Ghost Castle 幽霊の城

I was having an online conversation about Unit 731 when I heard loudspeakers and what seemed to be marching music from outside my window. Jumping at the chance to see a right-wing group in action, I hopped on my bike and attempted to follow the source of the noise. My journey took me along paths through groves and rice fields, rivers and ... uh, well, that's pretty much it. On the way back, I saw a housing project being advertised as an English Country Home. Didn't see any thatched roofs or stonework that is my image of a cottage out in the middle of Manchester, though.
ネット会話で731部隊に ついての話をしながらアパートの外から拡声器と軍隊っぽい音楽を聴いた。右派隊を見る機会かなと思ってたので速く自転車に乗って音の源を探してみた。朕が 旅で森と田圃、川と・・・えーと、それだけぐらいを見た。帰る時は「英国の田舎の家」で広告されている建て場所を見た。朕の理想でマンチェスター州の中に 在るわらぶきの屋根か石造物の別荘を見なかったけどさ。

Had a new school the other day. I like new schools because I don't have to do any real work; just show my Canada presentation and run around in the gym, and that's it. It does give me a chance to bond with the staff, though. It seems kind of laid-back here, but I guess that's because I am not here all day, just in the morning. Kids are great, though. The school is kind of far from my house, and on a hill, so it was kind of hard to bike there before I discovered the Secret Path.
先 日は朕が新しい学校に行った。本物の仕事はしないから新しい学校が好き；ただ着いてカ ナダの発表をして体育館で走る。但し、職員と仲良しに成れるけど さ。あそこはちょっと落ち着いている雰囲気だったけど、朝だけは居るのでそれを感じたかな。子供達は素晴らしい。学校は朕の内からちょっと遠いし坂上に在 るので自転車で来るのは「秘密の路」を見つける前にちょっと疲れる。

The school is beside a temple. Which has an awesome graveyard. How cool is that?
学校は寺の隣で在る。素敵な墓場もある。格好良いんじゃない？

A view of the temple beside the school. It's a Tendai temple, if that has any meaning to anyone.
学校の隣の寺。誰かが興味あれば天台宗だ。

After my work was done, I saw this sign saying that there had been a castle on top of the mountain. You know that I had to check this out.
仕事が終わってから山の上に城跡はあるそうだの看板を読んだ。勿論上らなくちゃならなかった。

Up this mountain. Well, off I went!
この山の上にあるそうだった。よーし、行くぜ！

A modern Japanese-style family grave, of the Miura family.
現代日本式の家族墓（三浦家）。

On my left, there was a Prefectural Protected Forest. I know because of the sign. Is the castle in there?
左側に県立保安森がある。看板が見えるから分かる。城はその中に？

I was really enjoying the heavy forest atmosphere when I saw the bane of the Japanese countryside: a construction sign. I mean, fuck. It's the middle of freaking nowhere, on an overgrown mountain! You've got to be kidding!
深い森の雰囲気を楽しんでいたが、日本の風景の破滅の元を見た；工事の看板。くそったれめ、生い茂る山の何もない場所にあるんじゃない？嘘でしょう！

Then I saw the sign. Actually, I'm happy that Japan is posting the numbers about public projects now. Still, ￥42840000 (think $428 400) for a landslide control project? There are so many trees that a landslide would only occur if Raijin the Storm God blasted the mountain repeatedly with lightning and then rained for six weeks on it.
それからこの看板を見た。実は日本が公衆工事実施の予算を告げているから嬉しいよ。でも、地すべり防止事業の為に４２８４０千円を払う？木はそんなに一杯あるので雷神が山を何回も雷で打って六週間ぐらい雨を降ろすだけで地すべりが起こると思う。

So now we have the real forest, and ... the encroachment of construction.
で、ここは本物の森と・・・段々侵食している工事。

Well, someone lives on the mountain, anyway. Or they did. Here's an abandoned house and car.
ま、誰かがこの山に住んでいるそうだ。それともそうだった。ここは捨てられた家と車だ。

But here's a very small field. Hmm.
でもここには小さな畑だ。うーむ。

Proceeding to the field, I was greeted by a very pleasant surprise; they were terraced fields, with another garden situated just below me on the side of the mountain. Plus I had a great view of the city! Man, I want to buy this land and make an Orientalist dream home!
畑に進むと、とても良い風景に迎えられた；朕の下に山の側にもう一つな畑が在った！ここは棚田（棚畑？）だ！そして町がよく見えた！や～、この土地を買って東洋学者の屋敷を建てたい！

I heard a dog bark as I passed by this ... house? Well, at least I don't have to worry about being shot. Swords are another matter, of course.
この・・・家？の隣で歩く時は犬の鳴き声を聞いた。ま、銃に撃たれるは心配ないね。剣は別の事件だけどさ。

Where is that damn castle? Up the road we go.
その城跡ったれはどこだ？！？よーし、道に上る～

I began to find old farming equipment. What the heck is this?
古い農業器具を見つけた。なんやこりゃ？

Some of the fields appear to be abandoned.
色んな畑は捨てられたみたい。

Junk.
ごみ。

Another abandoned car.
もう一台の捨てられた車。

I reached the end of the road, finding more fields. Half were being used, half were overgrown.
道の終点に着いて畑をもっと見つけた。半分は使用、半分は生い茂る。

I got a shock when I turned around to look at the house and found a poster of a woman inside staring at me.
後ろを向いて家の部屋の中から女性の姿が絵から朕をじっと見ていると大変びっくりした。

There was a semitraditional house, open to the elements. Dirty, not lived in.
半分伝統的な家が天然に開いていた。汚れていた、誰も住んでいない。

Doubling back, I found a small path going off in a different direction. To the castle, perhaps?
道を引き返して他の方面に行っている路を見つけた。城行き、かな？

Nope, a shrine.
いいえ、神社だった。

All it consists of is a stone tablet and a god-house.
ただ銘板と神家だけ・・・

The inscription was so faded I couldn't make anything out.
銘は大変衰えたので何も読めなかった。

As it was getting late, I gave up my search for the castle and headed back down the mountain. I stopped at the school and asked again about the mysterious fortress, only to be told that there was absolutely nothing left - no walls, no timbers, nothing. Just stories from the old men about the time when a castle stood proud upon the mountain.
遅くなっていたので城跡の探検を諦めて山を下げた。また学校で止まってあの不思議な城について尋ねたが、残りは全くないと言われた。壁、板材、何も。ただ山の上に自慢できる城が輝いて建てあったの老人の話だけ。