人。

Pretty much this hotel lied.

这家酒店欺骗了我，因为当我把Trip.com上我预订时看到的照片和实际建筑对比时，很明显经过了大量PS处理，我直到第二天早上醒来，在晨光中看清一切时，才意识到情况有多严重。

This hotel scammed and cheated me because when you compared the pictures on trip.com, where I booked it, to the actual building, it was clear a lot of photoshopping had gone on, and I didn't realize quite the extent to which this was until the next morning when I woke up and could see everything in the morning lights.

大楼侧面有巨大的裂缝。

There were massive cracks in the side of the building.

酒店后门外有很多垃圾。

There was a lot of rubbish outside the back of the hotel.

送我们去机场的班车是一辆破旧的老式小型巴士，我们的行李箱都直接放在座位之间的地板上。

The shuttle bus that took us to the airport was a beat up old minivan and we all had our suitcases just on the floor between our seats.

整个地方完全看不出任何奢华或精品酒店的影子，但价格却便宜得惊人。

The whole thing was not giving luxury or boutique in the slightest, but it was incredibly cheap.

一晚只要15英镑，我不确定这大概相当于22美元左右。

It was at £15 for one night, which I don't know is maybe like $22.

价格便宜得离谱，但它的位置真的非常奇怪。

It was incredibly cheap, but it really was in a very strange place.

感觉就像一个偏僻乡村，突然在附近建了个机场，于是这里有了几家提供早餐的店，当然也有这家酒店，但大部分地方依然非常乡村化且肮脏，有些路段直接变成了土路，因为我闲逛了一圈，想看看这里到底是什么样子。

It felt like a village in the middle of nowhere that suddenly had an airport built really close to it, so it had like a few places that were open for breakfast and obviously it had this hotel, but for the most part, it was really rural and dirty, and there were some places where the roads just turned to dirt roads because I wandered around a bit because I wanted to see what it was like.

所以我不能说我会再住这家酒店了。

So I can't say I'll be going to that hotel again.

幸运的是，我的航班非常顺利。

Fortunately, my flight was very easy.

我选择了春秋航空，这是一家中国的廉价航空公司，与欧洲的廉价航空公司如瑞安航空和易捷航空相比，它很棒。

I went with Spring Airlines, which is a budget Chinese airline, and when I compare it to European budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet, it's great.

你有充足的腿部空间，登机前也不用在冰冷的走廊里排队等候，但其他方面却感觉非常陈旧。

You have lots of leg room, you don't have to wait in a freezing cold corridor before getting on the plane, But in other ways, it felt incredibly old fashioned.

春秋航空不提供在线值机服务。

Spring Airlines does not do online check-in.

你必须在机场办理值机手续，这对我来说有点奇怪，但也没办法。

You have to check-in at the airport, which seemed a bit strange to me, but there we go.

此外，他们在飞行过程中花了大约四十分钟推销香水和珠宝。

Also, they spend about forty minutes on the flight flogging perfume and jewelry.

有空乘人员站在机头介绍这些令人惊叹的商品，其他空乘则拿着大平板电脑在过道里来回走动，试图向你推销产品。

They have someone stand at the front talking about all these amazing products you can buy, and then other flight attendants going up and down the aisles with a big iPad trying to sell you things.

我的意思是，现在大多数廉价航班都会这么做，但这次时间太长了，这是一次两小时的航班，而推销占了其中相当长的一段时间。

And I mean, they do this on most cheap flights now, but it was so long, like it it was a two hour flight and it was a good chunk of those two hours.

所以我不太喜欢这一点。

So didn't love that.

我降落在名古屋机场，之所以飞往名古屋是因为我要去高山，那是一个山区小镇，名古屋是最近的机场。

I landed at Nagoya Airport, the reason I flew to Nagoya was I was going to Takayama, which is a small town in the mountains and Nagoya is the nearest airport.

于是我抵达名古屋后，去买了这种火车和巴士联程票前往高山，先从名古屋机场坐火车到岐阜，再从岐阜乘巴士到高山。

So I arrived at Nagoya, I went and bought this specific ticket that's like a combined train and bus ticket to Takayama, so you get the train from Nagoya Airport to Gifu, and then you get the bus from Gifu to Takayama.

当时我就已经感受到一些可爱的小细节，正是这些让日本独具特色。

And already, I was feeling just some lovely little, like, touches and details that really make Japan Japan.

日本在客户服务和提供关怀方面有着非常出色的专注度，并且极其注重细节。

Japan has such a beautiful dedication to customer service and providing care and really paying lots of attention to detail.

