英文で所々分からない箇所があります2

質問

質問3.　以下の部分ですが
Surrounded by all this, I suddenly fear earthquakes less than the fashion disaster of my own making. I realize that if there was an earthquake and all this concrete and glass were to come crashing down on me, my dying breath would be a prayer that no one notices how cheap my shoes are.
著者は自分のファッションセンスの低さを卑下しているようですが、何故ここにこの文章を挟む必要があるのでしょうか？前後との脈絡が全くないように見えるのですが・・・
私の英文読解力が足りないせいなのか、彼女の文章構成力が稚拙なせいなのか、それすら判断できません。
貴方の具体的で総合的な判断と説明をお聞かせ願えませんか？
面倒な質問をして申し訳ありませんが、宜しくお願い致します。

Seldom does a day go by that doesn't herald the opening of yet another retail temple devoted to the gods of shopping, where the faithful go to worship the almighty designer label and overpriced tea salon. It seems like only yesterday that I followed the crowds into Omotesando Hills, window-shopping along with tens of thousands of other drones, looking at everything on display and feeling my spirit crushed because I will never know what it's like to wake up and start my day in a tiara.

And just when I thought I had found inner peace without the aid of retail religion, along comes yet another newly opened shopping center with all of the familiar enticements of luxury and convenience. Naturally, this one is no different from Tokyo's other shopping centers, all uniquely designed to frustrate the visitor with their maze-like layouts, where going from A to B requires the skills and stamina of a Sherpa guide.

Surrounded by all this, I suddenly fear earthquakes less than the fashion disaster of my own making. I realize that if there was an earthquake and all this concrete and glass were to come crashing down on me, my dying breath would be a prayer that no one notices how cheap my shoes are.

Tokyo's new Midtown shopping center, located on the former site of the Defense Agency, is yet another addition to Tokyo's retail jungle. But as far as shopping centers go, it's certainly not the worst of its kind.

The curved footbridge, where cars instead of carp can be viewed below, and other distinctly Japanese touches are improvements over the usual bland, pre-fab American-style shopping centers that appeared during the bubble era. Its architects have clearly made an effort to create a sense of harmony with the existing neighborhood.

And herein lies the problem. Midtown's seamless inclusion into the Tokyo landscape gives rise to a mind-set that defines "community" and "neighborhood" by the flagship stores bearing the name of a multinational corporation. All this conformity is just another step along the way to creating a society regulated by greedy developers.

At some point, I was probably standing on the exact spot where George's bar used to be — a tiny watering hole on the outskirts of Roppongi famous for its Motown-themed decor, and its ageless Mama-san. It's hard to exactly pinpoint the precise location of George's since the wonders of development and "progress" have destroyed every vestige of the past, burying it under a million tons of reinforced steel and concrete.

Ironically, the only life within the Midtown mausoleum can be found among the centuries-old treasures on display at the Suntory Museum. Here, visitors can enjoy a welcome break from the rigors of mindless spending. The current exhibition of Edo period treasures, ranging from exquisitely painted folding screens to lacquer incense holders, is a beautiful yet sad reminder of a bygone age before the connoisseur gave way to the consumer.

In contrast to the dead relics of the present, these artifacts remind us that real beauty possesses the beholder, rather than the other way around.

回答No.1

SPS700 · ベストアンサー

初めの二節は

　毎日のように、東京のどこかで、買い物の神様の信者たちがお参りに行く全能のデザイナーを祀る商売神社や、法外な値段のティー・サロンがオープンする。

　私が人混みの後について表参道坂に入り　何万と言う暇人に混じってウィンドーの陳列を眺め、朝起きてティアラで一日を始めるといった生活は知らないので、気を落としていたのはつい昨日のようだ。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（一節目の終わり）

　でやっと小売り宗教の世話にならずに心の平安が得られると思った矢先、さらに豪華で便利なショッピング・センターがいつもの誘惑を持って新らしく開店する。

　言うまでもなく東京のこれまでのセンターと変わるところはない。ただ一度入り込んだらシェルパ案内人の技量がないとこの迷路から出られない、ユニークなデザインで、訪問者を困惑させる。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（二節目の終わり）

　（これでショッピンセンターは、一度入ったら出られないと言う流れになります）

　こう言う事情に取り巻かれていながら、ふと自分の作り上げた散々な流行遅れより、地震の方が怖くなった。

　もし地震があって、これだけのコンクリートとガラスが崩れ落ちる下敷きになったら、私のこの世の最後の願いは「どうか誰も私の安物の靴に気づきませんように」と言うことだった。

　（だから流れとしては自然で、この程度の軽口は、名文ではなくても、結構出回っているのではないでしょうか）