キッチン: Week 4 Discussion

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Week 4

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Start Date: Oct 26th
Previous Part: Week 3
Next Part: Week 5

Reading:

End Page End % End Phrase Page Count
57 26% 素足がふるえた。 13

Word lists - Learn the vocabulary for キッチン

Discussion Rules

  • Please use spoiler tags for major events in the current chapter(s) and any content in future chapters.
  • When asking for help, please mention the chapter and page number. Also mention what version of the book you are reading.
  • Don’t be afraid of asking questions, even if they seem embarrassing at first. All of us are here to learn.
  • To you lurkers out there: Join the conversation, it’s fun! :durtle:

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Come and read from the previous week’s section, join in the chat about this book (also the previous book, possible future books, WK reviews, all things Japan-related, what else you did on the weekend, etc) or just lurk and listen. Readers of all speeds and abilities welcome - we are here to help each other out. Reading sessions will be held every Sunday at 9:30pm JST.

Week 4 session (in your timezone): Sunday, November 3, 2019 12:30 PM TZ

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Near the end

Well, this wasn’t hard to find at all! :smile:
菊池桃子 二人のNight Dive

It’s actually a really nice song!

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Oh, thanks for looking that up! I was reading that part of the chapter while at the hairdresser’s this afternoon, but then completely forgot about it when I got home. :sweat_smile:

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Happens to me all the time, no matter where I read - ‘Oh that part’s interesting, let’s look it up later when I’m done reading.’

Of course I don’t.

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Meow~, may I ask some questions please?

At 21%

私は目まいがした。「奥さまは魔女」みたいだ。不健康きわまりない設定の中で、こんなに明るいんですもの。

So here it seems Sakurai watches Eriko-san and Yuuichi have a very normal parent-child conversation and reacts with the above sentences. As far as I’ve searched, 「奥さまは魔女」 seems to refer to the 60s show “Bewitched” which I haven’t seen, so I have no idea how or why it leads to her feeling nauseous…

彼も歳をとったなあ。と私はしみじみ思う。これじゃあおばあちゃんも死ぬはずだわ。

This is during the scene where Sakurai visits the landlord of her old apartment. She notices how the landlord has gotten quite old, but how’s that related to the part that grandma “must have died”? I somehow feel this might refer to the landlord’s wife and not Sakurai’s grandmother (since she knows for certain she’s passed away), but still feels strange.

──ついこの間までのことすべてが、なぜかものすごい勢いでダッシュして私の前を走り過ぎてしまった。ぽかんと取り残された私はのろのろと対応するのに精一杯だ。

I’m quite lost in this part… I believe the first part is saying something about how she’s been living in a hurry all the time? Then the last sentence I have no idea…

At 22%

ガキ。私もまた疲れていたため思わず汚い言葉で思ってしまった。後悔は先に立たねえんだ。おばあちゃんにそんな口をきくなよ。

This is the scene where Sakurai observes a little girl acting spoiled around her grandmother in the bus. I am quite confused by the 立たねえ there… is this something along the lines of “don’t do something you’ll regret later” ? If it is a set phrase I can’t seem to find it though…

At 23%

私は二度とという言葉の持つ語感のおセンチさやこれからのことを限定する感じがあんまり好きじゃない。でも、その時思いついた「二度と」のものすごい重さや暗さは忘れがたい迫力があった。

So this is the part where, if I understand correctly, Sakurai fully realizes that she’ll never see her own grandmother again. I think I get the first part:

私は二度とという言葉の持つ語感のおセンチさや => "the sentimental impact of the word ‘again’ and… "

but what does the rest of the sentence mean? Something about the limits of ‘from now on’ ? It feels extremely abstract =@.@=

At 25%

でも、君はちゃんと元気に、本当の元気をとり戻せばたとえばぼくらが止めたって、出ていける人だって知ってる。

I think this is the first time I see たとえば thrown in the middle of a sentence >.<
What’s exactly the supposition? Is the supposition that Sakurai will regain her real 元気, or that Yuuichi (and his mother) would stop her (from moving away from their house, I presume?).

Also, what’s with the 出ていける人だって知ってる (“I know you are a person capable of leaving” ? ) How is it connected with the rest?

At 26%

そして、振り向いてちょっと困った目をした。 私はとほうにくれて、笑ってごまかした。

This is very near the end of the dream. I am having trouble figuring out what とほうにくれて means… とほう seems to mean “way, destination, reason”, so something like "I gave him a direction… " ? But it doesn’t seem to fit with the rest…

As always, any help is appreciated!

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Ask away~

That said, that reference at 21% went right over my head too. :man_shrugging:

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Jisho.org: Japanese Dictionary

Found it on jisho. :wink: It means something like ‘no use crying over spilt milk’.

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From what I got of it; she’s thinking about the meaning of the phrase 二度と, and how she just then understands the meaning it holds - the sentimentality (maybe not the best word in English?) and the feeling that the future is limited - and that she doesn’t like these things.

Yes, I also think this is when she really realizes that. I think it goes beyond ‘just’ her grandmother :cry: , and she realizes that all things are finite.

I like this introspective side of our heroine. :slight_smile:

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でも、君はちゃんと元気に、本当の元気をとり戻せば
たとえばぼくらが止めたって、
出ていける人だ
って知ってる**

The たとえば goes with ぼくらが止めたって.
A(出ていける人だって知ってる), even if B(たとえばぼくらが止めたって), as long as C(君はちゃんと元気に、本当の元気をとり戻せば)

If you get back your spark, I know you’re a person capable of leaving even if we tried to stop you.

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Jisho.org: Japanese Dictionary
:wink: (be at a loss, be puzzled)

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21%

I’m not 100% sure, but I interpret the second sentence “This (= becoming old) must also be the reason my grandma died.”

All things I had until recently (ついこの間までのことすべてが) by some horrible force (なぜかものすごい勢いで) run past me, rushing (ダッシュして私の前を走り過ぎてしまった). I, who was absent-mindedly left behind (ぽかんと取り残された私は) cope with that sluggishly (のろのろと対応する) but it’s the best I can do (のに精一杯だ).

Hope that’s right.

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Thank you @Belerith and @twktg! It’s a lot clearer now!

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