所以当我购买这张巴士和火车联票时，它还附带了一张在岐阜享受旅游门票折扣的优惠券。

So when I bought this combined bus and train ticket, it came with this voucher for discounted tourist tickets to Gifu.

因此，如果我愿意的话，我可以去另一个柜台兑换这张优惠券，以低价购买岐阜的博物馆门票之类的。

So if I wanted to, I could exchange this voucher at this other counter and get cheap, like museum tickets in Gifu.

但我并没有在岐阜停留太多时间，所以这样做并不划算。

Now I wasn't spending any serious amount of time in Gifu, so it wasn't worth it.

但他们以这种方式推广，让我觉得非常贴心。

But the fact that they promote it in that way is just so lovely to me.

这几乎让我在想，我是不是该改一下酒店日期，在岐阜住下呢？

It almost made me wonder, should I change my hotel dates and stay in Gifu, you know?

然后当我到达岐阜站需要换乘巴士时，我给火车站的工作人员看了我的票，他给我解释了整个流程。

And then when I arrived at Gifu Station and I needed to change to the bus, I showed one of the people in the train station my ticket, and he explained the whole system.

他还给了我一张小地图，上面标明了从火车站出来怎么去巴士站。

He gave me a little map that showed, like, where you leave the train station and where you go for the bus stop.

请记住，公交车站离火车站大约只有三分钟的步行距离。

And keep in mind, the bus stop was like a three minute walk from the train station.

并不难找。

It wasn't difficult to find.

你只需穿过马路往前走就行了。

You just crossed the street and walked down.

但他们给你这张小纸地图并详细说明你需要去哪里，这让我觉得非常贴心，这就是我如此喜爱日本的原因——他们在小事上如此用心。好吧，我日语说得很流利，但我认为这些细节确实让日本变得对游客非常友好。

But the fact that they give you this little paper map and they explain exactly where you need to go is just so lovely to me, and that's what I love so much about Japan is there's just so much care in the small things and okay, I speak fluent Japanese, but I think these small details really make Japan very accessible for tourism.

这是一个地方，如果你迷路了或需要帮助，总有人可以问，至于具体细节，我不太清楚。

It's a place where really if you're lost or you need help, there's always someone you can ask, and the details given I don't know.

这与上海形成了巨大对比，在上海我根本找不到那趟本可以缩短我一小时行程的火车，因为他们还没来得及安装新的指示牌；而来到这个小镇，却有人明确告诉我该去哪里搭巴士。

It just was a huge contrast between Shanghai where I literally could not find this train that would have made my journey one hour shorter because they didn't bother putting up new signs yet, and then coming to this small town and being told, like, exactly exactly where I need to go to catch a bus.

这非常可爱。

It was very cute.

那么，在等巴士之前，我在岐阜闲逛了吗？

Now, did I go wandering in Gifu before my bus?

是的，我逛了，因为我等巴士时有点空闲时间。

Yes, I did, because I had some time before my bus.

我有没有迷路，差点错过巴士？

Did I get a bit lost and almost miss my bus?

是的，我错过了。

Yes, I did.

但我最终还是赶上了巴士，这才是最重要的。

But I caught the bus in the end, and that's all that matters.

日本与中国在公共行为的期望和规范方面有很大不同。

One area where Japan is very different from China is the expectations and norms around public behavior.

在日本，如果你在火车或公交车上，通常不被允许吃东西或喝热饮，也不允许打电话或播放音乐。

So in Japan, if you're on a train, if you're on a bus, usually it's not acceptable to eat foods or to drink, let's say, hot drinks or to talk on your phone or play music.

在中国，你可以看出他们正在努力改变这些行为，比如在地铁里能看到告示和广告，提醒人们不要无礼，不要大声打电话，不要吃东西。

In China, you can tell they're trying to change these things, like you see announcements and adverts in the subway saying, like, don't be rude, like, don't talk really loudly on the phone, don't eat food.

公平地说，我在宁波的地铁上没看到有人吃东西，但人们确实很吵。

To be fair, I've not seen people eat food on the metro in Ningbo, but people are very loud.

而在日本，当你在火车或公交车上时，每个人都非常克制，不占用过多空间，大家都非常体贴。

Whereas in Japan, when you're on the train or the bus, everyone really keeps their belongings to themselves, they don't take up too much space, everyone is very considerate.

因此，在日本乘坐火车或公交车长途旅行真的非常愉快，因为人们都很守规矩。

So traveling long distances by train or bus in Japan is really very pleasant because, people are well behaved, I guess.

这一点在英国，尤其是伦敦，也让我很烦。

And this is something that frustrates me in The UK as well, especially in London.

我经常上公交车，本想安静看书，结果背后有人大声喊叫之类的。

So often I got on a bus and would be like, okay, let me read my book, and then some people would be shouting behind me or whatever.

