只因在電影中看到了絕美如畫的富士山，便想親眼目睹其風(fēng)采，于是再一次來到日本?？上В旃蛔髅?，我只匆匆瞥見披著白雪的山峰和山脊。不過，“親眼看見富士山”這件事本身便值得高興一場(chǎng)了，不是嗎？更何況，除了瑰麗的富士山，日本還有精彩的棒球賽可以追，有各式各樣的美食佳肴可以嘗，有帶來連連驚喜的燈籠可以賞，有獨(dú)特精彩的武士刀可以學(xué)，還有活力十足的牡鹿可以看……當(dāng)然，冒險(xiǎn)之旅固然刺激，生命安全始終不可忽視哦。小心！身后有只牡鹿沖過來了！

By Aaron A. Vessup

張健 注

I like good adventures, but when travelling many unexpected things happen. My second real visit to Japan was a bit of a shocker. A "real" visit is not a typical 10-minute pit-stop at Narita airport heading to San Francisco, or coming from Beijing. I already had a number of such visits. Two years ago I made it a point to visit Japan and stay several days. I had never really seen Tokyo or any other parts of Japan beyond the airport. My first two-week trip to Japan had been motivated by my desire to actually see and get close-up camera shots of the famous Mt. Fuji. A suspense movie thriller, Shutter Bug, had been impetus for that trip. The movie revealed splendid views of the majestic mountain so dramatic that I scheduled a trip to Japan. However, due to weather issues I did not see Fuji. I left Japan vowing to return for a longer stint to have guaranteed success.

Early this summer, two years later, found me attracted by an online offer of a four-day trek on and around Mt. Fuji. However, there was a snag in my online booking process. When it came to the use of credit cards, goblins of technology posed a roadblock. But, I figured, heck, I could easily complete the payment process when actually in Japan. So I booked travel and hotel for Tokyo and beyond. This time I was determined to not only see elusive Fuji, but also travel to the far north of Japan as well. I had already visited western Japanese cities like Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Nagasaki. At the start of this new adventure, accommodations for my first night were in a part of Tokyo called Shinjuku. The city of Tokyo is very large, and the impeccably clean rail system is complicated by different systems and ownerships. Not to worry, there are a plethora of Information Centers. Digitized directional displays, even audio announcements, are common in Chinese, Japanese, and English. When walking the streets one sees signs on posts and sidewalks cautioning "No Smoking When Walking", and "Do Not Litter".

The first clue that perhaps my plan for a face-to-face with Fuji again might not happen, came during my first encounter with officials in the Shinjuku information center. "No, you are mistaken, there is no 4-Day trek of Mt. Fuji" I was told. "However, we do have a one day, four-stop, program that includes the possibility of seeing the mountain." "But please understand, we have no control over the weather." Since the Information Center officials had said I was "mistaken", being a tourist who was I to argue? I decided to take the risk and book this mountain adventure for one week later.

While waiting on weather between spit and rain showers, I checked out a Sumo Wrestling training center, and viewing elephant size humans certainly made me shudder. As a die-hard baseball fan, a highlight came watching the professional baseball Giants beat the Dragons in the Tokyo Dome stadium. Between sporting venues and museum cruising, my appetite for food variety was adequately addressed. News flash: Sushi items are not the only offerings on menus in Japan. My yen for Chinese noodles, western burgers, and Italian pastas was particularly placated.

Subsequently, traveling north to Nikko National Park I experienced the sensory delights of nature. Venturing further to the port city of Aomori, besides astounding architectural sights, travelers are rewarded with an entertaining visit to the Japanese Nebuta Museum, featuring colorful lantern characters in the Hall of Fame. These larger than life Japanese paper figures weighing up to four tons formerly paraded down main streets in the annual float competitions.

Days later, back in the south, sallying between more museums, art galleries, and parks, my adventures were capped by receiving Samurai sword training and earning a certificate. Now armed and dangerous with hilarious video proof of my prowess, I was now more than ready to meet the magic mountain, or so I thought. On the tour bus, our guide kept reminding us of the temperamental nature of the seasons, clouds, and the mountain itself. It was stressed that "if" we were "lucky" we might glimpse a fraction of the mountain. On two occasions loud cheers went up from our crowd when we were able to see Mt. Fuji's snow tip and ridges from one regional highway vantage point. These sightings lasted no longer than 30 seconds at best. And we were not getting on the mountain, nor even closer for that matter. "Be grateful!" someone said in a consoling manner.

