先週末、翻訳学校時代の友人たち（+そのうち1人の仏人パートナー）が1泊2日で松本に遊びにきてくれました。
レンタカーを借りて7人の大所帯で東京から来てくれた彼らとは、先日、東京で会ってから1か月半ぶりの再会。専門学校で知り合い、卒業してからも月イチくらいのペースでお酒を飲みながら翻訳について語ったり、悩みを相談し合ったり、遊びにでかけたり。そして、地元に戻ってきてからはSkypeで遠隔の勉強会をしたり・・・と、そんな間柄で、フリーランス翻訳者や翻訳会社の社員として同じ翻訳業界に身を置く仲間たち。
そんな大事な友人たちのため、この日に合わせて前々から綿密な計画を・・・練っていなかった自分は、内心ハラハラしながら集合場所の松本駅前で時間をつぶし、渋滞に巻き込まれながら到着した友人たちと合流。予定が押していたため挨拶も早々に切り上げ、まずは最初の目的地、長野市善光寺へ。門前通りをぷらぷらと食べ歩き、お戒壇巡りで新しい自分（”New YOU”）に出会い、最後にお土産を買う、というべたべたな観光コースでしたが、楽しい時間はあっという間に過ぎ去り、宿のある松本に戻る時間に。宿にチェックイン後は、信州の食材をふんだんに使ったおいしい夕食をいただき、温泉に入り、コンビニで買ったお酒を飲みながらぐずぐずと遅くまで話してから就寝（女子部屋で枕投げをしたかった）。
翌朝、台風前のあいにくの豪雨のなか、松本城を車窓から眺め、『安曇野ちひろ美術館』でアートの秋を味わい、前々から行きたかった安曇野の『蕎麦 とりい』で絶品のお蕎麦をいただき、『TOCA』で少し雨宿りさせていただいて（すみません）、『Chez Momo』でフランス帰りの蒔田さんとフランス人の友人のやり取りを楽しんだりしているうちに時間切れ。次回はもうすこし段取りよく松本の魅力を紹介できるようにがんばります。
Last weekend, my friends from my translation school days, including a French partner of one of them, came to Matsumoto with an overnight stay.
It’s been one and a half months since I last met them in Tokyo, who this time came in flocks, 7 people in total, renting a car. We came to know each other at the translation school, and after graduation, we have still kept in touch meeting once a month to talk about translation, share each other’s worries and go out together for fun. And, after my coming back to Nagano, we also take place a study-meeting remotely through Skype. This is more or less how I am connected with them, who also make living in the translation world as a freelance translator or translation company stuff.
For those precious friends, I had been elaborating plans in advance…no…not really. There I was, as a result, killing time anxiously around the Matsumoto station where they were supposed to pick me up, and they did so after being caught in a traffic jam. With not much greeting exchanged, being behind schedule, we hurried on our way to the first destination, Zenkoji in Nagano city. Strolling and trying out different food of the shops along the street leading to the temple, discovering “New Ourselves” in the Temple Ground tour, and lastly buying some souvenirs, all of which were pretty much the regular procedure for tourists, but time passed happily and quickly and it was time to make our way back to Matsumoto for the inn we had booked. After the check-in, we enjoyed the delicious dinner made with local produce, took a hot spring bath and stayed up late chatting over some liquor purchased at a convenience store nearby (wish I could have a pillow fight in the women’s room).
Next morning, under such floods of rain before a typhoon, we spent our day watching the Matsumoto Castle from the window of the car; relishing the autumn of art at the Chihiro Art Museum; having amazingly tasty soba at “Soba Torii“, where I had long wished to visit; taking a shelter from the rain at “TOCA” (excuse me); studying the conversation between Maita-san, who has been to France, and my French friend at “Chez Momo“; then the time was up. Next time, I will try in a little bit more efficient way to introduce the attractiveness of Matsumoto..
※写真：Christophe Ferreira（撮影ありがと）
*Photo: Christophe Ferreira (thanks for taking the photos!)
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