总是有些噪音干扰，而在日本，人们在这方面非常非常体贴。

There was always some kind of noise disturbance, whereas in Japan, people are really, really very considerate about that.

当然，有时会让人感到沮丧，比如你可能想在火车上打电话或吃点零食，但又不确定这样做是否合适。

Of course, it can feel frustrating at times, like maybe you want to make a phone call on the train or you want to eat some snacks, but you're not sure if it's appropriate.

这些规则有点模糊，比如在火车上，如果我坐在别人附近，也许不该吃东西，但如果是靠窗的单独座位，也许就没关系。

These rules are a bit vague, like sometimes on the train, oh, if I'm sitting near people, maybe I shouldn't eat, but if I have a seat by myself next to the window, maybe it's okay.

所以你并不总是清楚是否应该遵守规则，而如果你在日本违反了规则，人们通常不会当面指出你。

So it's not always clear if you should be following the rule, and if you break the rules in Japan, people don't usually say it to your face.

但如果你发现自己违反了规则，会感到非常尴尬。

But if you do discover you've broken a rule, it can feel really embarrassing.

后来我在度假期间才意识到这一点，我们稍后再讲。

As I discovered later on in my holiday, we'll get to that later.

总之，我终于抵达了高山，然后乘坐另一班接驳巴士去了酒店。

So anyway, I finally finally arrived in Takayama and I got another shuttle bus to my hotel.

我只是预订了高山酒店推荐列表中的第一个选项。

Now I just booked one of the first suggestions that came up for hotels in Takayama.

我原本并不打算住在高山，但它是通往白川乡最近的城镇，而白川乡是我想要参观的一个美丽的历史村落。

I wasn't originally going to stay in Takayama, but it's the closest real town to Shirakawago, which is a beautiful historic village that I wanted to visit.

我做过一期播客，叫《一场搞砸的假期》，故事背景就设在白川乡。

I did a podcast episode, A Holiday Gone Wrong, which was set in Shirakawago.

我经历了十二小时的飞行和四小时的巴士旅程，但终于到了这里。

It had taken me a twelve hour flight and a four hour bus journey, but I was finally here.

白川乡，一个隐藏在日本中部群山中的传统日本村落。

Shirakawago, a traditional Japanese village hidden among the mountains in the center of Japan.

这里有宁静的稻田、茂密的山林和迷人的传统民居，但我来这里并不是为了逃离东京的快节奏生活。

It had peaceful rice fields, thick mountain forests and charming traditional houses, but I wasn't here to get away from the fast pace of Tokyo.

不。

No.

我来这里是因为谋杀、疯狂和古老的诅咒。

I was here because of murder, madness, and ancient curses.

我本可以住在白川乡，住进这些美丽的传统民宿，但它们贵得离谱。

I could have stayed in Shirakamago, in one of these beautiful historic guest houses, but they are incredibly expensive.

我当时就想，也许如果我回来的时候是更好的季节，天气更暖和一点，但在寒冷多雨的冬天住在木结构茅草屋顶的房子里，可能并不是个好主意。

And I just thought, you know, maybe if I go back, maybe if it was a nicer time of the year, warmer weather, but the middle of winter when it's rainy is maybe not the time to be staying in a wooden thatched house.

所以，我决定住在 Takayama 的这家酒店，结果意外订到了一家非常漂亮的度假酒店。

So instead, I opted to stay in this hotel in Takayama, and I accidentally booked like a really gorgeous resort, basically.

这是一家豪华的度假酒店，有三家餐厅。

It was a fabulous resort hotel with three restaurants.

酒店五楼和七楼都有温泉，你可以泡在热水里，眺望周围的群山。

It had onsen, like hot springs on the fifth and seventh floors, so you could sit in the hot springs and look out over the surrounding mountains.

他们提供和服，就是那种传统的日本浴袍或睡衣，你可以穿着和服去泡温泉。

They gave you yukata, like traditional Japanese kind of, bathrobes or pyjamas, I guess, so you could wear your yukata to go to the onsen.

这家酒店大概是六七十年代建造的。

It was built maybe in like the sixties or seventies.

它有着非常复古的风格，但显然也经过了翻新。

It had like a very vintage aesthetic, but it was clearly also renovated at some point.

所以住起来非常舒适。

So it was very comfortable.

那里供暖很好。

It was well heated.

环境非常优美。

It was beautiful.

再次体现了他们对细节的极致关注，比如按下电梯按钮时，那种触感就让人特别满足。

Again, there was that real attention to detail, like when you press the buttons for the lift, the buttons just had a really satisfying feel to them.

