又中又英 | A sight to behold | 褚简宁

　　Mount Rainier in the US state of Washington is a sight to behold. When I lived in Seattle in Washington state in the late 1990s, I could see Mount Rainier with its snow-capped top from my apartment. The snow-capped Mount Fuji in Japan is also a sight to behold. If something is a sight to behold, it means it is very impressive or worth seeing. If a volcano or mountain is snow-capped, it means its top is covered with snow. As I wrote in my previous two columns, I spent 16 days in Japan last month with a family member who had never been to Japan.

　　I last went there several decades ago when it had far fewer tourists. But Japan’s overtourism nowadays is frustrating for locals as well as tourists. There were so many tourists walking up the steep slope to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto that people had to walk at a snail’s pace. To walk at a snail’s pace means to walk very slowly. But the temple, built in the 8th century, was a sight to behold. My family member and I wanted to see Mount Fuji during our Japan visit but cloudy skies made that difficult.

　　We tried one partly sunny day on the 40th floor of a Tokyo government building where tourists could go for a panoramic view of the city. We were lucky and saw Mount Fuji! Japan’s overtourism is a problem, but it’s worth visiting for its culture, cuisine, and history. We went to a beautiful town called Uji, which has very few tourists but is famous for its green tea. We also enjoyed Yokohama’s scenic harbour and Chinatown.

＊＊＊＊＊＊  

　　美国华盛顿州的雷尼尔山是a sight to behold。我1990年代尾还住在华盛顿州的西雅图时，可以从我的单位看到给大雪封顶（snow-capped）的雷尼尔山。而日本那山顶积雪（snow-capped）的富士山亦是a sight to behold。若某事物是a sight to behold，意即它非常壮观或很值得一看。若一座火山或山峰是snow-capped，意即它的山顶给白雪覆盖。正如我在前两篇文章中所说，我上月跟一位从未踏足过日本的家人同游日本16天。

　　我上次到日本已是几十年前，当时游客少许多。但今天在日本的过度旅游，对当地人以至游客而言都是很苦恼的。京都有太多游客走在陡峭的斜坡上，要登上清水寺，使得人人都要walk at a snail’s pace——to walk at a snail’s pace的意思是走得非常缓慢，像蜗牛般爬行。不过，建于8世纪的清水寺，确实令人叹为观止（a sight to behold）。我和我的家人在这趟日本之旅中，都想看看富士山，然而天阴多云令我们难以看到。

　　在偶尔放晴的一天我们碰碰运气，登上了东京一栋政府大楼的40楼，游客可在此饱览城市的全景。我们很幸运，终于见到富士山了！日本的过度旅游是个问题，但因着它的文化、美食与历史，实在很值得一游。我们去了一个小城名宇治，那里很少游客到访，却又以抹茶闻名于世。我们也很享受横滨风景秀丽的海港，亦喜欢中华街。

[email protected]
 Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