Translations of some newspaper articles

These are my translations of a couple of brief articles about a friend of mine that appeared in some Japanese newspapers.

From the Saitama Shimbun 2009-10-20

It's really autumn on the Chichibu line. Everywhere festivals, art exhibitions and concerts are being held, [something I don't understand here]. The other day I had an unexpected encounter which made a deep impression on me.

It was in the cafe-gallery Kaze no Oku in Nagatoromachi. I had the opportunity to talk with a 31-year old Englishman who's currently travelling through Japan. When he was 14 he was found to have a brain tumour. He had repeated operations, but at the age of 17 a doctor told him he had ten months to live.

After that he was told by another doctor "Do anything you like. Please, just go and have fun." From then on, he began to think positively and enjoy each day; he also changed to eating vegetables and other natural foods. Mysteriously, "within three months the tumour got smaller, and eventually it disappeared completely", he says.

It was anime that first caused him to become interested in Japan. Five years ago he came to Chichibu on the Seibu Chichibu line. He changed onto the Chichibu Railway line and got off at Nogami station. There he asked if there was a cafe nearby, and the place he was told about was Kaze no Oku. It was more than 35 minutes' walk away in a quiet wooded area; he loved the conversation with the married couple who run it and with other customers, and the way it made him feel as if he was in his own home.

He visits the cafe every time he comes to Japan; some of the customers have become friends. More than big cities like Tokyo, it is the countryside that appeals to him. He's thinking of writing a book about the precious encounters he has himself experienced while visiting the different areas of Japan. "There is a chance that my illness could recur. For now I believe in my own power, and there are many things I'd like to have a go at. (If you try) you can do anything."

I truly felt the importance of positive living in the present.

From the Nihonkai Shimbun 2009-10-03

It's been about a month since the election. The Hatoyama administration is starting work in earnest, and various changes are occurring. During the election, Katsuya Okada (at that time the DPJ secretary-general) said: "The ceiling has opened up, the feeling of entrapment has gone and we can see the blue sky. That is the change of administration." Surely many people feel they have seen a little brightness, even if they would not go so far as 'blue sky'.

Even if it is not solely the politicians' fault, all Japanese society has been blanketed by a feeling of entrapment. This is backed up by the five-yearly survey the Institute of Statistical Mathematics carry out to try to find out the perceptions of the Japanese people -- many have a pessimistic view of things.

I had the chance to speak with Englishman Martin Hopley (31), who was visiting the city of Sakaiminato on a journey through Japan. At the age of 17 Martin was told that because of a brain tumour he had only a month to live, but through healthy eating and positive thinking he regained his health.

In the UK, he has made a book from his experiences; he is also giving talks in schools on the importance of positive living. "Some day my illness will recur and I will die. But thinking about that will do no good. The most important thing is to keep trying in the present."

"In both England and Japan there are many people who have given up on various things. But nothing is impossible. If you choose to try you can do anything." Rather than blaming everything on the politicians, it is important that each of us lives a positive life; that is what Martin has to teach us.