Red Data Girl - Series 1 & 2

The First Makeup - 22

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Red Data Girl: The First Makeup
By Noriko Ogiwara
A Translation

Notes on this week’s translation:

Izumiko’s on her way to Mt. Takao. This mountain is located about an hour outside of Tokyo and is a popular hiking spot. Its known for its Buddhist temple, Yakuōin Yūkiji as well as its association with tengu. All of this is addressed in this week’s translation.

Red Data Girl: The First Makeup
By Noriko Ogiwara
Chapter 4: Hodaka
Part 1 (2 of 2)

Saturday morning’s weather wasn’t exactly clear, but the sun was still out.
As the days were already heading into the rainy season, Izumiko was just grateful that the sun was shining at all. As she placed her white newsboy hat on her head and walked out the door, she realized that her middle school trip to Tokyo had taken place almost exactly a year ago now.

Izumiko didn’t have enough courage to call for a taxi so she waited at the bus stop outside the school. Even that was enough to make her nervous. She shook all over as she dropped her money into the fair box. Luckily, that level of technology wasn’t a problem. She arrived at Takao Station without trouble.

Luckily, she didn’t have to call a taxi at the station as there were already a couple lined up and waiting for business. The taxi ride from the station went smoothly too. In fact, the whole trip went far better than she had expected it to and without any outside trouble, Izumiko found herself standing in front of the restaurants and souvenir shops at the bottom of the mountain in no time.

The wide walking path was lively with people. There were all sorts of things to see. Many people were dressed in such ways that you’d never think they were there to climb a mountain. Thanks to the bustle going in the direction of the mountain, even Izumiko couldn’t lose her way. Her shoulders relaxed as she realized she would be fine. She even began to enjoy herself as she moved closer to her goal.

Finally she found the cable car entrance. Izumiko usually would have stopped there, unsure of how to proceed but she was enjoying the adventure at hand so much that she decided to challenge herself a little more. She headed towards the cars.

While she didn’t know how steep this mountain was, she was used to walking in the mountains. She could probably walk for hours if the steepness was that of a hill. Riding the cable car would be more difficult for her. There were many people here to ride it. From Izumiko’s point of view, the cable car entrance might as well have been a tiny Shinjuku Station.

I should be fine as long as it doesn’t swing a lot. I just need to be more confident in myself.

There was both a ticket counter and a ticket machine at the cable cars. Seeing all the people lined up made her a bit nervous but she decided to go to the machine.

No one would have guessed that the girl in the braids was praying as hard as she could as she slid the coins into the slot. When the ticket popped out, she felt like she had just received a huge luck fortune from a shrine.

I did it…

She had passed the first hurdle. It was weird to grin over a ticket so she quickly dropped her happy expression. However, having the ticket in her hands made her feel like she could do anything today.

Izumiko went to the platform in a state of elation. The crowded car didn’t even bother her. She didn’t worry about whether or not this was different from a crowded city train as she ascended the steep slope into the mountain scenery. Throughout the entire give minute ride, her mind stayed on the ticket and how she had been able to buy it.

There were just as many shops and people walking around at the top as there had been at the bottom of the mountain. The flow of people walking here and there was equally as messy. Big cedars lined the path. The trees weren’t as old as the ones at Tamakura Shrine, but the tranquility under their tall branches was enough to make the noise of the sightseers fade away. That was the difference between being in the mountains and being in the low lands.