VOA慢速英语--妇女记录日本皇室家庭的动向

Woman Documents Movements of Japan’s Ruling Family

Wherever Japan’s ruling family goes, you will find Fumiko Shirataki -- in summer heat and winter cold, to the ocean and to the mountains.

The only times Shirataki does not go are when it snows or rains too hard.

“You can’t get good pictures then - and if the camera lens¹ gets wet, it might get damaged. I really worry about that,” she says.

For the past 26 years, Shirataki has followed and taken pictures of Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and especially Crown² Princess Masako.

“As soon as I know their plans, I’ll be there - though it’s hard if I only find out the night before,” she told the Reuters news agency³.

Shirataki loves following the royal family. This custom is called “okkake” in Japan. She began in 1993, when she followed then-Masako Owada, before her marriage to Crown Prince Naruhito.

Shirataki, now age 78, remembers that, in the beginning, she had trouble taking good pictures.

“I wasn’t used to carrying such a heavy camera, so I’d shoot the tires, or the back seat, or the driver,” she said at her home in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. On the wall hangs a photo of Masako and an Imperial⁴ Family calendar.

But now she has gotten better at photography⁵, and her house is filled with a huge number of photos.

She cannot count them. “After all, it’s been 26 years,” she said.

Shirataki will not say how she and others learn about where royal family members will be. But once she has the details, she loads her things, takes a folding chair and a rice ball to eat, and leaves the house.

“They know our faces by now, so when we raise the cameras I guess they think ‘here they are’ and they face towards us and wave,” said Shirataki.

Most Japanese who chase⁶ after the royals are female⁷. They say their main interest is the royal women and their clothes. Shirataki has a part-time job at a car dealership⁸ and does have free time to take photos.

Up until recently, her husband was still working, but he died two years ago. Now she cannot spend as much time on photography. “I’d spend five or six days a week at this, but now I have to work,” she said.

Shirataki does not want to talk about how much she spends on following the royals and taking pictures. But she will say that she spends over $400 every year just on photos.

Shirataki says Masako is her favorite royal and has even appeared in her dreams. But Shirataki worries about Masako’s health. The crown princess has had health problems in recent years.

“There could be a lot of times where Masako won’t go with the emperor,” she said. “If it’s just him, we won’t go. Her alone? Yes.”

Shirataki may already have reached the height of her success as a royal chaser. This year, she shook hands with the Empress.

“I’ve talked with them briefly⁹ before but that’s the only time I’d ever been able to put out my hand ... I didn’t realize I would do it,” Shirataki said.

“When I asked, she just said, in a small voice, ‘If my hand is okay,’” and she added¹⁰. “And then I did.”

On April 30, the Japanese emperor will turn over his official duties to his son, Naruhito. There will be a new Empress Masako.

I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

lens – n. a clear curved¹¹ piece of glass or plastic that is used in eyeglasses, cameras, telescopes¹², and the like to make things look clearer, smaller, or bigger

emperor – n. a man who rules a group of countries that are controlled by one ruler or one government

empress – n. a woman who rules an empire

crown princess – n. a princess who is expected to become queen when the current¹³ king or queen dies

royal – n. of or relating to a king or queen

tire – n. the rubber covering of a wheel

imperial – n. of or relating to a kingdom or an emperor

1 lens   

n.透镜，镜片；镜头

参考例句：

• The lens of a camera forms images.照相机的镜头使图像形成。
• You should screen the lens of your camera from direct sunlight.你应该使照相机的镜头不直接照射到阳光。

2 crown   

n.王冠，王权，顶点；v.使...成王，加冕，居...之顶

参考例句：

• He won the crown in 1973.他荣获1973年冠军称号。
• They wanted to crown Caesar king.他们想立凯撒为王。

3 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

4 imperial   

adj.帝王的，至尊的；n.特等品

参考例句：

• They made an objection to the imperial system with resolution.他们坚决反对帝制。
• The Prince Imperial passed away last night.皇太子昨晚去世了。

5 photography   

n.摄影，摄影术

参考例句：

• He goes in for photography.他酷爱摄影。
• Photography is not taught in our school.我们学校不教摄影术。

6 chase   

vt.追逐，追赶，追求；n.追赶

参考例句：

• The police grabbed the robbers after a long chase.警察经过长距离追赶后逮住了抢劫犯。
• Would you chase me if I did?如果我逃开了，你会来追吗？

7 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

8 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

11 curved   

a.弯曲的

参考例句：

• His lips curved in a barely perceptible smile. 他的嘴角弯了弯，露出一丝几乎察觉不到的笑容。
• The missile curved gracefully towards its target. 导弹呈优美的曲线状飞向目标。

12 telescopes   

n.望远镜( telescope的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• optical instruments such as microscopes and telescopes 显微镜和望远镜等光学仪器
• Telescopes and microscopes are optical instruments. 望远镜和显微镜是光学仪器。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 current   

n.涌流，趋势，电流，水流，气流；adj.当前的，通用的，流通的，现在的，草写的，最近的

参考例句：

• Electric current is often powerful enough to kill a man.电流常强得足以致命。
• There is a story about her in the current number.最近一期上有关于她的故事。