No more overnight fun on business trips

　僕は英辞郎を使って英語を読みまくり、インターネットラジオのNHKのラジオジャパン英語ニュースで時事英語を聞きまくってます。（＾＾；また、VOAでヴォイスレコーダーにDLしたMP3音声とテキストも楽しんでます。
参考「こんな感じで英辞郎を使ってます」

No more overnight fun on business trips

06/28/2005

It was agreed during the latest Japan-South Korea summit to increase daily shuttle flights between Tokyo and Seoul to eight from August. This means business travelers won't have to stay overnight in either capital.

2005年06月27日（月曜日）付
【天声人語】

　日韓の首都を結ぶシャトル便が８月から毎日８便に増える。先日の日韓首脳会談で決まった。いよいよソウルが東京からの日帰り出張圏に入る。

It means one can depart from Haneda Airport in the morning, arrive at Kimpo International Airport before noon, get one's work done in Seoul and return that evening. This is certainly welcome. But it also means no more fun overnight stays to unwind while on such trips.

　朝、羽田をたち、昼前に金浦空港に着く。ソウルで仕事を済ませ、夜には東京へ戻る。その便利さは歓迎したい。だが「せめて１泊くらいは」と願うのも人情だろう。せっかくの出張なのだから。

Even officials in feudal Japan looked forward to a breather when away on business. Toshiakira Kawaji, commissioner of finance of the Tokugawa government in the late Edo Period (1603-1867), was known as a stern, no-nonsense bureaucrat. When he led a group of officials on a business trip to the Omi region (present-day Shiga Prefecture), his entourage had to abide by his strict orders-don't sleep in, never accept gifts, and decline wining and dining. But when it was time to head home, even Kawaji softened like any mortal. Instead of going straight back, he allowed himself and his party a detour to Ise Shrine, the fun tourist spot of that era.

　昔の人も出張には息抜きを期待した。堅物で知られた幕末の勘定奉行、川路聖謨（としあきら）の近江出張に随行した武士たちは、川路の厳命に悲鳴を上げた。朝寝するな、進物は返せ、酒食の接待は断れ。それほどお堅い奉行でもやはり人の子である。帰路は一行で遠回りして、伊勢参りなど満喫している。

I see nothing wrong with a little rest and recreation after a mission has been accomplished. But when it's all R&R and no work, that's a different story.

In winter 2003, a veteran Bureau of Environment official of the Tokyo metropolitan government enjoyed ocean fishing off Nagasaki, where he was supposed to be testing the performance of an exhaust gas purifying device developed by Mitsui & Co. Instead of heading for the test site, the official went fishing at the invitation of his Mitsui hosts.

　帰りの遠回りくらいならよいが、仕事を放り出して遊んだとなれば話は別だろう。東京都環境局のベテラン職員はおととしの冬、出張先の長崎市で海釣りに興じた。三井物産が開発した排ガス浄化装置の性能を試験するはずだったのに、誘われると足は試験場に向かわず、沖でさおを振った。

Mitsui secretly falsified the test documents, which resulted in substandard exhaust gas purifiers being installed in Tokyo buses and trucks. Three Mitsui employees were arrested this month on suspicion of fraud. The punishment for the Tokyo government official was a three-month suspension from work, which is to expire at the end of this month.

　三井側はこっそり試験結果を改ざんし、性能の劣る装置が都営バスやトラックに取り付けられた。関与した社員ら３人は今月、詐欺の疑いで逮捕されている。都職員は停職３カ月の処分を受け、今月末まで謹慎中という。

Today, any major city in Japan can be reached within one day, which means less of that special sense of anticipation that used to come with overnight business trips.

An ultra-supersonic plane under development in the United States is said to be capable of eventually connecting East Coast cities and Tokyo in one hour.

A business trip to New York City, and back in Tokyo before the day is over? Thanks, but I would rather pass.

　今や主な都市なら日本中どこでも日帰りできる時代である。その分、泊まりがけ出張の妙味は減った。米国で開発中の最速機なら、将来は東京と米東部が１時間で結ばれるそうだ。ニューヨークですら日帰りかと思うと、出張する気もなえてしまう。

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 27(IHT/Asahi: June 28,2005)