所有的服务都非常友好。

All of the service was really friendly.

所以第一天晚上到达后，我尝试了其中一家餐厅，吃了些飞驒牛肉——那是当地特产，一种特别的牛肉，还品尝了他们专为酒店特制的当地清酒，非常美味。当然，之后我必须去体验温泉（onsen），因为尽管我日语流利且多次访问日本，却从未去过温泉。

So the first night I arrived there, I tried one of the restaurants, I had some Hida beef, Hida beef is the local specialty, it's like a special kind of beef, and I tried some of their local sake, which they make for the hotel specifically, and it was very yummy, And then, of course, I had to try the onsen, the hot springs, because despite being fluent in Japanese and having visited Japan multiple times, I still had never gone to an onsen.

这是一种文化差异很大的体验，因为要在公共空间裸体和一群人一起沐浴，这过去让我很不适应。

It's one of those things where it's very different from my culture because you're bathing naked, with a bunch of people in a public space, which is not something I was comfortable with in the past.

但现在我已经非常习惯了。

Now it's something I'm very comfortable with.

要去温泉，你得穿过酒店的一个特殊区域，必须脱掉拖鞋，那里有一条传统日式建筑的走廊，铺着榻榻米——我甚至不知道‘tatami’该怎么翻译。

So to get to the hot springs, you walked through this special part of the hotel, you had to take your slippers off, there was this corridor of traditional Japanese architecture, so tatami mats, like, I don't even know how to translate tatami.

如果你不知道榻榻米是什么，去网上搜一下吧。

If you don't know what tatami is, just Google it.

然后你到了更衣室，之后就可以去泡温泉了。

And then you got to the changing rooms and then you could go into the onsen.

泡温泉有很多具体的规定，你必须先洗澡，把全身洗干净才能进水池，因为你和别人共用一池水，但我觉得这中间也有一种仪式感，就是在入水前净化身体。

Now there are very specific rules with onsen, you have to shower and wash your entire body before you get into the water, because obviously you're sharing the water with people, but I think there's also like a ritualistic element to purifying your body before you get into the water.

这确实让整个体验既更卫生也更放松。

It certainly makes it both a more hygienic and relaxing experience.

不过我第一次去的时候搞砸了，因为没戴眼镜，离开更衣室后，本该直接去淋浴区，但我没找到淋浴区，误打误撞直接进了温泉池。

Now, I kind of messed up because the first time I went, I didn't bring my glasses, and I left the changing rooms, and I should have gone straightforward to the showers, but I missed the showers and accidentally went straight to the onsen.

然后我就想：淋浴区在哪？

And then I was like, where are the showers?

于是我只好在其中一个看起来像小浴缸的池子里随便洗了洗，但其实我应该先进淋浴区彻底冲洗后再进去。

So I kind of washed myself in one of the pools that seemed like a little bathtub, but, I should have showered fairly before going in.

哎呀。

Oops.

然后我离开的时候，才发现了淋浴区。

And then when I left, discovered the showers.

但每次我去温泉，我都会先洗澡，所以，你知道的，吸取教训了。

But every other time I went to the onsen, I did shower myself, so, you know, lesson learned.

许多温泉，包括这家，还有另一条规定：禁止纹身，这是因为在日本，纹身与黑帮（雅库扎）有关联。

Another rule that many onsen, including this one have is no tattoos, and this is because tattoos in Japan are associated with the yakuza, which is their mafia.

所以，展示纹身被认为是不礼貌的。

So it's considered disrespectful to show tattoos.

我只有一个纹身，在左前臂上，所以，如果你还没见过，那是一个蛞蝓。

Now, I only have one tattoo, it's on my left forearm, so actually, if you haven't seen it, it's a slug.

那就是一种没有壳的蜗牛。

That's like a snail without a house on its back.

这是一种租房而不是买房的蜗牛。

It's a snail that's renting instead of buying.

总之，我只有一个纹身，所以我想可以把它遮起来。

Anyway, I only have one tattoo, so I thought I could cover it up.

我用了这些。

I used these.

它们是夏天在中国戴在手臂上的白色布袖，不知怎么的能让你凉快。

They're like white cloth sleeves that you put on your arm in the summer in China, and it somehow cools you down.

我不太明白这背后的原理，但我用了一个来遮住我的纹身，结果没问题。

I don't really understand the technology, but I used one of them to cover my tattoo, and it was fine.

没人说什么。

No comments.

没人用奇怪的眼神看我。

Nobody looked at me weirdly.

如果有人问起，我就说我在遮盖一道疤痕，这其实也不算太假，因为纹身某种程度上就像一道疤痕。

If someone did ask, I would have just said, oh, I'm covering up a scar, which like technically isn't that wrong, because a tattoo is kind of like a scar.

