2022年11月16日 VOA慢速英语：日本公司将在 114 年后终结心爱的糖果

 

Tokyo-based Sakumaseika Co recently announced it would be forced to end operations because of rising production costs, a labor shortage and drops in sales.
总部位于东京的 Sakumaseika Co 最近宣布，由于生产成本上升、劳动力短缺和销售额下降，该公司将被迫停止运营。
 
The company's main and most popular product is called "Sakuma's Drops." The candy – which comes in eight different fruit flavors – has been beloved in Japan for generations. The drops are famous in Japan and even appeared in a hit anime film.
该公司的主要和最受欢迎的产品称为“Sakuma's Drops”。这种糖果有八种不同的水果口味，在日本几代人都深受喜爱。这种水滴在日本很有名，甚至出现在一部热门动漫电影中。
 
The discontinuation of the beloved candy caused some people to begin to mourn the treat.
心爱的糖果的停产让一些人开始哀悼这种款待。
 
"We always had a can at home when I was in grade school," said 53-year-old sweets-shop owner Naoe Watanabe. He remembered how he used to use a 10-yen coin to lift open the container. Sakuma's Drops have been sold in candy shops for 114 years.
53 岁的糖果店老板 Naoe Watanabe 说：“我上小学的时候家里总是有一个罐头。” 他记得他以前是如何用 10 日元硬币来掀开容器的。Sakuma's Drops 在糖果店销售已有 114 年。
 
"It feels like a sign of the times," Watanabe said. "There are so many choices now, compared to when I was a kid."
“这感觉像是时代的标志，”渡边说。“与我小时候相比，现在有很多选择。”
 
Sakumaseika said it had not raised the price of the product in years. Many Japanese companies have been unwilling to raise prices even though their material and production costs have been increasing. Many businesses fear that passing along those costs would turn off many buyers.
Sakumaseika 表示多年来一直没有提高产品的价格。许多日本公司一直不愿意提高价格，尽管他们的材料和生产成本一直在增加。许多企业担心转嫁这些成本会使许多买家望而却步。
 
The future of Sakumaseika's 100 or so employees remained uncertain, a company representative said. Company officials did not provide comment to reporters from Reuters news agency.
一位公司代表表示，Sakumaseika 约 100 名员工的未来仍不明朗。公司官员没有向路透社记者发表评论。
 
Sakumaseika was established in 1908 by candy maker Sojiro Sakuma. The company produced the candy through air attacks during World War II.
Sakumaseika 由糖果制造商 Sojiro Sakuma 于 1908 年创立。该公司在第二次世界大战期间通过空袭生产了这种糖果。
 
The drops appeared in the 1988 anime film Grave of the Fireflies, which is set during the war. In it, an orphaned girl, struggling to survive with her brother, carries with her the red can of Sakuma's Drops. It is one of the children's few belongings after their home is destroyed.
水滴出现在 1988 年的动漫电影《萤火虫之墓》中，该电影以战争为背景。在其中，一个孤儿女孩与她的兄弟一起为生存而奋斗，她随身携带着红色的 Sakuma's Drops 罐头。这是孩子们在家园被毁后为数不多的财产之一。
 
Hiroshi Matsuzawa is a store owner on a popular Tokyo shopping street. He told Reuters that Sakuma's Drops were mostly popular with older people. He noted that a lot of children are now uninterested in the candy because they have so many other products to choose from.
Hiroshi Matsuzawa 是东京一条热门购物街的店主。他告诉路透社，Sakuma's Drops 最受老年人欢迎。他指出，现在很多孩子对糖果不感兴趣，因为他们有太多其他产品可供选择。
 
Teruyo Ishiguro runs a small food store that traditionally is visited by many children walking home from school. She said she had stopped carrying Sakuma's Drops last year because most buyers were in their 50s or older.
Teruyo Ishiguro 经营着一家小食品店，传统上许多放学回家的孩子都会光顾这家店。她说她去年已经停止携带 Sakuma's Drops，因为大多数买家都在 50 多岁或以上。
 
"It's very sad to see something disappear that's been around for so long," said Ishiguro, who had been selling the candy for more than 60 years.
“看到存在了这么久的东西消失了，真是令人难过，”销售这种糖果 60 多年的石黑一雄说。