ウオレン：「あっ、スケッチブックを置き忘れてきた」
ほか
私：「はやくさがしていらっしゃい。外のものでは取りかえしがつかないわ」
Torikaeshi ga tsukanai
Uoren: Aa, suketchi bukku wo okiwasurete kita.
Watashi: Hayaku sagashite irasshai. Hoka no mono de wa torikaeshi ga tsukanai wa.
Warren: Oh no. I forgot to pick up my sketchbook!
Me: Quickly, go look for it. It's irreplaceable.
* * *
Torikaeshi ga tsukanai means one is unable to go back and do something over in the same way.
I recently went to Shikoku with some ryuugakusei or a trip sponsored by the Economic Information Center, Students from Kobe, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi Universities met at Okayama Station. We then crossed the Seto Oohashi Bridge to Kotohira in Shikoku. On the way, the students talked about their research interest, looked at the scenery outside and generally seemed to enjoy themselves. One of the students, an American named Warren, made use of every chance he could to skillfully sketch the landscape of Konpira Shrine and the nearby tea shops. Warren: "My sketch-book is of little value to anyone else. But for me, it's priceless." Me: "Hoka no mono de wa torikaeshi ga tsukanai kara nakusanai de kudasai" ("You won't be able to replace it, then, so be careful not to lose it"). Even so, upon returning to the bus after a hike, he suddenly said, "Oh no, I forgot my sketchbook!" Everyone knew how much the book meant to him: "Torikaeshi no tsukanai mono wo wasurete kimashita ne (Looks like you've forgotten something you can't replace). We'll wait for you, so go look for it," I said. He hurriedly ran off. "Don't rush now. If you fall off a ledge and get hurt, sore koso torikaeshi ga tsukanai wa" ("you'll really lose something you can't replace"), I shouted. Life, afterall, is the one thing which is absolutely irreplaceable (torikaeshi no tsukanai mono). Fortunately, Warren was grinning from ear to ear when he came back to the bus. The sketchbook was found! In the bus I told the students, "Hito ni yotte torikaeshi no tsukanai taisetsu na mono wa chigau" ("That important thing which just can't be replaced is different depending on the person"), We then told each other about our "irreplaceable things." "Sensei ni totte torikaeshi no tsukanai monotte nan desu ka?" ("Prof. Sasaki, what,is something you just couldn't replace? ") asked Mr. Ann from South Korea. "Hmm, I guess I'd have to say a manuscript which I haven't made a copy of. If I lose it, I'll never beable to write the same thing again." A Malaysian girl answered using the past tense: "Watashi ni totte torikaeshi no tsukanai mono wa kare to no ai deshita" ("The one thing I couldn't replace was the love between my boyfriend and me"). "Why did you use the past tense?" "My coming to Japan meant the end of our relationship. He was against my coming." We couldn't help but say, "Sore wa torikaeshi ga tsukanai koto wo shimashita" ( "You did something whose consequences you'll never be able to reverse").
When you think about it, love, friendship, and trust may truly be things torikaeshi ga tsukanai. Though we can't see them, they are deep and important.