March 26, 2003
Twelfth log: Chihiro and Risa

Chihiro: Hello Risa.

Risa: Oh hi, Chihiro.
Risa: You are online? Today?

Chihiro: Yes I am.

Risa: But your flight is the day after tomorrow,
Risa: And you usually call me on the phone.

Chihiro: Not today.
Chihiro: There's a reason why I use the instant messenger.

Risa: Have you packed yet?

Chihiro: Oh, there's so much to consider, about what to take and what not.
Chihiro: In the beginning they said we could take only 20 kg along.
Chihiro: But fortunately my parents don't need all their place, and we can pay for what is more.

(Translator Note: 20 kg is about 44 pounds)

Risa: So what are you taking?

Chihiro: I don't know!!!
Chihiro: They say I should bring warm clothes, it's still winter there.
Chihiro: But I can also buy clothes there.
Chihiro: But I don't want to leave my favourite ones behind.
Chihiro: And should I take my Kimono?
Chihiro: It takes up space and might be damaged during travelling.
Chihiro: And when should I wear it anyway?

(Translator note: the word "Kimono" means clothing and is used to refer to traditional clothing from the Heian period (794-1192).There are many different types which nowadays are used only on special occasions.)

Risa: I think you should take it along.
Risa: I'm sure the others want to learn about Japan.
Risa: Or better yet, we can bring it to you when we come in the summer.
Risa: That's just a few months later.

Chihiro: I know.
Chihiro: I'm afraid I won't be able to show you much then.
Chihiro: It'll still be all new even for me.

Risa: Nonsense, your father will be there, we'll see enough.
Risa: We'll travel around, looking for sea monsters.
Risa: And you have to enjoy a bit of the summer, too.
Risa: You can't just study day and night.

Chihiro: I have to learn the language until school starts.

Risa: They won't turn you into a piglet or Susuwatari if you make a mistake.
Risa: Unlike another place I know of.
Risa: So relax.

Chihiro: Um, I guess you're right.

Risa: You worry too much.
Risa: Last week you thought everything was in danger because of the war in Iraq.
Risa: But the planes still fly, and Iceland is still there.

Chihiro: I can't help it.
Chihiro: I'm too excited.

Risa: I know, I don't blame you.
Risa: I'm excited too, even though I'm staying here.

Chihiro: I can't believe that it's really coming true now.
Chihiro: I'm afraid I'll wake up any moment now, and find out it's a dream.

Risa: I think the moment the plane starts flying you will know that it is true.
Risa: That's when there's no turning back any more.

Chihiro: I don't want to turn back, no!
Chihiro: Even if I lose everything here, there's a whole new world to explore.

Risa: And we are never far away.
Risa: The internet makes the world much smaller.

Chihiro: That's what I want to talk to you about, as well.
Chihiro: The internet.

Risa: How come?

Chihiro: Well, you know about viruses and Trojan horses, don't you?

Risa: Not much, but a little.

Chihiro: There are little programs that can log everything you type, hackers use that to find out your passwords.
Chihiro: Or programs that search for files on your computer and send it to the maker of the program.

Risa: I haven't concerned myself very much with that so far.

Chihiro: You should now.
Chihiro: I admit I haven't myself that much.
Chihiro: Masaaki told me about, after he found something in the internet.

Risa: The earthquake reports you showed me?

Chihiro: No, something else.

Risa: He's sure good at web research.

Chihiro: He found out that our computers have been hacked.

Risa: Our computers?

Chihiro: Not really maliciously, or to get your passwords, or destroy anything.
Chihiro: They've just been listening.
Chihiro: You have a modified instant messenger program.

Risa: What does that mean?

Chihiro: Everything you type and receive while chatting is sent to a server, and stored there.
Chihiro: And the thing looks through your emails too, and sends copies of them to the server.

Risa: I don't use email…

Chihiro: But I do, and I got the instant messenger program from you.

Risa: So you've been hacked to?
Risa: How mean.

Chihiro: Yeah, the internet is an open field for all kinds of stuff we can't even imagine.