他们甚至出售这种特殊的贴纸，可以遮住纹身，看起来就像皮肤一样。

They even sell these special, like, stickers that kind of cover up your tattoo and just look like skin.

所以我不只是一个人这么做，但当然，我之前有点担心。

So I'm not the only one doing this kind of thing, but I was a bit worried about it, of course.

温泉体验非常美好，景色当然很棒，水温比我预期的要低一些，我想可能是因为我更习惯桑拿那种非常强烈的体验，但温泉非常放松，寒冷的冬日空气与温暖的泉水形成了非常舒适的对比。

So the onsen experience was lovely, obviously, the views were amazing, the water was less hot than I expected, I think maybe because I'm more used to saunas where it's like a like a really intense experience, but the onsen experience is very relaxing, and there's a very pleasant contrast between the cold winter air and the warm water.

感觉非常放松，非常舒缓。

It just felt very relaxing, very soothing.

我住在那里时睡得特别好。

I definitely slept really well while I was there.

此外，在这个度假村的更衣室里，他们准备了很棒的护发产品，有梳子、吹风机，还有舒适的足部按摩。

Also in the changing room of this resort, they had like these lovely hair care products, they had combs, they had hair dryers, and they had lovely foot massages.

所以我每天都在那里做了足部按摩。

So I also got a foot massage every day I was there.

感觉很棒。

It was great.

那天晚上泡完温泉后，我去买了用当地飞驒牛牛奶制作的冰淇淋，真是完美的一天。

And then after the onsen, that first night, I went and got some ice cream made with milk from the local Hida cows, so it was just a good day all around.

第二天一早，我早早起床前往白川乡——这个拥有传统木结构茅草屋顶房屋、被列为联合国教科文组织世界遗产的美丽村落。我起这么早是因为第一，我得从酒店坐接驳车到高山，再从高山坐巴士去白川乡，时间安排上很紧张。

So the next morning, I got up bright and early to go to Shirakawa Go, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, this beautifully preserved Japanese village with traditional wooden thatched houses, And the reason I got up so early was because one, I had to get a shuttle bus from the hotel into Takayama and then a bus from Takayama to Shirakabago, so there was just the timing issue.

而且当天的天气预报也不太好，说下午会下雨，所以我决定尽早出发。

And then also the weather forecast was not so good, it was forecasted to rain later in the day, so I thought I better go as early as possible.

但在离开之前，我从卧室的窗户看到了薄雾：薄雾在山间散开，环绕着丘陵翻腾，景色美极了。

But before I left, I got to watch the mists from my bedroom window, the mists parting over the mountains, the mists swirling around the hills, and it was so gorgeous.

那就是那种大自然壮丽时刻，真的让我忍不住感叹：天哪。

Like, was just one of those beautiful moments of the majesty of nature that really just made me feel, oh my god.

我太喜欢了。

I love it.

去白川乡的巴士我以为会风景优美，但实际上一路上都是隧道，这其实也很合理。

Now the bus to Shirakawa go, I thought would be beautiful and scenic, but actually, it was just a lot of tunnels, and that kind of makes sense.

对吧？

Right?

因为我们在一个极其多山的地区，要在这里方便地修路，唯一的方法就是开很多隧道。

Because we were in an extremely mountainous region, so the only way to conveniently build roads there is to make a lot of tunnels.

但巴士司机给我们做了很有趣的讲解，他说其中一个隧道是日本第三长的隧道，还告诉我们哪里是拍照的好地点，并说在修建这条特别长的隧道之前，去那里需要两个小时，而现在只要一小时。

But the bus driver gave us some lovely commentary, he told us that one of the tunnels was the third longest tunnel in Japan, He told us where the good photo spots were, and he informed us that before this one particularly long tunnel was built, it would have taken two hours to get there instead of one hour.

这正好说明了隧道的力量，我想。

So that just goes to show the power of tunnels, I guess.

总之，我到了那里，感觉很棒。

Anyway, I got there, it was lovely.

我很庆幸自己去得早，因为随着一天过去，那里变得热闹多了。

I'm glad I went early because it got much busier as the day went on.

白川乡真的是一个真正神奇的地方，我觉得它之所以难以到达，反而是件好事。

Shirakawa Go is really just one of those truly magical places, and I think it's a good thing that it's so difficult to get there.

它如此偏远，真的让你有种置身另一个世界的感觉。

The fact that it's so isolated really gives you a feeling of being in a different world.

你身处高山之上，身处这样一个非常乡村的地区，在某些方面，真的像是穿越回了过去。

You're high up in the mountains, you're in this very rural area, in some ways it's really like stepping into the past.