I managed to get some mountain photo shots, but also felt a bit of a letdown. True, seeing Fuji this way was nothing like camping on one of Fuji's slopes, or riding in plane or helicopter hovering above her peaks. But hey, at least I had seen the mountain in person. And also, visits to several unique castles, temples and shrines during this adventure afforded my camera lens an adequate workout. Sculptures, architecture, and colorful media adverts were, indeed, almost more visually compelling than people watching.

Perhaps the biggest shock during this trip was the persistent, rude animals: deer in Nara Park. Warning signs in this area illustrated that reindeer often pursue, and attack humans in attempts to get handouts: food, not money. Okay, I had seen these postings, but I had not actually considered the notion that pleasant, docile, kind looking creatures could possibly become threatening. In Nara National Park, hundreds of deer are entertained routinely by tourists on expansive acres of green grass. People stroke, fondle, and photograph these new friends in close quarters. Presently, I was kneeling, fiddling with my mobile phone camera in the bright sunlight while trying to find the last few cookie treats in my pocket. Behind my back I could vaguely hear voices rising, a crowd in the background was shouting. I distinctly heard someone scream. It was only when I heard the rattling of antlers, and thud of body blows close by did I become alarmed. Turning just in time I saw two, large, male deer, dangerously close, standing on their hind legs, racks locked, front hooves pounding and pawing frantically at each other. They were struggling over turf, very close to where I was kneeling. One stag had declared that I was to be his principle feeder. Earlier he had snatched a small program booklet from my pocket in search of cookie crumbs. This deer appeared to be actually reading the typed pages.

I guess you can probably say that now I have "seen" Japan. But, I am not satisfied because I still would like to have seen more of Mt. Fuji, closer, rather than fleeting glimpses between fluffy clouds. I like high adventures, but avoiding monkeys that bite, bears that maul, and deer with hard, dangerous pointy antlers tops my list. I think now I am ready to try sleeping overnight on the Great Wall in China. Seeing the glorious sunset and sunrise is perhaps reasonably predictable, and clearly promises not to be as dangerous as Japan's National Parks. Choosing safety in adventures is always a wise choice.

Vocabualry

1. shocker: 令人震驚的事物。

2. pit-stop: （尤指旅行中的）短暫休息，歇腳；Narita airport : 東京成田國際機(jī)場(chǎng)。

3. make it a point: 保證做，必定做。

4. motivate: 激勵(lì)，激發(fā)；close-up: 特寫照片，特寫鏡頭；shot: 照片；Mt. Fuji: 富士山。

5. suspense movie thriller: 懸疑驚悚電影；Shutter Bug : 電影《攝影愛好者》（2009）；impetus: 動(dòng)力，推動(dòng)。

6. 電影展現(xiàn)出了這座雄偉高山的壯麗景象，令人印象深刻，于是我安排了一場(chǎng)日本之旅。splendid: 極好的，絕妙的；majestic: 雄偉的，壯觀的；dramatic: 激動(dòng)人心的，令人印象深刻的；schedule: 安排，計(jì)劃。

7. vow: 發(fā)誓，立誓；stint:（做某事的）時(shí)間；guaranteed: 有保證的。

8. trek: （通常指徒步）艱難旅行，跋涉。

9. snag: 小困難，小問題。

10. goblin: （傳說中的丑陋且愛捉弄人的）小妖精，丑妖怪；roadblock: 路障。

11. heck: 用以加強(qiáng)語氣或責(zé)罵，hell的委婉語。

12. elusive: 難以得到的，難以實(shí)現(xiàn)的。

13. Kyoto: 京都；Hiroshima: 廣島；Yamaguchi: 山口；Nagasaki: 長崎。

14. accommodation: 住戶，住所；Shinjuku: 新宿區(qū)。

15. impeccably: 無瑕疵地，無可挑剔地。

16. a plethora of: 大量的，過多的。

17. digitized: 數(shù)字化的。

18. post: 柱，桿；sidewalk: 人行道；caution: 提醒，告誡；litter: 亂扔。

19. encounter: 偶遇，邂逅；official: 官員，行政人員。

20. spit: 下毛毛細(xì)雨；shower: 陣雨；check out: 核實(shí)，查實(shí)；Sumo Wrestling: 相撲；shudder: 發(fā)抖，打顫。