Risa: I guess it's time to reinstall Windows then.
Risa: I wonder what they do with all those logs and emails…

Chihiro: They run them through filters and search for keywords.
Chihiro: Anything that might interest them or others.

Risa: I suppose that's a lot of files to filter then.
Risa: I don't think our stuff is interesting.
Risa: I don't even have a credit card, and would never post its number if I had one.

Chihiro: Well, you're wrong, they picked our logs, and mine, and my emails.

Risa: How can you be sure?

Chihiro: They appeared in the web.
Chihiro: Masaaki found them.

Risa: What's so interesting about us?

Chihiro: It must have been the Spirited Away thing.
Chihiro: They're translating it into English now.

Risa: What exactly are they translating?
Risa: And how much?

Chihiro: I'll explain from the beginning:
Chihiro: Masaaki, you should know him by now, is the biggest fan of anything around Spirited Away.

Risa: That I knew already.

Chihiro: I'll give you a link, wait.
Chihiro: He found this: (link to www.fanfiction.net, storyid=1242738) on a site with fanfiction around Spirited Away.

(Note: Fanfiction.net doesn't support links; the link given was to the main page of this very story. This site had at that time only two chapters plus introduction and notes, and eight reviews)

Risa: I'll take a look, wait.
Risa: That log is years old!
Risa: They only have two logs?
Risa: I wish my English were better.

Chihiro: They have far more, but they're translating it still.
Chihiro: He says he wants to make everything available.

Risa: Who? Masaaki?

Chihiro: No, this German guy in Finland, this Markus who puts it all together.

Risa: And he's translating it now?

Chihiro: No, that's someone else, I don't know who.

Risa: How much do they have?

Chihiro: He says he has around 1000 lines to work with.
Chihiro: That's eleven chat logs and all my emails between me and Masaaki.

Risa: Aren't you angry?
Risa: Are you going to sue him?
Risa: That's a lot of private stuff.

Chihiro: In the beginning, yeah, I admit I was sort of angry.
Chihiro: But, I wanted to write down my thoughts one day anyway.
Chihiro: Seems like I already did.

Risa: When will it be finished?
Risa: I'd like to take a look at it.

Chihiro: He said he wants to wait putting it all together after he has the last translations.
Chihiro: In a few weeks.
Chihiro: After that it should be fast, so check again during the "Golden Week".

(Translator note: End of April and beginning of May are a few national holidays (Greenery Day, First Day of May, Constitution Memorial Day, Children's Day), and this time is referred to as "Golden Week")

Risa: That's a lot of translations to make.

Chihiro: They even have translation notes, for explaining typical Japanese stuff.
Chihiro: They're putting a lot of effort into it.

(Translator note: Thank you.)

Risa: Won't they publish the Japanese originals, too?
Risa: I don't like reading English that much.
Risa: But I can read everything between you and Masaaki then?

Chihiro: I've told you all that stuff anyway.
Chihiro: About the originals, I don't know, I might ask him.
Chihiro: But I guess the Japanese wouldn't like it, or sue him, or something.
Chihiro: The movie is too big here.

Risa: Afraid of too much attention?
Risa: Sounds familiar.
Risa: But hey, look at the reviews on this site.
Risa: Seems like they're flaming at him.

Chihiro: Well, in the beginning he said those were real logs,
Chihiro: Later he added a page saying he wrote it himself.

Risa: I guess sometimes it's better to lie and say you made it all up.

Chihiro: You don't have to tell me that!
Chihiro: I'm quite good at lying now.

Risa: I don't think so, I'm better.

Chihiro: He even asked me to give his so-called story a title?

Risa: Really?
Risa: What did you say?

Chihiro: Well, I thought about it for a while.
Chihiro: I proposed he might call it "Jin".

Risa: Why?

Chihiro: It's the part of me that's not "Sen"…

(Translator note: "Sen" + "Jin" = "Chihiro". "Sen" means "thousand" and "Jin" means "inquire", "fathom". Together they build the name "Chihiro", which can be translated as "great depth". See also note in part 9.)

Risa: So it's all just about Spirited Away?
Risa: I think people are obsessed.