我说过，这些房子都是传统的木结构茅草屋，茅草屋就是屋顶用干草等植物材料铺设的房子。

Now I said all of these houses were traditional wooden thatched houses, So a thatched house is a house with a roof made from dried plants, essentially.

在英国，我们也有茅草屋顶的传统。

We also have a tradition of thatched roofs in The UK.

在日本，这些被称为茅草屋造，他们使用的是芦苇。

In Japan, these are called gashirozukuri and they use, I believe, reeds.

他们用的是一种我记不起名字的日本植物，但基本上每年都需要重新铺设屋顶，因为屋顶会被雪、风和雨淋湿损坏，而这个地区冬季降雪量很大。

They use some kind of Japanese plant that I can't remember the name, but basically every year they have to rethatch the roofs, they have to remake the roofs because they get, you know, wet and damaged by the snow and the wind and the rain, and this is an area where it snows a lot in winter.

所以每年村民们都会聚在一起，用这些传统技术重新铺设屋顶。

So every year the villagers all get together and re thatch the roofs using these traditional techniques.

你可以在 Shirakawa-go 漫步闲逛，欣赏这些建筑，那里还有许多很棒的礼品店，出售大量当地手工艺品。

You can have a great time in Shilakabago just wandering around and looking at the buildings, but there are also amazing gift shops with loads of local crafts.

那里有博物馆，还有非常非常棒的餐厅和咖啡馆。

There are museums and lovely, lovely restaurants and cafes.

我去了一家木工艺术画廊，那里有人用木材制作了所有这些精美的雕塑，真是太美了，因为除了欣赏雕塑，你还能探索这座茅草屋的内部，爬上各个楼层，观看所有的家具。

So I went to this woodworking art gallery where someone had made all of these amazing, sculptures out of wood, and it was just so gorgeous because alongside seeing the sculptures, you got to explore the inside of this thatched building and climb up all the different levels, see all the furniture.

尽管天气寒冷、阴沉，还下着一点雨，但那里依然如此美丽、宁静。

Even though it was cold and cloudy and a bit rainy, it was just so gorgeous, so peaceful.

我从一个小型展览中了解到他们制作和维护这些屋顶的传统技术。

And I learned from a little exhibition about the traditional techniques they use to make and maintain these roofs.

其中一种传统手工艺品是sarubobo，这些小玩偶看起来有点像针垫，就是你缝纫时用来插针的那些圆形小物件。

One of the traditional crafts is sarubobo, which are these little dolls that kind of look a bit like pin cushions, you know, those round things you use to put pins in when you are sewing.

这些小玩偶穿着衣服，有不同颜色，人们会把它们作为礼物赠送，每种颜色代表不同的寓意。

And they're like, yeah, these little dolls that are wearing clothes, and they come in different colors, and you give them as gifts, and each color represents a different thing.

如果你送别人一个粉色的，就是在祝愿他们爱情。

So if you give someone a pink one, you're wishing them love.

如果你送他们一个红色的，就是在祝愿他们婚姻美满或家庭幸福。

If you give them a red one, you're wishing them, good marriage or happy family.

我认为黄色的能带来赌博好运，黑色的则能辟邪保平安。

I believe a yellow one was good luck with gambling, and a black one is protection from evil.

于是我买了一些这样的sarubobo当礼物。

So I bought some of these sarobobo as gifts.

哦，sarubobo字面意思是‘猴子宝宝’，我觉得这名字特别可爱。

Oh, sarobobo literally means monkey baby, which I just think is very cute.

不过，它们其实并不太像猴子。

Although, they didn't really look like monkeys.

总之，我觉得还有一个传统是祖母们把自己制作的猴宝宝传给孙女或孙辈之类的。

Anyway, I think there's also a tradition of grandmothers passing down a sarubobo they made to their granddaughter or their grandchildren, something like that.

我还在松林里漫步，参观了当地的神社，在一家小咖啡馆品尝了非常美味的抹茶蛋糕，在餐厅享用了一道配有大量当地蔬菜的绝佳荞麦面，还去了高处的观景台，那里可以俯瞰村庄的壮丽景色。

I also wandered around the pine forests, the local shrine, I had some yummy yummy yummy matcha cake in a little cafe, I had a gorgeous soba dish with lots of local vegetables in a restaurant, and I went to the observation point high up where you get an amazing view of the village.

这对我来说有点像朝圣之地，因为我最初听说这个村庄是因为我非常喜欢日本动画系列《寒蝉鸣泣之时》，它的背景就像是这个村庄的复制品。

This was kind of the pilgrimage site for me, I guess, because I originally heard about the village because I really liked this Japanese animated series Higurashi no Nakukoroni, which is set in like a replica of this village.

