The following is the translation of my composition I wrote when I was a 6th grader. We, about 250 elementary school pupils, went on a school graduation trip to Kyoto and Nara. We stayed overnight in a Japanese hotel in Kyoto on the first day. The composition reveals my excitement that night.
After taking a bath, I was about to go to sleep sharing a futon with Nakanishi, when he said, “I’ve lost my soap.” We made a fuss looking for it in the bed, his bag, and what not. Soon we found it in the bed. He put it in his bag before he lost it again.
Sighing with relief, I went to bed, but Nishimura was restless, kicking my legs, going out of the bed, or coming back to it. I sneaked into Ogino and Takagi’s bed. The bed was too narrow for three boys. So, Takagi got out of the bed and went to Nishimura’s bed, but since Nishimura was so restless that Takagi came back to his original bed where I and Ogino were sleeping. Again three boys were crammed in one bed. I felt cramped. So, I moved to Fukui’s bed, when suddenly I heard the teacher’s thundering voice in the next room, “Be quiet!” Terrified, we got into bed and kept silent.
I was so excited that I was awake. I went to the bathroom a few times. I took out some candy from my bag and ate it. I heard streetcars moving in front of the hotel. I wondered what my family were doing about that time. Several hours later, it was already morning. I did not know whether I had slept. The teacher came to our room and said, “Six o’clock.” I got up at 6:20. I looked out of the window. The shops were all closed. I breathed the air of Kyoto. It was a clean morning. Today we were going to visit Nara.
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Sighing with relief, I went to bed, but Nishimura was restless, kicking my legs, going out of the bed, or coming back to it. I sneaked into Ogino and Takagi’s bed. The bed was too narrow for three boys. So, Takagi got out of the bed and went to Nishimura’s bed, but since Nishimura was so restless that Takagi came back to his original bed where I and Ogino were sleeping. Again three boys were crammed in one bed. I felt cramped. So, I moved to Fukui’s bed, when suddenly I heard the teacher’s thundering voice in the next room, “Be quiet!” Terrified, we got into bed and kept silent.
I was so excited that I was awake. I went to the bathroom a few times. I took out some candy from my bag and ate it. I heard streetcars moving in front of the hotel. I wondered what my family were doing about that time. Several hours later, it was already morning. I did not know whether I had slept. The teacher came to our room and said, “Six o’clock.” I got up at 6:20. I looked out of the window. The shops were all closed. I breathed the air of Kyoto. It was a clean morning. Today we were going to visit Nara.