Chihiro: There's everything in the logs, not just the movie.
Chihiro: They don't shorten it.
Chihiro: Although I guess people are just interested in the "Sen" of me.

Risa: Like a famous child actor, who's having trouble getting rid of the first role.

Chihiro: I'm actually lucky that I'm not as famous as the movie.

Risa: Look at this long review, he seems quite angry.

Chihiro: Where?
Chihiro: Oh, in the web.
Chihiro: Actually he's a nice guy. His text makes sense.
Chihiro: He said "…there is no actual proof. This is just my opinion."

Risa: That speaks for him.

Chihiro: Markus wrote him an email, and they get along well.

Risa: Have you talked to this Markus?

Chihiro: Masaaki has written him first, and later I have too.
Chihiro: Seems like a nice guy.
Chihiro: But he doesn't know Japanese, only a few words.

Risa: When did he start with that?
Risa: Is he planning to do more?

Chihiro: He got the idea to do it in last fall, and they've been working on it since.
Chihiro: They don't have anything from us before summer 2001 though.

Risa: Last fall?
Risa: At that time Haku appeared…
Risa: A coincident?

Chihiro: I don't know, maybe it's connected, and Haku wants this to happen.
Chihiro: I think nothing is impossible.
Chihiro: But I'd never state it myself.

Risa: Sometimes we don't see the truth even when we read it or someone tells us.

Chihiro: Hey, that's good!
Chihiro: Why don't you ever write anything?

Risa: Nah, I talk lots of nonsense.
Risa: And those logs…
Risa: That must be a lot of boring stuff.
Risa: Who's going to read all that?

Chihiro: I don't know, there are always some who are interested in anything unusual.
Chihiro: He sent me the material.
Chihiro: Actually it tells a lot about us.

Risa: But nothing new, well, for us.

Chihiro: Well, I found out that Masaaki peeked into my address book, long ago.

Risa: Oh, that.
Risa: And there are no phone bugs or other microphones involved?
Risa: They only have half the picture…

Chihiro: He says it's enough.
Chihiro: He doesn't add any comments, just the plain dialogs.
Chihiro: So the reader has to think along.

Risa: There's no need for thinking while chatting.
Risa: It's probably all the same and boring like hell.
Risa: And long.
Risa: I tried to read one of my logs once.
Risa: I fell asleep.

Chihiro: Well, people will just scan the pages and read the interesting parts.
Chihiro: There's lots of my depressing sentimental stuff, from when the movie started.

Risa: Oh yeah, I remember.
Risa: That was before Masaaki, right?

Chihiro: Yes, I was such a wimp back then.

Risa: You were not!

Chihiro: Anyway, he asked for my permission to publish it.
Chihiro: As a story in the internet, not for profit.

Risa: Why?

Chihiro: He asked, because if we wouldn't agree, he wouldn't do it.
Chihiro: But I don't know why he's doing it…

Risa: He's just fanatical.
Risa: What did you say?

Chihiro: Masaaki and I agreed, he says he'd remove all personal information.
Chihiro: Like Japanese cities and our family names.
Chihiro: That's what I have to ask you now. Do you mind?

Risa: And they have no logs between me and my boyfriend?
Risa: Those would be more interesting.

Chihiro: Well, it's just us three, lots of emotional stuff and boring facts.
Chihiro: But maybe you'll be famous one day.

Risa: I'm in!
Risa: Where do I have to sign?

Chihiro: There's no contract,
Chihiro: You don't lose half of your name here.
Chihiro: There's nothing you have to do, they know it now.
Chihiro: When they read the log of this chat.

Risa: You mean I'm still being logged?

Chihiro: If you don't use a new instant messenger, yes.
Chihiro: But they say you should replace it now.
Chihiro: Not all hackers are as harmless as they.

Risa: Do you think they will publish this log too, one day?

Chihiro: I don't know, I guess so.

Risa: This is creepy.
Risa: *Hello everyone. My name is Lisa*
Risa: My message to the world.

(Note: *text* was written in English. She translated her starting "ri" as "li", because that is closer to the pronunciation. Just like "Rin" is translated "Lin" in the English version of the movie.)

