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J O U R N A L
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Wednesday, December 31
[Filth and disease]posted by pete at 16:11 .......I've pulled my first proper Tokyo all-nighter, which in this city seems to mean bridging the gap between last and first train. Stranded at 4:45am on the streets of Roppongi, waiting for the trains to start again, is a situation I never want to revisit.
I detest Roppongi. Loathe it. There are too many foreigners who patrol the neon streets with eyes flashing sex and desperation. Losers of all nationalities approach J-girls and tell them it's so good to be able to talk to real, nice girls at last. Dude, if you weren't such a loser you'd have loads of cool chicks to chat to.
The locals are no better; they swagger about practising misogyny and spouting patriarchal nonsense. A 5-bit hooker with a 'Burberry' scarf pressed herself against me and with gruff voice suggested a 'special massage'. No thanks.
Every city has these places, and they are always repulsive and depressing. Around every corner is another tragic sight... the girl in the tight dress being groped on the street; the drunk salaryman standing alone in a basement hip-hop club, drinking and staring blankly at the table while cigarette smoke collects behind his prescription lenses.
We did have fun by the way. There were stacks of ace people in our group and we made the best of some pretty dire situations (including the wait for the train).
And to top it all off, I had to catch three trains to actually get home. The first trains are cold... the heating system has not yet expelled the night air from the railway sidings.
And can I just add that along with astonishing kindness, I've seen nearly as many acts of racism and xenophobia and misogyny in this country? Everyone always bangs on about contrasts in Japan, but it really is true and seems to affect every visitor, one way or another.
Anyway, I should lighten up – it's New Year. I think I'm going dancing, somewhere. At least the trains run all night tonight.
Have a good one!
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[Tokyo kids]posted by pete at 23:44 .......
These are the kids I found today. Although eccentric fashion is practically a Tokyo cliché, there's still something amazing about seeing these folk in the flesh.
Today was a good day. The germ that invaded my system dropped its guard; I caught up with beautiful friends; I ate organic food; we sat in a very groovy cafe; I found a vegetarian restaurant (I didn't eat there, but they gave me three business cards and I promised to return... it's housed in an energy efficient building made of recycled materials with natural wall linings that reduce airborne bacteria, and there's even an on-site geothermal (?) power station which supplies all the energy they need); my mum and dad rang.
And I discovered Maison du Chocolat in Aoyama... what was I saying about very few very expensive things?
Snow fell yesterday. It lay on the ground a few stations down the line – a fine white dusting that found safety in the afternoon shade. Larger clumps cascaded down carefully swept stairwells. We were much closer to the mountains. They loomed above with lines like cardiogram, but the clouds ranged higher. Air mass hit air mass and icy wind explored fibre and skin.
Thank goodness for the shops, which provided warmth and vitality.
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[Zonk]posted by pete at 11:08 .......Don't ask me about the last 24 hours – I've slept through most of it.
Totally shut down. Bewitched by bacteria.
Anyway, I'm feeling quite a bit better, and today I'm gonna hit the Yokohama Municipal Subway (addendum: actually the Den En Toshi line) with some friends in search of some cheap shopping (apparently).
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[Pale, aching]posted by pete at 14:28 .......As if enduring the world's longest cold wasn't bad enough, I now have food poisoning.
How repulsive. And it was such a negative end to a lovely evening with Jordy, Kelly and Pete C. I actually thought I was going to pass out on the train, which was partly the fault of my multi-layered post-punk couture, but also due to the blooming bundle of giardia or E. coli or whatever it is that's wreaking havoc in my stomach. I feel completely horrible... all of my muscles are aching and I can't eat anything, oh watch me waste away even more. I struggled through a delirious and fitful sleep, marked by recurring dreams and a general sense of pain.
I just don't need this right now. I'm officially on holidays and I'm stuck in this vile apartment while the whole of Tokyo buzzes on around me.
I neglected to mention that I applied to move in with my friend and workmate Kat, who lives a couple of blocks away in a clean apartment with great views. But due to the sheer number of losers who come to Japan to teach English, my corporation only allows same-sex apartments, which is yet another condescending and patronising slap in the face for those of us who actually possess maturity and came to Japan for reasons other than to chase skirt.
