Is there a Room 420 in your hotel? ホテルに420号室はありますか？
2016年5月3日
今回の記事は「ホテルに420号室はありますか？」という内容です。さていったいどのような内容なのでしょうか。
今回のポッドキャストです。お聴き下さい。
本日のSentence
Some other hotels skip directly from Room 419 to Room 421. In an interesting variation to avoid links with marijuana, one hotel has a room called “419+1.”
他のホテルは419号室から421号室に飛んでいる。マリファナとの関連性を避けるための面白い方法として、あるホテルには「419+1」号室がある。
mischief=【名】〔子どもなどの無邪気な〕いたずら、悪さ make mischief=悪さをする
cannabis=【名】大麻 hempも同じ意味です。
irrational=【形】不合理な、道理の分からない、非理性的な、理不尽な <=>rational〔人が〕理性的な、道理をわきまえた
ボキャブラリー
| etch | verb | エッチングする、刻み込む。物質の表面に切り込む |
|---|---|---|
| skip | verb | 抜かす、省く、省略する。省略する |
| irrational | adj | 理性を失った、不合理な。理由や論理を使っていない |
| variation | noun | 変化。何かの形、位置、状態または量の変化 |
| belief | noun | 信念。何かが存在する、または真実であると受け入れること |
日本語訳
420という数字は大麻使用者にとって重要だ。彼らは4月20日（または4/20）を非公式の祝日として祝う。しかし、現在その数字はマイナスイメージがついてしまい、世界中のホテルは420号室を持つことを避けるようになった。「420」という数字が、マリファナ喫煙者を引き寄せることが分かっているからだ。
コロラド州のあるホテルは、420号室のドアの上に部屋の数字を刻むことにした。その部屋番号がたびたび盗まれているからだ。
他のホテルは419号室から421号室に飛んでいる。マリファナとの関連性を避けるための面白い方法として、あるホテルには「419+1」号室がある。
時がたつにつれて420号室は、迷信的な信仰である、ホテルの13号室や13階と同じぐらい好ましくないものになった。
ご要望が多かったので原文を掲載いたします。
For many people around the world, the number “420” is synonymous with cannabis culture. This association goes back to 1971, when a group of people decided to have a rendezvous exactly at 4:20 pm near the statue of Louis Pasteur at San Rafael High School, California. The purpose of the meeting was to search for a cannabis crop that they had learned about. Over the years, “420” has become a code term that refers to the consumption of cannabis.Let’s go a little deeper into the origin of the association of 420 with cannabis culture. The group of people who started the tradition of meeting at 4:20 45 years ago initially concealed their real identities so that their adult lives are not affected by their youthful exuberance. They codenamed their group as the “Waldos” because they preferred to meet near a wall of San Rafael school. Now, however, many of them have come out in the open and take pride in being associated with the culture. They include Mark Gravitch, Dave Reddix, and Steve Capper. According to them, they adopted the number 420 as a code and even designed flags and sent letters carrying that number. One of their friends, Phil Lesh, continued to use and popularize that number as he toured worldwide. This has helped keep alive the association of the number with marijuana culture globally.
Not surprisingly, April 20 (which is expressed as 4/20 in America) is celebrated by cannabis users as International Weed Day. Now, however, the number has a negative meaning, so much so that hotels around the world are preferring not to have any Room 420 lest they attract Cannabis smokers.
Hoteliers are aware that the number 420 is a major attraction for pot smokers and they want to avoid untoward incidents that could arise if they have a Room 420. In fact, a hotel in Colorado has decided to stencil the number directly on the door of its Room 420 because the room sign has been repeatedly stolen by mischief-makers.
Some other hotels have taken an easier way out by not having a Room 420 at all. They skip directly from Room 419 to Room 421. In an amusing variation to avoid links with marijuana, one hotel has a room called “419+1.”
It’s not just hotel signage that is at risk. Cannabis smokers look for the number “420” as a collectible wherever they can find it. Road signs are prime targets. For this reason, authorities in Colorado have replaced road markers bearing the number “420.” In particular, the Denver Interstate mile marker 420 was stolen repeatedly, which forced the installation of the unusual mile marker 419.99.
As BBC reports, Denver was the center of weed celebrations this year, mainly because Colorado has recently become the first state to allow the sale of marijuana for recreation. The campaign for legalization of marijuana is gathering pace with smokers claiming breakthroughs in many other parts of the U.S. According to Steve Bloom, an editor at High Times, "This might be the biggest 420 ever…. This might be the peak of 420."
According to a Fortune-Morning Consult poll conducted in April, one in four Americans said they would use marijuana regularly if it were legalized in their state. They are in favor of both medicinal and recreational use of marijuana. The support for medicinal use is stronger (78%), but those in favor of recreational use are not far behind (58%). Twenty-four American states have already legalized marijuana for medicinal use, with Pennsylvania becoming the latest entry in this club. The legal trade in marijuana is already a major industry hitting sales of $6.7 billion this year. With more states likely to approve legal use, many startups and even celebrities are keen to join the industry. Fortune mentions MassRoots, a social network for cannabis users, as one such startup. It has already declared its intention to launch its IPO to become the first company in the marijuana industry to do so. Among well-known celebrities, actress Whoopi Goldberg and rapper Snoop Dogg are at the forefront in support of the industry.
The stigma associated with Room 420 is similar to that against Room 13 or Floor 13 in hotels, which are associated with superstitious beliefs. So if you are a business traveler in America, especially in an area where cannabis is legalized, don’t be surprised if you find Room 420 missing. If you are of the daring kind, you might even ask for Room 420 and wait for the reaction from the hotel staff!
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