Chihiro: They cannot answer you.

Risa: *I am Lisa, the God of internet*
Risa: *You must do what I say!*
Risa: Do you know how I feel now?

Chihiro: Tell me.

Risa: Like in one of those reality shows, with cameras watching what you do.

Chihiro: Oh yes, true, but,
Chihiro: I think to the others it's more like,
Chihiro: like the "Neverending Story", the story of someone reading his own story.

(Note: "Die Unendliche Geschichte" is a German book by Michael Ende, and later became a movie by Wolfgang Petersen.)

Risa: Or like in "Sophie's World".

(Note: "Sofies Verden" is a Norwegian book by Jostein Gaarder.)

Chihiro: He, that's even better.
Chihiro: Did you finally read it?
Chihiro: That's great.

Risa: No, my boyfriend has read it.
Risa: I asked him to tell me what it's about, because you mentioned it.

Chihiro: Oh.
Chihiro: Well, at least your boyfriend read it.

Risa: I read a book last year!
Risa: And I didn't even have to!
Risa: And I might even read "Sophie's World".
Risa: If it had fewer pages.

Chihiro: I'm surprised your boyfriend is interested in that.
Chihiro: His name is Takanori, isn't it?

Risa: I'm not together with Takanori anymore.
Risa: That idiot.
Risa: All he was good at was baseball.

Chihiro: But you like baseball, don't you?

Risa: But not anymore.
Risa: At least not when he's playing.
Risa: I'm going with Tatsuya now.
Risa: He's much smarter than Takanori.
Risa: And cuter.

Chihiro: That's nice.
Chihiro: I'll miss us talking about boys.

Risa: Don't say that.
Risa: You'll have to tell me all about the Icelandic boys.
Risa: I heard they are REALLY tall.

Chihiro: Compared to us everyone is tall.

Risa: You'll be really exotic there.
Risa: Will you tell them who you really are?

Chihiro: I am me, just like you are you.

Risa: I mean, about what you believe.
Risa: Haku's return.

Chihiro: If they care to listen to it, why not?
Chihiro: People should be smart enough to accept the beliefs of others.
Chihiro: At least in Iceland they are, I hope.

Risa: You're so lucky to go there.
Risa: Did you notice that tomorrow it's exactly 5 years since your first disappearance?
Risa: Now it's your second. For me at least.

Chihiro: Is it really five years now?
Chihiro: It seems like the biggest things start always happening in spring, doesn't it?
Chihiro: For you it's something new as well.

Risa: I'm not so sure any more about being a florist.
Risa: I'll start it now, because it's all arranged.
Risa: But maybe I'll do some studying too, and next year I'd go to High School.

Chihiro: You and studying?
Chihiro: I'll come from Iceland to watch that!

Risa: Don't laugh, Tatsuya said he'd help me.

Chihiro: This Tatsuya seems like a very nice guy.

Risa: He is, I think we have something special.

Chihiro: That's great.
Chihiro: Then he's like Masaaki

Risa: I should call Masaaki next month, so we can make arrangements for the summer.
Risa: I should meet him before that, to see if we get along.

Chihiro: You'll get along, I know that, but,
Chihiro: Please don't break his heart.

Risa: You know me, would I ever do that?

Chihiro: Yes, you would.

Risa: Oh.
Risa: Hey, don't forget to watch TV tonight.
Risa: "Gendai" is having a special about the movie winning the Oscar in America.
Risa: At eight o'clock.

Chihiro: I don't think I'll watch that.
Chihiro: They'll just have some interviews, and scenes from the movie, and lots of talking in the studio.
Chihiro: I have more important things to do.

Risa: You're not even happy about the Oscar…

Chihiro: It's not me who got it.
Chihiro: I wouldn't even want it, especially with the war going on now…

Risa: There are a lot of thoughts in your head, right?

Chihiro: Well, life isn't at all like a story.
Chihiro: In reality there's not much action and romance.
Chihiro: It all just goes on and on and on.

Risa: But they made a movie from part of your life.