So I'll probably end up moving to a 'gaijin house', which is essentially a dormroom system with private bedrooms and shared facilities, and is exactly the last living context that I am looking for right now. Realistically I would probably have quite a lot of fun, and a saving of 20,000 yen per month (around $AU250) is a reasonably powerful incentive... that's like a Gucci shirt every couple of months.
Oh my stomach. :(
So yeah, I still have no idea what the next few months will bring, let alone the next few years. I have no professional reason to return to Australia. Apart from the multitude of wonderful people, there's actually little on offer back home. I think the most valuable thing I can take back with me is a knowledge of the Japanese language, so I really must get onto that, maybe early in the new year. Other than that, I have to decide whether to re-enter the IT industry or pursue different qualifications/experience and embark on yet another career path. So in terms of my professional life, 2003 hasn't really brought any revelations. I'm still in much the same state as I was when the year started, although I've realised two dreams, namely living in Melbourne and in Tokyo.
Every now and then it crosses my mind that maybe I want to be an interior designer (particularly when confronted with some of the awe-inspiring interiors I've seen here), but that might be something to sit on for a while. I think I probably just need to learn to take a few more risks.
All trace of Christmas has been efficiently removed from the shops and the streets; indeed, the massive task began at around 11 o'clock last night. Now I suppose we've got the next advertising campaign to look forward to.
In the meantime, my stomach will churn...
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[Once in royal David's city]posted by pete at 12:16 .......Within the pure and undiluted marketing exercise that is Christmas in Japan, it's easy to overlook any spiritual, and indeed positive secular, meaning that this celebration has. Being in a different hemisphere to the rest of my family somewhat alters things too.
But I'm having a good time. I feel neither lonely nor depressed. At the moment I'm catching some much needed time at home (alone) and tonight I'll head out with the next batch of friends.
I hope y'all are having pleasant times too! :)
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[The nights roll on]posted by pete at 10:48 .......And then for the first time I saw the stars above the city and they were not as foreign as I had imagined. Constellations sat at different values of theta, but resting in the sky were shapes and formations that hovered above me at the edge of the desert for seventeen years.
Perhaps to the north I could find pinpricks more alien, but strolling through this city at 1am is not akin to wandering the boreal forests as the northern auroras splash through the night.
Vast bodies move above us as we stumble along towards our own aphelion.
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In case I'm too slack, Happy Christmas everyone!! It's always better to get in early. :)
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[Look closely for Fuji]posted by pete at 00:05 .......
Dear me the times they are a strange-in'
Last night's Christmas party in Shibuya was superb.
Work was peculiar today; I had the opportunity to teach "help yourself" but resisted due to contextual difficulties. I also initiated a conversation with some higher-level students about whether the search for intelligent life forms on other planets was driven by belief systems or a yearning for scientific knowledge.
I tend to feel that money allocated to space research could be better spent on the food or AIDS crisis. Maybe I'm too pragmatic for modern life, or maybe the bigger picture I think I'm seeing was painted by a biased mind.
Love to you all, and an especially big happy birthday to Mitz, oh how I miss my bitches... they sent me the most wondrous Christmas gift which both thrilled and totally violated me in equal measures.
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[Once more on the streetgrid]posted by pete at 19:17 .......According to a sign next to my computer, this Internet cafe closes at 25:00. Hmm.
What a productive day off! Not only did I hook up with Chris and Genta, but I've located an ideal place to househunt, namely Koenji. It's such a cool little neighbourhood, with loads of 2nd hand and specialty shops and many young, interesting people. You can even see the skyscrapers of Shinjuku from the train station! I bought two scarves, one is a dark khaki and the other is a deep red on a base of military green. Great knits.
It ain't cheap to scoot about Tokyo. If I sum together the various train fares I forked out for today, I come to a figure that doesn't really sit within my weekly budget. Speaking of such things, I just paid part of my credit card bill, and I cannot believe the amount of interest I've accrued. It's meant to be a low 11% rate, but what, do they calculate it every millisecond? Absolutely awful.
Moving out may not be straightforward either, because generally you have to pay up to 6 months' rent in advance, part of which is a 'gift' to the landlord. So I may be stuck in the valley of darkness for a while yet.