21. die-hard fan: 死忠粉；highlight: 最有趣（或最精彩、最重要）的部分；Giants: 即Yomiuri Giants，讀賣巨人隊(duì)；Dragons: 中日龍隊(duì)，與巨人隊(duì)同為隸屬于日本職棒中央聯(lián)盟的球隊(duì)；Tokyo Dome stadium: 東京巨蛋體育館。

22. venue: （事件或活動(dòng)的）發(fā)生地，舉辦地點(diǎn)；cruising: 開車兜風(fēng)；appetite: 強(qiáng)烈欲望，渴望；adequately: 足夠的，合乎需要的；address: 設(shè)法解決，處理。

23. news flash: （插播的）簡(jiǎn)明新聞；Sushi: 壽司。

24. yen: 強(qiáng)烈的欲望，渴望；placate: 安撫，撫慰。

25. subsequently: 隨后，后來；Nikko National Park: 日光國立公園；sensory: 感官的，感覺的。

26. Aomori: 青森縣（日本港市）；astounding: 令人震驚的，令人驚駭?shù)模籥rchitectural: 建筑學(xué)的，建筑上的；entertaining: 有趣的，使人愉快的；Nebuta: 佞武多（佞武多祭是青森的民俗之一，節(jié)日期間會(huì)制作以著名歷史人物等為題材的巨型花車來參加游行）；Hall of Fame: 名人堂。

27. parade: （慶祝重大日子或事件的）游行行列；float: 彩車，花車。

28. 隨后幾天，我回到日本南部，逛了更多的博物館、美術(shù)館還有公園，最終，冒險(xiǎn)之旅以接受武士刀訓(xùn)練并獲取證書為完滿句點(diǎn)。sally: 出發(fā)，外出；cap: 使……結(jié)束；Samurai: 武士；sword: 劍，刀；certificate: 結(jié)業(yè)證書，合格證書。

29. armed: 使用武器的，武力的；hilarious: 引人捧腹大笑的，滑稽的；prowess: 深厚的造詣，高超的技藝。

30. temperamental: 反復(fù)無常的。

31. glimpse: 瞥見，看一眼；a fraction of: 少量，一點(diǎn)兒。

32. ridge: 山脊，山脈；vantage point: （便于觀察的）有利位置。

33. at best: 最多，充其量。

34. consoling: 安慰的，安撫的。

35. letdown: 失望，沮喪。

36. slope: 斜坡；helicopter: 直升機(jī)；hover: 翱翔，盤旋；peak: 頂點(diǎn)，頂峰。

37. castle: 城堡，堡壘；temple: 廟宇，寺院；shrine: 圣祠，神廟；lens: 透鏡，鏡片；workout: 鍛煉。

38. sculpture: 雕塑；advert: 即advertisement；compelling: 非常有趣的，很有吸引力的。

39. persistent: 執(zhí)著的，不屈不撓的；Nara Park: 奈良公園。

40. illustrate: 說明，闡明；reindeer: 馴鹿；pursue: 追逐，追趕；handout: 施舍物，救濟(jì)品。

41. notion: 概念，觀念；docile: 溫順的，馴良的。

42. routinely: 例行地，常規(guī)地；expansive: 廣闊的，遼闊的；acres of: 大量的。

43. stroke: 輕撫，撫摸；fondle: 愛撫，撫摸；in close quarters: 近距離地，近在咫尺地。

44. kneel: 跪著，跪下；fiddle with: 擺弄，撥弄；treat: 特意買的東西。

45. vaguely: 含糊地，不確切地。

46. 當(dāng)我聽到鹿角的咯咯聲和身體的撞擊聲時(shí)，我才警覺起來。rattling: 碰撞聲，咯咯聲；antler: 鹿角；thud: 砰的一聲，轟的一聲；alarmed: 驚恐的，憂慮的。

47. hind: （動(dòng)物的腿）后面的，后部的；rack: （鹿等的）一對(duì)叉角；hoof: 蹄；pound: 用力擊打，連續(xù)砰砰地猛擊；paw: 撓，抓；frantically: 瘋狂地，狂躁地。

48. turf: 草皮。

49. stag: 雄鹿。

50. snatch: 強(qiáng)搶，奪走；booklet: 小冊(cè)子；crumb: 食物碎屑。

51.可是，我還是不滿足，我還想多看看富士山，再近一點(diǎn)看，而不是在浮云間匆匆瞥幾眼。fleeting: 短暫的，飛逝的；fluffy: 松軟的，蓬松的。

52. maul: 襲擊，嚴(yán)重傷害。

（來源：英語學(xué)習(xí)雜志 編輯：董靜）