Chihiro: Reality can be even stranger than fiction.
Chihiro: Some things that happen in life would look really fake on the screen.
Chihiro: Watching the movie everyone knew it would end happily.
Chihiro: People don't have that confidence in their life, because nothing ends.

Risa: But you have.

Chihiro: I guess I do right now.
Chihiro: Because at this moment I can see more of the whole picture.
Chihiro: But for how long?

Risa: Don't worry, you're an amazing girl.
Risa: You'll succeed in anything you do.

Chihiro: I'll find out.

Risa: And you have friends, who help you.

Chihiro: I know, thank you.

Risa: And you have friends there, too.
Risa: One is waiting for you.

Chihiro: I try not to think of that, because when I do I feel my heart exploding.
Chihiro: I just know I'll start hallucinating and see Haku everywhere.
Chihiro: Like a friend whose always near.

Risa: Like an invisible six foot rabbit?

Chihiro: No, or maybe, in a way,
Chihiro: Some people might think he is like Harvey.

(Note: "Harvey" (1944) was a successful Broadway musical, later (1950) made into a movie.)

Risa: I was just kidding.
Risa: But I really wish that one day you'll meet them all again, all your friends from your Spirit World.
Risa: Even Bou told you "See you again".

(Translator note: according to the script of the movie Bou said "matane-" ("Again, right?"); "mata" means "again".)

Chihiro: You shouldn't take everything literally.
Chihiro: I don't even remember any more, but I think he might have said something like that.
Chihiro: But I too hope to see them again, not only in my dreams.
Chihiro: Especially Rin.

Risa: I know you will.
Risa: If not now, then later.
Risa: Do your parents think about the bath house now.

Chihiro: Not much, at least they don't say it.
Chihiro: We might talk during the trip though.
Chihiro: Right now everything is too busy.

Risa: And tell them if they find food anywhere not to eat it.
Risa: At least not without permission.

Chihiro: I don't think they'd do that again.
Chihiro: But I'll watch better this time.

Risa: Take care of yourself too.
Risa: You know you can always come back, if it's too hard.

Chihiro: I know, but I really know that I'm ready for this.
Chihiro: My father even said, it might be possible for him to get a job there, and move there.
Chihiro: Not now, but later. And if I like it there.
Chihiro: Then I'll have one parent in Iceland and one in Japan.

Risa: I love your parents, they really take you and your wishes seriously.

Chihiro: We've gone through some hard times,
Chihiro: So we stick together.

Risa: But hey, no time for this emotional stuff right now, we'll do that Friday.
Risa: When I'm there to wave good-bye.

Chihiro: I know.
Chihiro: I hope it's not too expensive to phone to Japan.

Risa: I'll call you too.
Risa: Don't worry, we'll stay in touch.

Chihiro: You're the best friend I have.
Chihiro: Thank you.

Risa: That's what I'm there for.
Risa: To remind you of yourself.

Chihiro: And I remind you to get a new instant messenger program.

Risa: Ah yes, I almost forgot.
Risa: I'll do it right now.

Chihiro: Oh my God, it's already this late?
Chihiro: And there's still so much to do today.
Chihiro: Why didn't you tell me?

Risa: You didn't ask.
Risa: And you said, time is of no importance.

Chihiro: Shut up!
Chihiro: What time do you arrive tomorrow?

Risa: We'll leave when my dad comes from work,
Risa: I guess we'll be there around 9.
Risa: Then we can still talk all night.

Chihiro: I couldn't sleep anyway.

Risa: Don't worry, you can sleep in the plane.
Risa: You'll get used to the jet lag that way, too.

Chihiro: My father is always grouchy when he comes from Europe.
Chihiro: I hope I won't be like him then.

Risa: I can't for my life imagine you being grouchy.

Chihiro: Oh, you should have seen me working in the bath house at the beginning.
Chihiro: I used all my body to express what I wasn't allowed to say.

Risa: It feels like you'll never stop talking.
Risa: So, back to your work now.

Chihiro: Yes, ma'am!!

(Translator note: she wrote "Hai!!" which is a polite form of "yes".)

Risa: Until tomorrow.

Chihiro: See you tomorrow.