探访日本驻英大使的官邸

Kensington Palace Gardens has a good claim to be the most exclusive road in Britain.

Kensington Palace Gardens被称为全英国最显赫的大街当属实至名归。

It runs alongside the palace that was once home to Diana, Princess of Wales, and is now the residence of her son, Prince William, and assorted other royals.

街边就是肯辛顿宫(Kensington Palace)：它曾是威尔士王妃戴安娜(Diana, Princess of Wales)的寝宫，如今则是其大儿子、威廉王子(Prince William)以及各色皇室贵胄的居住地。

Several billionaires are reputed to own mansions on the street — including Roman Abramovich, the Russian owner of Chelsea Football Club and Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian steel tycoon.

据称好几位亿万富豪也在此拥有豪华府邸——其中就包括切尔西足球队老板、俄国富豪阿布拉莫维奇(Roman Abramovich)以及印度钢铁大王拉克希米•米塔尔(Lakshmi Mittal)。

National flags flutter from many of the other houses to signal that they are ambassadorial residences.

好多豪宅上飘扬的各色国旗表明此处是大使的府邸云集之地。

It is the Japanese ambassador — who resides at number 23 — who I am visiting on a bright summer’s afternoon.

这儿也是日本驻英国大使官邸所在地（Kensington Palace Gardens街23号）。我在一个阳光明媚的盛夏下午采访了日本驻英国大使。

Despite its rich and powerful residents, the wide avenue — which runs from Notting Hill Gate to Kensington — is only semi-private.

尽管达官贵人汇聚于Kensington Palace Gardens这条始于诺丁山门(Notting Hill Gate)、终于肯辛顿宫的宽阔大街，但它只是半私家性质。

There are police boxes at both entrances and armed policemen, still a relative rarity in London, can be seen strolling up and down.

大街两端设有警亭，荷枪实弹的警察（在整个伦敦实属凤毛麟角）在这条街上来回巡逻。

But nobody asks me my business, as I turn into the avenue from the Bayswater Road and stroll past a few joggers and pedestrians.

但我从贝斯沃特路(Bayswater Road)步行拐入这条大街、与几位慢跑者和行人擦肩而过时，并没有警察拦路盘问我。

At the appointed hour (midday), I press the bell on the gate of the Japanese residence.

在约定好的会面时间（午时），我按响了日本大使官邸的门铃。

After a few moments of silence, the iron gates swing open and I walk up the crescent-shaped drive. The front door also opens, as if by magic, and I am ushered left, into a comfortably appointed sitting room.

过了一会儿，大铁门打开，我于是沿着通往官邸的新月形宽阔车道信步而上，官邸前门像变魔术一样应声而开后，我被带至舒适温馨的小客厅。

Sitting on a well-stuffed cream-coloured sofa is Koji Tsuruoka.

坐在米色厚软沙发上的正是日本驻英大使鶴岡公二(Koji Tsuruoka)。

The ambassador is a relative newcomer to London.

鶴岡公二大使可谓新官上任，他之前担任日方首席代表，经历了三年艰苦卓绝的跨太平洋伙伴关系(TPP)谈判，今年6月他就任这个新职。

He arrived in June, after spending three arduous years negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that is meant to break down economic barriers between the US, Japan and 10 other Pacific nations.

TPP这一贸易协定旨在破除美日以及其它10个太平洋国家之间的经贸壁垒。

As we are served tea, I suggest to Tsuruoka that the role of ambassador in London probably offers a gentler pace than the intense and highly technical TPP negotiations.

茶端上来后，我向鶴岡公二大使暗示：相比工作强度大、技术要求高的TTP谈判，驻英大使也许要更为悠闲些吧。