We also went up to the top of the very impressive Metropolitan Government Towers in Shinjuku for an amazing view of this astonishingly large city. Although there isn't that much high rise in Tokyo (earthquakes, remember), it's still a dense jumble of concrete for as far as the eye can see, which wasn't all that far today given all the pollution. It was a great opportunity to fully understand the lie of the land, and there was even a flute trio to soothe our senses.
I'm aiming for an early night tonight, for it is back to work for me tomorrow. How vile.
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[All the things I used to see]posted by pete at 18:39 .......Oh, indeed.
It was back to Harajuku today, which reminded me of every reason why it's good to be alive. I bought a white belt with skulls and bats on it. Who needs a scarf (which I found again, by the way) when you've got one of these?
Genta bought an amazing 3/4 length jacket and numerous patterned socks for both arms and legs.
All these wicked clothes always make me think of my various friends, who would possibly suffer aneurisms at the sight of them... (from excitement of course)... if only I could teleport them over here.
This bloody cold just won't go away. I had the biggest coughing fit in Starbucks today, and worse still in a room full of students yesterday. Very embarrassing, especially since the Japanese are big on personal hygiene and disease containment. If only we got sick leave...
Mind you, the ambient cigarette smoke in every damn cafe and restaurant hardly contributes to good respiratory or cardiovascular health.
I just checked my weight and I'm still 4kg lighter than I was when I got here, but I suppose it's a good thing that I've stabilised at 71kg and not continued down the path of emaciation.
Thing that made me happiest today: the miniature pine trees in a lovely Harajuku nursery (complete with cafe). They were not quite in bonsai form, but they were yet another thing I envisaged living healthily in my gorgeous apartment, perhaps against a burnt red or winter grey backdrop. I've found the likeminded people, now all I need is an actual place which doesn't require 6 months' rent in advance. I even priced fridges and vacuum cleaners today. I was pleasantly surprised.
Meanwhile my massive credit card debt is steadily ticking away somewhere in a bank in Australia.
[Later that same night...]posted by pete at 00:59 .......Oh, whatever.
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That was going to be my whole post for today, but I figure I might as well strive for something vaguely insightful.
I think I may have to allow for the fact that I could be living in Japan for a lot longer than anticipated. Marc is taking the approach that he's not going to leave until he speaks the language fluently, and I'm thinking that's not such a bad idea. There's no reason to dislike living here; I have all the creature comforts of home and then some... sure it's expensive but I don't even bother with the conversion anymore. It's just spend, spend, spend for me folks, even if it is $14 for a bottle of beer.
I'm thinking about moving to a district called Yoga because it's conveniently located and I'm attracted to the name. For some reason it makes me think of Björk. What a shame it's so expensive to rent there.
My earthquake phobia seems to have diminished to some extent, too.
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Something about this place obliterates the past and renders the future irrelevant. I've never felt such a sense of temporal immediacy; it's as though my whole frame of reference has changed. Time moves on a different plane, maybe because lives are linked by networks of electricity and steel, and bounded by concrete shards. Not to mention the fact that death lurks beneath mountains, and is whispered in the movement of vast continental plates. Earth energy, siren singing, the mysterious queen of an unseen land, ancient artifacts found near the path to a waterfall. Tectonics collide, as do the air masses. Everything in its extremity.
Or maybe it's just me, off on another loony escapade.
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[Call me a loser]posted by pete at 23:26 .......One of the ways I know I've matured in the last few months is that I now recognise routine as a good thing. Therefore, when my flatmate interrupts every possible stage of my morning routine, I no longer celebrate it as a way to keep my life dynamic and unconstrained. Not at all. It's just plain inconvenient.
That said, you need to keep routine in check. There's no point in turning a daily meal into one big obsessive compulsive tick worthy of a mention in An Anthropologist on Mars. I think within the macroroutine there should be some microroutines that vary considerably from day to day.
It's the only way to stay young and interesting when you realise the years are creeping away from you, even if everybody does mistake you for a high school student. I know I'm getting older because I'm finding myself browsing the homewares stores and picking up beautiful objects and visualising where they might sit within a beautiful apartment. Not to mention patrolling food courts (not the horrid fast food type... I'm talking about GLORIOUS food courts) to look at at ring-tins, biscuit cutters, mortars and pestles, herbal teas and organic foods.