那个系列中的村庄和这个地方极其相似，是以此地为灵感来源的。

The village in that series is extremely close to this place, it uses this place as its inspiration.

所以当你来到这个观景点，就像在观看这场表演的一部分，那感觉真的非常非常酷。

So when you go to this observation point, it's like you're looking at part of this show, and that was really really cool.

那时雨下得很大，大约是下午三点左右，我心满意足地离开，返回高山市。

At that point, it was raining quite heavily, so it was around 3PM, and I left to go back to Takayama feeling very fulfilled.

那天晚上，我在一家酒店餐厅享用了一顿极其丰盛的豪华寿司晚餐，顺便观察了一下周围的人。

That evening, I had a gorgeous super fancy sushi dinner at one of the hotel restaurants, and I just kind of people watched.

我以前经常独自旅行，但独自旅行时，我总是会出门做很多事情。

I used to solo travel a lot, but when I would solo travel, I would be going out and doing loads of stuff.

我从来不太去度假胜地，那也不是我的风格，但只是吃一顿美味的餐点，看看其他客人，听听他们的对话，之后再去泡个温泉，就已经非常美好了。

I never really went to resorts, and it was never really my thing, but it was so gorgeous just to eat a lovely meal, look at the other people, listen into conversations, go to the onsen afterwards.

这真的很惬意。

It was really nice.

当时从中国去日本旅行很特别，因为最近发生了一场政治风波。

It was an interesting time to be visiting Japan from China because there was recently a political kerfuffle.

日本首相发表了一些中国政府不喜欢的言论。

The Japanese prime minister made some comments that the Chinese government did not like.

中国政府取消了大量飞往日本的航班。

The Chinese government canceled a lot of flights to Japan.

他们还取消了大量在中国举办的日本艺人演唱会等活动。

They canceled a lot of events like concerts of Japanese artists in China.

中国游客曾是日本许多地方经济的重要推动力。

And Chinese tourism had been a big, driving force in a lot of local economies in Japan.

所以，很多地方都感到有些担忧，因为来这里的中国游客变少了。

So a lot of these places, I guess, were a bit worried because there were fewer Chinese tourists coming.

那段时间，我遇到的许多中日人士都说：‘哦，等等，你能去日本吗？’

Many Chinese and Japanese people I talked to around this time said, oh, wait, can you go to Japan?

他们以为所有航班都被取消了。

Like, they assumed all the flights had been canceled.

所以这有点奇怪。

So it was a bit strange.

中国游客非常非常少。

There were very, very few Chinese tourists.

有很多来自韩国、台湾、香港的游客，我想还有不少菲律宾人。

There were a lot of tourists from Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, quite a few Filipinos as well, I think.

但欧洲游客也很少。

But very few European tourists as well.

我想如果我去东京，可能会看到更多外国人，但那里也有很多日本游客，而且当时也不是旅游旺季。

I think if I had gone to like Tokyo, I probably would have seen a lot more foreigners, but there was also a lot of Japanese tourists there, and also it was off season.

最后，在我离开高山的那天早上，我泡了个舒服的温泉浴，坐在热水里看着日出。本来我一直在担心我的纹身，但当我更衣室里接受足部按摩时，看到一位日本男子从温泉走出来，身上布满巨大的纹身，我简直惊呆了。

And then finally, on my last day in Takayama, I took a lovely morning bath in the onsen, I watched the sunrise from the hot waters, and, you know, after all that worrying about my tattoo, I was quite shocked when I was in the changing room getting my foot massage to see a Japanese man walking from the onsen going, with massive tattoos all over his chest.

所以也许他认为没问题，因为是清晨，周围人很少。

So maybe he thought it was okay because it was early morning and there weren't many people around.

也许他根本不在意这些规定。

Maybe he didn't care about the rules.

也许他是黑帮成员。

Maybe he was a member of the yakuza.

但不管怎样，我当时就想，哦，好吧。

But either way, I was like, oh, okay.

我想，日本人有时候也会违反这条规定。

Japanese people break that rule sometimes as well, I guess.

就这样吧。

So there we go.

我退了酒店，去了高山中心，寄存了行李，然后在城里闲逛。

I checked out of the hotel, I went into Takayama Central, I stored my luggage, and I wandered around the city.

这是一座非常非常美丽的城镇。

And it's a lovely, lovely town.

这里非常美丽，历史悠久。

It's really beautiful, very historic.

有一些非常漂亮的传统风格房屋。

It has some gorgeous old style houses.

