November 29, 2023

Tokyo Tales: A Misunderstood Friendship Sparks a Grand Urban Adventure

12 minutes

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Tokyo Tales: A Misunderstood Friendship Sparks a Grand Urban Adventure
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.org/tokyo-tales-a-misunderstood-friendship-sparks-a-grand-urban-adventure

Story Transcript:

Ja: 東京、その名の通り、東の都。その高層ビルの森には、大勢の人々が日々生活を営み、仕事に勤しむ。そんな一日の終わり、ハヤトとアイコは普通の一日を過ごしていた。
En: Tokyo, as its name suggests, is the eastern capital. In the forest of towering buildings, a multitude of people go about their daily lives, working diligently. At the end of one such day, Hayato and Aiko were spending an ordinary day.

Ja: ハヤトは、広い公園の隅に立つ自動販売機へと向かっていた。彼の心の中にあるのは、忙しい一日を終えての疲れと、喉の渇き。一方、アイコは彼の後ろから歩いていた。夜の風がそよぎ、街灯の下に自動販売機が静かに立っていた。
En: Hayato was heading towards a vending machine standing in a corner of a spacious park. In his heart, he felt the exhaustion of a busy day coming to an end, as well as thirst. On the other hand, Aiko was walking behind him. The night breeze gently blew, and the vending machine stood quietly under the streetlight.

Ja: ふいに、ハヤトは自動販売機を人だと誤認し、思わずお辞儀をした。彼が驚いて顔を上げると、アイコは笑いをこらえきれずに声をあげた。ハヤトの頬は少し赤くなったが、自分のミスを笑い飛ばすように「始めまして、アイスティーくれますか？」と自動販売機に話しかけた。アイコはさらに大きく笑い、「ハヤト、あのね、それは自動販売機だよ」と言った。
En: Suddenly, Hayato mistook the vending machine for a person and instinctively bowed. When he looked up in surprise, Aiko couldn't contain her laughter and let out a giggle. Hayato's cheeks turned slightly red, but he laughed off his mistake and said to the vending machine, "Nice to meet you, can I have an iced tea?" Aiko laughed even louder and said, "Hayato, you know, that's a vending machine."

Ja: しかし、ハヤトはアイコに向かって微笑み、「いや、それは自動販売機じゃない。これは僕の新しい友達だよ」と言い、再び自動販売機に向かってお辞儀をした。その言葉にアイコも笑いながら、二人はその夜の東京を楽しみ、夜の風と街灯の光を満喫した。
En: However, Hayato smiled at Aiko and said, "No, it's not a vending machine. This is my new friend," and bowed once again towards the vending machine. With those words, Aiko also laughed, and the two of them enjoyed the night in Tokyo, savoring the evening breeze and the light of the streetlamp.

Ja: そして、「むかしむかし」ではないが、その日からハヤトとアイコは自動販売機を友だちと呼び、日々を楽しむ事を決めた。それは、小さな誤解から広がる彼らの一大冒険の始まりだった。そう、都会の中で彼ら二人だけの小さな冒険が始まったのである。
En: And so, although it didn't happen once upon a time, from that day onwards, Hayato and Aiko called the vending machine their friend and decided to enjoy life together. It was the beginning of their grand adventure, sparked by a small misunderstanding. Yes, amidst the urban landscape, their own little adventure began.

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