I've lived out of home since I was 17, so I think I've had it with 'making do with what's there'. Fuck it, I want to buy a fridge. Maybe not, that really is commitment.
Perhaps just a small fridge.
There comes a point at which spatters of cooking oil on the kitchen splashback – forming the same ugly patterns as they did three months ago – can no longer be tolerated. (Admittedly this is the first time I've actually lived with that problem.) And there must surely come a time when it is no longer necessary to ask someone to wipe down the benchtops, or when you can feel confident that somebody has recently cleaned the toilet. (Again, this is a very recent issue.)
My first few years in Adelaide were crap because I was living in the middle of nowhere whilst numerous worlds fell down around me (and within me). Then I moved to Unley which I will forever look upon fondly, but those days have passed. Melbourne was always glorious but I was living in a loungeroom for goodness' sake. Now there are things in Tokyo that have to change. I'm still apartment hunting.
I think now that I finally have some semblance of financial security, I'm possibly looking for an anchor point. Even if only for a few months. I'd just love to have a home again, because sometimes I don't know if I'm more like a wraith or an angel: some sort of spectre that drifts and observes. Der himmel uber Tokyo.
Either that or just completely fucking pretentious.
I met a TV screenwriter today. She had this amazing vitality that I found absolutely entrancing. She was wearing an expensive black rollneck, and had apparently won some sort of award which gave her a footing in the industry. Her energy was such as I have not encountered for some time.
[As promised]posted by pete at 00:45 .......
I've almost totally lost my voice, but I'm on a strange medication which seems to be full of pseudoephedrine so I'm a happy man.
I've just come back from Hello House and am coughing from the dry night air... fortunately the bulk of my symptoms have subsided but goodness me I hope it's not SARS.
Interesting times in Iraq; I'm still waiting for the rhetoric and CNN nonsense to subside. Hopefully then I might gain some insight into the situation.
Karaoke again last night... it was some sort of work Christmas show combined with my welcome party combined with any excuse for a night out. Very fun, and there were weird distortion phenomena within the private karaoke room that resulted in strange remixes, as if that Under the sea song was being performed by New York art rockers or something.
I'm coughing too much, gotta go.
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[Somewhere near the train line]posted by pete at 19:40 .......Night falls in Shibuya but you wouldn't really know it.
Walking, walking, I find the same places but still don't understand how they are connected. Old corners reveal new shops, and behind that apartment block is a small park with playground swings and a carpet of red maple.
I found a small shrine today, and a Christian church. Pockets of beauty, hidden at the ends of staircases. Places where shapes are not angular, where space is not measured.
But blinking red lights replace the night's stars; ray-traced galaxies seen from hilltops in Yokohama, Kawasaki, Tokyo.
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I tend to be relatively in control of my emotions, despite revealing much more about how I'm feeling than I intend to. Anyway, I think I nearly started crying today when I realised the extent of the gloriousness of some nearby shops. Finding real chick peas and real cumin seeds and real products with real English labels... how lame that my whole day was brightened just by looking at a packet of Tim-Tams and seeing a six-pack of St Dalfour.
I think I suddenly envisaged the domestic godhood that I must secretly desire; the sort of thing I want to achieve when I establish my New Zealand wonderland of communal living (to which everyone is invited) where days will be spent reading classic literature, baking wonderful things with high fat and cocoa contents, researching the life and cultural contribution of Nigella Lawson and drinking cappucinos and loose-leaf tea. Vegetarian food will of course be the order of the day, but carnivours will be welcome because there might be a separate room where only organic meats (ie. the type where cows have been kept in rich pastures where they've been massaged daily by their human keepers who kill them in only the most humane way... constant monitoring and endorsement by an international organisation will be essential) may be taken from dedicated storage environments and prepared on porcelain surfaces which retain no dangerous bacteria. Naturally I will never enter that room.
Anyway, I was thinking this place would be located in a splendid valley (preferably glacial) overlooking majestic snowcapped mountains to give that lovely feeling of isolation, but this perception would be deceptive because we would in fact be reasonably near to one of the major cities.
But I digress. I really must move to a new apartment with some like-minded folk who would be interested in exploring interior design concepts and keeping a kitchen in which I could confidently leave a pot of vegetable curry simmering for an hour or so without the fear of something undefinable. I really think I can regain my cooking inclination and begin to think creatively... tonight I had a bagel with Philadelphia cheese, walnuts and cherry tomatoes, which I think is a good start given the repetitive nature of everything else I've been consuming.
