trips within trips / 旅行裡的旅行

圖為文中介紹的插畫家Nathalie Lete的舊作─巴黎之吻，取自於Nathalie的網站

In the picture is the book Bon Baiser de Paris by Nathalie Lete, the artist introduced in the article / picture taken from Nathalie's website

這幾年去旅行的途中，逛書店成為必備的行程之一，但是一切都不在計畫當中，我總是晃啊晃的，若察覺到方圓3公尺附近有書店或文具店，就不能自已地朝那方向飛奔而去，就是在旅行，走進書店和走出書店的世界又不一樣了，所以在國外的書店之旅，是旅行中的旅行。

In recent years, visiting bookstores has become part of my itineraries when traveling. But it is not planned in advance. Often I find bookstores by accident on my way to a certain destination. Once I spot any of them, I can't help but be drawn in like a magnet to the iron. The world I see before and after going bookstores can be so different that it is not exaggerating to compare trips to bookstores abroad to "trips within trips."

今年夏天的日本之旅，因為許多外在和人為因素，我開始學著放掉計畫好的行程，本來出發之前認為是非去不可的地方，遇到天災或身體狀況不配合，我也可以接受在旅館裡寫札記或到附近的書店打發一整個傍晚，這樣一來心理和生理反而有了可以紓解壓力的窗口，我和遊伴也有了呼吸的空間。

On my trip to Japan this summer, I learned how to give up the itineraries prepared ahead of time because of many external and internal factors. There were some scenic spots I regarded as "must-go" before the trip, but it takes pleasant weather and good physical condition to have a safe and nice trip. Now I can live with spending an evening in the hotel room writing journals or hanging out in a bookstore nearby. In this way, the mental and physical pressure can be relieved, and my companion and I can breathe without having to being stuck together 24/7.

旅行中第一間認真駐足的書店是高松市大商店街裡的宮脇書店，第一眼還無法找到我鍾愛的圖文書和童書，但是日本人大量使用手繪圖片作為書封面，讓我印象深刻。在走遍文史理工考試準備書區之後，我無意間來到婦女書籍區，主題似乎圍繞著戀愛、結婚、家庭，打開每一本書幾乎都是文配圖或圖配文，日常生活中看到的是拘謹小心的日本人，但是這些圖畫充滿了童稚的創意和可愛，我慶幸自己的新發現，讓我看到日本民族的多面相。走出書店時，我的腳步變得輕盈，看周遭人事物的眼光又不一樣。

The first bookstore where I took my time to read on the trip is Miyawaki Bookstore in the big shopping district in Takamatsu city. I couldn't locate my favorite illustrated or children's book area at first sight, but I was impressed with Japanese' preference for using illustrated book covers. After browsing through shelves of books on how to prepare for exams in all fields, I was attracted by books centering on the topics about love, marriage and family. Maybe they are targeted basically for women, so I found large numbers of pictures and illustrations in many books. The Japanese I encountered gave me the impression of being discreet and self-disciplined, but in these pictures, I saw the childlike innocence and creativity. I am glad my new discovery showed me different sides of Japanese people. I walked out of the bookstore at a light pace. The orderly and low-keyed world I envisioned in my mind for Japanese took on some colors.

印象最深刻的書店是德島市車站旁SOGO樓上的紀伊屋國，那天有點颱風要來襲的意味，我和媽咪在陰暗的傍晚在明亮的八樓書店打發時間，書店裡有下班的上班族、小學生等等，我一路瀏覽過五花八門的雜誌，有關於東京生活的東京人期刊，有各類旅行的雜誌，甚至有針對繪本討論的crayonhouse ehon school，我不禁又血脈噴張起來。童書區雖不大，但是對我來說每一本都是新書，我用力抄下喜歡的書名，計畫在旅行的最後一天把書購齊。那天傍晚步出書店時，感覺輕飄飄的，因為旅行因此又多了個目標，令我心情大好的目標。

I was most impressed with the visit to Kinokuniya on the 8th floor of Sogo near the train station of Tokushima city. That day, we could smell the threat of the No. 4 Typhoon in the air, so my mom and I decided to spend the cloudy evening in the well-lit bookstore. There were people who just got off work, students who searched hard for books, etc. The variety of magazines really amazed me. Tokyo jin is about life in Tokyo. One can find all kinds of magazines on traveling. There is even a periodical crayonhouse ehon school devoted to the discussion on illustrated books. I felt my adrenaline speeding up after a long interval or dormancy. The area for children's books isn't daunting in size, but hey, every book was new for me. I copied the titles of those that captured my attention, planning to buy them all on the last day of my trip. When I left, I felt so light because I had one more goal, a goal that took me to seventh heaven.

於是旅途中只要有機會去到書店，我想擁有的書目不停增加，我沒有什麼野心，擁有這些書對我來說就等於擁有全世界。於是當我們最後購齊了親朋好友的紀念品之後，媽媽問我對於那些美麗的衣裳有沒有興趣，我直嚷嚷書店才是我最想去的地方。我們從四國松山市大街的大明書店找到本州大阪新齋橋商店街的雅典書店，除了找到我看好的書之外，又有了個新發現。雅典書店在一樓特地開闢一小塊空間，主題是巴黎，上頭陳列著日本出版社和巴黎人的合作書籍，有的書只是集結20名巴黎在地人的訪談，有的書則拜訪巴黎戀人的公寓等等，我個人認為這些應該都是日本人對於巴黎嚮往之下的產物，不過書籍做得很精美，我無法抗拒地從其中選了一本 A to Z de Nathalie Lete，納塔莉是住在巴黎的藝術家，她的作品多采多姿，反正一本書可以讓我從大阪飛到巴黎，何樂而不為呢？

I didn't give up any opportunity to go to bookstores. The books I would like to have kept increasing in number. I was not ambitious. Owning these books meant having the whole world for me. After we got all the souvenirs for friends and family members, my mom asked me if I was interested in beautiful clothes. I thought of nothing but the books. We made our way from one local bookstore in Matsuyama city in Shikoku to Athens Bookstore in the Shinsaibashi shopping area in Osaka in Honshu. In the process I found something intriguing again. In Athens Bookstore, a shelf is reserved for books on Paris. They are mostly products designed by Japanese publishers with interviews of Parisians, Parisian lovers and their apartments, and what not. Personally, they reflect how crazy Japanese are about French or European culture. The contents didn't deprive me of my rationality, but I have to admit that the designs of the books are enticing. I chose one titled A to Z de Nathalie Lete, an artist living in Paris. Her artworks are extremely colorful. Well, merely a book can take me from Osaka to Paris. I didn't see any harm in buying it.

在書店裡，我看到了日本人的夢想 〈夢想之書也琳瑯滿目〉，日本人的愛旅行，日本人的創意，還有各種反映現實人生的考試書和實用手冊，當我的日本筆友被遺忘在年少的過往歲月，起碼有書店讓我可以多了解一下這個和我們那麼相似又那麼不同的民族，也讓我去到他們的內心世界一遊。

I got to see Japanese people's dreams (many books on this subject are available), their love for traveling, their creativity and all kinds of books and manuals that present how competitive the real life can be. Since all my Japanese pals were left in oblivion a long time ago, at least I still have bookstores to turn to and gain a better understanding of the race that is so similar to and so different from us. I also won a chance to travel to their inner worlds.

納塔莉的網站是：

Nathalie's website is:

http://www.nathalie-lete.com/index.php