When life gets tough, it’s natural for people to think about escaping their problems. In extreme cases, starting over in a new town may seem like the only choice. In Japan, jōhatsu—a term that means “evaporation” in Japanese—refers to people who purposely vanish without a trace, as if they disappeared into thin air. There are many reasons someone might want to disappear. In Japan, common reasons include too much stress at work, domestic abuse, or huge debts. These problems often carry deep shame in Japanese society.
當生活變得艱難時，人們自然會想要逃避問題。在極端的情況下，在一個新的城鎮重新開始似乎是唯一的選擇。在日本，jōhatsu（該詞在日文中意為「蒸發」）指的是那些故意消失得無影無蹤的人，彷彿他們憑空消失了一樣。一個人可能會想要消失的原因有很多。在日本，常見的原因包括工作壓力太大、家暴或巨額債務。這些問題在日本社會中往往伴隨著深深的羞恥感。
生活必備字詞：
start over 重新開始；從頭做起
vanish without a trace 消失得無影無蹤
= disappear without a trace
disappear into thin air 憑空消失
= vanish into thin air
shame n. 羞恥，羞愧
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本文節錄自《常春藤生活英語》雜誌，完整內容請見十月號。
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