Bloody hell I go on, don't I?
I really must start publishing more photos.
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[Portraits of the floating world]posted by pete at 21:03 .......Ueno was fab. It's a crusty old section of Tokyo with a big park, beautiful cemeteries and magnificent museums. Jordy and I explored a large section of one of the major museums before our old friend hypoglycaemia threatened to visit, so we scurried off to the markets under the railway tracks and bought quality European chocolate and peanut butter M&M's.
It was interesting to get a feel for historical Japan and remember that it wasn't always a nebulous conurbation sitting atop reclaimed land. Much of the ancient culture seems so suppressed, particularly in Tokyo which is hardly the fusion of East and West that you might expect. (Go to Hong Kong for that experience; I sensed more ancient and strange things there in a few short days than I have thus far in Tokyo, which is especially interesting given that 'Honkers' is a much younger city.)
Anyway, then it was back to the chaos of the Den-En-Toshi line at rush hour... at least I could breathe this time. We sought solace in a restorative hot beverage in Futakotamagawa... oh you know the one I'm talking about.
Also, I'm sick. I have a cough and an unpleasant sensation in the back of my throat. Lots of rest for me, I think.
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[Parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme...]posted by pete at 23:52 .......Why would you make an example of someone's difficulty in pronouncing L and R sounds by calling them in front of a room full of native English speakers and asking them to say "rubber"?
I question people's methods sometimes.
And I just wanted to check: even though I'm living in Japan, is it still OK to get all mopey about life goals and whatnot? Am I still allowed to bang on about post-teenage angst? I'd like to think so.
To everything there is a season.
Christmas presents are a major issue at the moment, given a shortage of spare yen and a persistent credit card debt, in which I've really made no inroads. I just want to amass a significant yen balance before performing the rather costly task of international monetary transfer, so until then it's miminum payment only, thank you very much.
I may be becoming a bit obsessed with a particular member of the Tokyo Ballet Company who attends our classes. She brought in sumptuous chocolates for everybody yesterday. Someone else brought in strawberries today.
I've promised myself that I will one day base a lesson around the words vile, hideous, creepy, repulsive and of course the sentence help yourself. Who says you can't inject a little creativity into daily life? Surely it will be more engaging than proofreading a (lovely) lady's daughter's English essay. (Fear not, I made her find / recognise the errors. I figure Japanese school students need all the help they can get to survive their gruelling educational schedule.)
But I don't want to turn into one of these people who talks about work all the time. :) On the living side of life, I've been offered a possible room in a possible apartment in Tokyo-proper... so no doubt this will morph into a decision-making process in the near future.
I'm still waiting for my epiphany, by the way.
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[Three short]posted by pete at 23:19 .......- I recommend a mug of warm Baileys in a groovy or manky cafe as a good end to a workday.
- I don't know what's going on with my commenting system; probably something to do with abusing a free service for too long
- Fat update: food cooking now, will sprinkle liberally with cashews before polishing off the rest of a block of chocolate.
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[I have murdered a crustacean]posted by pete at 20:32 .......In between organic restaurants in the middle of nowhere (seriously, you emerge from the train station to find a massive overhead carriageway and, a little further down, an organic enclave) and the usual weirdness of teaching in a building that is unlikely to survive 'the big one', it's been quite an interesting few days.
So I've accidentally/inadvertently/inevitably eaten my first sea creature... the tiny crustaceans scattered on the tofu salad... I only realised what they were when I saw the eyes... completely vile and full of unnecessary salt. I reckon I probably only swallowed about 15 of the 1000+; the rest got scraped to the side. The restaurant staff seemed to clue on after that, and started asking us whether butter and cheese were ok ingredients.
After the disastrous night of karaoke, I spent an absolutely freezing day with Genta. We bought tea (my lavendar tea is luscious, but actually kept me awake which is the exact opposite of what I expected, damn black tea) and sat in Star*ucks on the roof of that unpronounceable department store which houses all the world's designers. It was nice to look at the yellow trees and the river beyond.
I've bought Christmas cards but am having issues with gifts. I'm still necessarily budget conscious and therefore cannot go overboard, particularly when postage is taken into account.
