(English Translation below) 運転中に大雨のにわか雨のあと 急に日がさしてきて 大型トラックのはねる水しぶきの中に虹が トラックを追い抜かないで私は虹を追いかけたよ ゆっくり行こう　ゆっくり行こう　ゆっくり行こう ゆっくり行こう　ゆっくり行こう　ゆっくり行こう 大雨のにわか雨のあと 急に日がさしてきて 大型トラックのはねる水しぶきの中に虹が トラックを追い抜かないで私は虹を追いかけたよ 高速道路の虹 ゆっくり行く時だけに見える虹 つかもう虹を　つかめない虹を 写真に撮れない虹を　ビデオに撮れない虹を ゆっくり行く時だけに見える虹 ゆっくり行こう　水しぶきの中の虹 ゆっくり行こう　水しぶきの中の虹 I Followed the Rainbow (translation) words and translation by Yumi Hara Cawkwell I was driving in a heavy shower All of a sudden the sun began to shine I saw a rainbow in splashes made by a big truck I didn’t overtake, I followed the rainbow instead Go slow, go slow, go slow Go slow, go slow, go slow After a heavy shower The sun began to shine all of a sudden I saw a rainbow in splashes made by a big truck I didn’t overtake, I followed the rainbow instead Rainbow on the motorway Rainbow you can see only when you go slow Catch the rainbow which you wouldn’t be able to catch The rainbow which you can’t photograph The rainbow which you can’t video Rainbow you can see only when you go slow Go slow, the rainbow in splashes Go slow, the rainbow in splashes

Ride, ride, ride on a White Rabbit Ride, ride, ride on a White Rabbit Ride, ride, ride on a White Rabbit Ride, ride, ride on a White Rabbit Don’t worry about the Mad Hatter Don’t worry about those Queens Don’t worry about the Tea Party Don’t worry about anything Just ride, just ride, just ride, ride on a White Rabbit Just ride, just ride, just ride on a White Rabbit Head for the sand, dune, head! Head for the dune on the land of west Head for the dune on the land of west Head for the dune, meet the full moon You will see the rabbit on the moon You will see the White Rabbit on the moon Go ahead, go ahead!

(English translation below) 私の旅は品川駅から始まる 新幹線の品川駅はJR東日本ではない JR東海の品川駅から新幹線ひかりに乗ってまずは京都へ向かう ここは現職衆院議員を辞めさせてまで参院に鞍替えさせた因縁の場所 ああそんな手もあったわね そんなことはおかまいなしに 京都駅からいよいよと スーパーはくとの旅が始まる おべんと買ってくの忘れちゃだめよ だってスーパーはくとには車内販売ありません お茶は買ってかなくても大丈夫 だって自動販売機だけはあった いざ、スーパーはくとに乗って行こう！ スーパーはくとの車両はとっても和テイスト 木目のシート、絣ののれんがトイレの前に だってスーパーはくとの車両はJR西日本ではなくって 第３セクター智頭急行…ゴージャス しかも車両は振り子式 ヴァージン・トレインのペンドリノみたい 鳥取駅に着いてまずは駅前観光案内所 「私、宿、予約してこなかったのよ だって出かける前にラップトップの調子が悪かったから なるべく駅から近いところがいいわ 水周りがきれいな所がいい だって私、女の子ですもの」 「そうかい、ならここがいいよ 源泉かけ流しの温泉付、二食付きだよ」 「そうね、じゃあそこにするわ」 駅前のちょっと小ぎれいな旅館に着いた 出てきた若女将はきれいだったけど だけど着物の趣味が、ちょっと、変 これだったら私の去年のユニクロのゆかたの方がいいぐらいじゃない？ 愛想のいい若女将で良かったけど 通されたお部屋も小ぎれいで…ああ、いい感じ まずは鳥取砂丘へと 空には丸い、丸いお月様 月の上には白うさぎ お餅を搗いて何千年も何万年も何十万年もそのまま あのうさぎとスーパーはくとの白うさぎ みんな同じうさぎかしら 月の砂丘 ああ、何てロマンチック…いいわあ 歩き疲れてお宿に帰る さっきの若女将が出てきて 「お客さん、今日はお一人ですから ゆっくり男湯をお使い下さいね 手足を伸ばしてゆっくりお入り下さいね だけどお客さん、どんなに暑くても窓は開けないで下さい お部屋の窓も開けないで下さいね ちゃんとエアコンがついておりますから お客さんがお風呂にお入りのときにおふとんも敷いておきますから 押入れのふすまも開けないで下さいね 隣のお部屋から音がしても 忘れないで下さいね、お客さん、今夜はお一人ですから」 お部屋の窓も　廊下の窓も　お風呂の窓も開けないで お部屋の窓も　お風呂の窓も　廊下の窓も開けないで だって、抱きつきお化けに抱きつかれちゃう ああ～ 抱きつきお化け、抱きつかれちゃう 抱きつきお化けに抱きつかれちゃう ああ～、ああ～、ああ～ 歩き疲れてそのまま爆睡 それが本当だったのか夢の中だったのか 全然覚えがないけれど 朝になって鳥取駅からスーパーはくと 京都駅に戻ってそこから新幹線ひかり そのまま霞ヶ関へ…永田町だったかしら そしてIMFから勧告があったように 消費税を10％にせねばこの国は滅びるぞよ 消費税を10％にせねば あと10年のうちにこの国は滅びるぞよ！ Clinging Bogy (translation) words and translation by Yumi Hara Cawkwell My journey began at Shinagawa Station Shinagawa Station of Shinkansen is not owned by JR East (i) First of all, I took Shinkansen ‘Hikari’ from JR Central’s Shinagawa Station to Kyoto This was where the party asked an MP to step down in order for him to be able to stand for the Upper House election Ah, what a good idea it was… Anyway, I didn’t care such matters Now that, from Kyoto Station, My Super-Hakuto journey began Don’t forget to buy a bento-box (ii) ‘Cause there’s no trolley service in Super-Hakuto But no need to buy a bottle of tea ‘Cause there’s a vending machine in the train Now, let’s go riding on Super-Hakuto! The carriage design had a very Japanese taste Wooden seatback, hand woven curtains in front of washrooms ‘Cause Super-Hakuto was not owned by JR West It was owned by a local public-private cooperation company Chizu-Kyuko…Gorgeous! (iii) Moreover, the trains had the pendulum suspension system Like the Pendolino of Virgin Trains As soon as I arrived Tottori Station, I went to the tourist information