我参观了一个可爱的小早市，还去了一座神社，甚至走到镇外的一些小山上，和当地居民聊了聊。

I visited this cute little morning market, I visited a shrine and I even walked into some of the kind of hills just outside the town and chatted to some of the locals.

在这种地方，一个有趣的开场白居然是熊。

A great conversation starter in this kind of place is funnily enough, bears.

在日本农村，熊是个大问题，因为越来越多的人搬到了城市。

So in rural Japan, bears are quite a problem because more and more people have been moving to cities.

农村地区的熊群数量在增长，听到熊出没的消息在这些小镇上并不罕见。

The populations of bears have grown in rural areas, and it's not uncommon to hear stories of bear sightings in these rural towns.

人们看到熊，有时甚至被熊袭击。

People seeing bears, and sometimes even being attacked by bears.

实际上，在一些地区，他们甚至鼓励人们看到熊就开枪，因为熊可能造成破坏甚至致命。

Actually, in some areas, they even encourage people to shoot bears if they see them because they can cause destruction and kill people.

所以在日本许多乡村地区徒步时，你应该随身携带一个熊铃。

So one of the things you're supposed to do if you're walking in the countryside in many areas is carry a bear bell.

这其实就是一种挂在身体某处的铃铛，走路时会发出声音，把熊吓跑。

So it's basically just a bell that you put on some part of your body, and as you walk, it makes a sound that will scare any bears away.

所以我真的因为一个女生钥匙链上叮当作响的东西，和她聊了起来，还问她那是不是熊铃。

So I actually started a conversation with someone because she had these keys or something on a chain that were jangling, and I asked if it was a bear bell.

你看，就是这样。

So there you go.

大约中午时分，我上了火车，前往大阪，开启旅程的第二部分。

So at around midday, I got on the train and I headed to Osaka for the second part of my trip.

大阪是日本的大城市之一，我决定在那里停留，是因为我正前往南部的福冈，而大阪正好是途中的一个好落脚点——从高山到名古屋要坐两小时火车，再从名古屋到大阪还要换乘，所以停下来待几天再继续前往福冈很合适。

Osaka is one of the big cities in Japan and I basically decided to stop there because I was headed towards Fukuoka, which is in the South and Osaka was a nice stop between because I had to get a two hour train from Takayama to Nagoya and then get a train from Nagoya to Osaka, so it was good to just stop for a few days before moving on to Fukuoka.

而且大阪是我之前真正没怎么体验过的一座城市。

And Osaka is a city I hadn't really properly experienced.

首先，聊聊这段旅程吧，天哪，从高山到名古屋的两小时火车旅程，沿途风景美得让人目不暇接。

First of all, let's talk about the journey because, oh my god, that two hour train journey from Takayama to Nagoya was just non stop gorgeous scenery.

有多次我望向窗外，不禁发出‘哇’的赞叹，因为沿途尽是美丽的山峦、山间河流和小镇，景色美不胜收，我甚至一度幸福地睡着了。

There were multiple points where I just looked out the window and went, wow, because it was all beautiful ed mountains, mountain rivers, small mountain towns, it was just gorgeous and I found myself falling asleep very happily at one point.

日本的那种宁静与乡村景致的结合，真的让我感到非常放松，我在日本有过许多美好的小憩时光，包括在那趟火车旅程中。

There's something about the combination of the quietness of Japan and being in these rural landscapes that really just made me feel very restful, and I had many lovely naps in Japan, including on that train journey.

到了名古屋后，我换乘了新干线，也就是日本的子弹头列车，属于高速铁路网络。

Once in Nagoya, I changed to the Shinkansen, the bullet train, which is Japan's high speed rail network.

将新干线与中国的高铁系统进行比较很有趣，因为日本的系统曾一度是顶尖的，是世界上最好、最平稳、最快、最洁净的子弹头列车体验。

It's very interesting to compare the Shinkansen to China's bullet train system because Japan's system used to be kind of top of the line, the best in the world, the smoothest, fastest, cleanest experience for bullet trains.

但中国的高铁系统现在比日本的覆盖面更广，而且我认为在很多情况下，中国列车的速度和技术可能更胜一筹。

But China's system is now far wider than Japan's, and I think the speed and technology of the trains is probably better in many instances.

此外，中国的高铁票价也比日本便宜得多。

Also, China's bullet trains are way cheaper than in Japan.

不过，日本列车和车站对细节的关注，以及那种客户服务水平，确实让我感到非常舒心和耳目一新。

However, again, there's just like a an attention to detail in Japan's trains and stations and also a level of customer service that I find really comforting and refreshing.

当然，这也得益于我会说日语。

Obviously, it's helped by the fact that I speak Japanese.