centre ‘I haven’t booked an accommodation ‘Cause my laptop didn’t behave when I left home I would prefer somewhere close to the station And I like clean bathrooms, ‘Cause I’m a girl’ ‘OK, then, how about this one With natural flowing hot spa, dinner and breakfast’　(iv) ‘I like it, I will book this one’ I arrived a nice and clean little ryokan　(v) The hostess looked beautiful But her taste for kimono seemed rather dubious I guess my last year’s UNIQLO yukata is better than hers　(vi) Anyway, good that the hostess seemed very nice and friendly The room she showed me was very clean too…bliss! Then I went to the Tottori Dune There was a big, round full moon on the sky And the white rabbit was on the moon Making rice cake for thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands of years　(vii) That rabbit and the rabbit of Super-Hakuto Are they the same white rabbit?　(viii) The dune under the moon How romantic…love it! As my legs were aching from a long walk, I went back to the ryokan The hostess appeared and said: ‘You are the only one guest today Please use the men’s bath　(ix) Take your time and stretch out your arms and legs in the bath But please don’t open the window even if it gets really hot Also don’t open the windows in your room There’s an air conditioner, so you need not open the window anyway We will make the futon while you are having a bath　(x) So don’t open the sliding screen of the closet, either If you hear some noises from the next room, Don’t forget, you are the only guest tonight’ Don’t open the windows of the room, of the corridor, of the bath Don’t open the windows of the room, of the bath, of the corridor Otherwise, the clinging bogy will cling to you! Aahhh! The clinging bogy will cling to you! The clinging bogy will cling to you! Aahhh! Aahhh! For I slept so tight as I was exhausted from the walk on the dune I really can’t remember whether it was real or in my dream The morning came and I went to Tottori Station and took Super-Hakuto Back to Kyoto Station, then Shinkansen Hikari I went to Kasumigaseki straight away…or was it Nagata-cho?　(xi) Then the IMF’s report says If you don’t raise the sales tax to 10%, this country will collapse　(xii) If you don’t raise the sales tax to 10%, this country will collapse in a matter of 10 years! --------------------------------------------------------------- i The former state owned Japanese Railways split into several private companies. ii Bento=boxed lunch you can buy in stations and often in long-distance trains. iii When JR became private companies, some routes which are not economically efficient were discontinued, but some routes were saved by setting up part private, part public railway companies. While most of these companies are in deficit, Chizu Kyuko is one of the very rare successful examples. iv Natural flowing hot spa are better than circulated and heated spa. v ryokan =Japanese style inn. vi Yukata is casual kimono for summer which is easier to wear than proper kimono. vii The pattern of the craters of the surface of the moon seemed like rabbits making rice cake for the ancient Japanese. viii ‘Hakuto’ means ‘white rabbit’ and Tottori is the location of the white rabbit story of Japanese mythology. ix Men’s communal baths tend to be larger than women’s, so it is a common practice to offer the men’s bath to women guests when there is no male guest. x It is common practice at a ryokan to spread and prepare the futon for the guests while they are having a bath. xi Kasumigaseki is the equivalent to Whitehall and Nagata-cho to Westminster. xii Japanese sales tax is currently 5%. Jimin Party (Liberal Democrat, it had been in power for a long time, but currently opposition party) had proposed raising it to 10% when the prime minister Kan (Minshu Party, Democratic Party) stated that he would support this proposal out of the blue during the Upper House election campaign. Shigeru Ishiba MP (Jimin Party) commented on the prime minister’s statement that ‘Sounds like a clinging bogy’, but no such bogies were known to Japanese people at all.