I cooked at home tonight, for the second time since moving here. And what did I make? Oh pasta, could you have guessed, but at least the jar of sauce was an organic variety imported from California. My stomach had forgotten what it was like to eat a big meal, so I'm feeling strangely bloated at the moment. You'd be horrified if you saw how much weight I've lost in the past few weeks... once-tight pants are flapping in the icy breeze, but bring back heroin chic, that's what I say. Please note that I am taking steps to stem the tide of weight loss... much chocolate and assorted nuts are being consumed. I was never one to neglect the omega 3's.
Work has been a bit busy this weekend. Yesterday was just ridiculous. The office gets a bit cluttered sometimes, and I kept misreading student files and ended up having to select and develop completely new lesson plans on the spot whilst maintaining natural conversation flow with students. I think at least one of them sussed out that I didn't have things completely together, but I just smiled and made the blatant disorganisation look like an intentional part of the lesson.
Sometimes I can't believe how much we are being paid for this work.
Hmm, I had something existential to write, but maybe I'll leave it for another time and another place. It takes energy to be obscure, you know, and we the emaciated have little to spare.
That's just about everything really, all that's left is to say that I am really, really, REALLY bloody scared of earthquakes. 'Tis a borderline phobia, I feel. Might be enough to send me home, but hey then I'd probably get hit by a car whilst crossing Chapel St on my way to the Centrelink office. I think I choose employment in this amazing city, at least for the time being.
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[Karaoke]posted by pete at 10:12 .......Hmm, so I went to karaoke last night. It was so fun, but the 'all you can drink' notion really took it out of me.
Very, very, VERY bad form. Once in a lifetime, I swear.
I've got to get home because I'm expecting visitors... I can't imagine that I'll be the most scintillating company today, but I'll give it my best shot.
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[Thursdays in the big city]posted by pete at 21:23 .......Still in window shopping mode I'm afraid, but that didn't prevent me from knocking over a display of Jean Paul Gaultier wallets. I chose not to acknowledge the burning eyes of the department store staff, and carefully replaced things before skulking off.
I bought many Christmas cards today, which is a first for me. Whether or not they actually get sent is another matter entirely, but doesn't the good intention count at least as much as the actual receipt?
I think I'm doing karaoke tonight.
[A ring? da da da da da]posted by pete at 11:33 .......Goodness me, I have a phone and it's tiny and it's icy-pole blue and it does videos and takes photos and it has a screen inside and a screen outside and I can email people and people can email me and it folds away and fades to insignificance when not in use. Still going through some teething issues; I need to get the email address changed because at the moment it is comprised of a random assortment of alphanumeric characters. Hardly user-friendly if you know what I mean.
Unfortunately I have to pay for this technology (seems ridiculous and unfair) but the good news is that it comes cheap in Japan. Maybe I'll even set up a moblog!!
*aside*
Have I mentioned how much I love Joni Mitchell?
*/aside*Today seems fine; I'm doing the Shibuya thing again with Sarah and Chris, and if all goes according to plan we will enjoy a very delicious Indian meal... I love that restaurant, it's practically a vegetarian enclave if you ignore the beef curry.
Well we had a bit of an impromptu party here last night, but before I launch into that I should make mention of how Genta and I spent about two hours (10 - 12) sitting like vagrants in the train station drinking some sort of 7% alc/vol Kirin lemon drink. I can't believe I was drinking in a suburban station... that's another one to put down to experience. We even had a stilted conversation with a curious local.
Anyway, the party. It was a whole bunch of my flatmate's friends and was a good laugh. I tried a very small quantity of Polish vodka for the first and last time... it's 98% alc/vol (or something) and I could actually feel the volatile drink evaporate when it hit my mouth. Absolutely disgusting, oh never again. I bailed on karaoke (hey, I've got a weekend to enjoy, thankyou very much) despite being physically picked up by a mob and dragged towards the door. I don't dig that sort of behaviour, so it made it even easier to say no.
Anyway, a whole day lies ahead.
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[Bust ya]posted by pete at 22:25 .......The air was so clear today that I could see Mt Fuji from the train. I think I got a bit overexcited. May have made a few embarassing facial expressions and exhibited hideous body language. Everyone gets to be vile sometimes.
Tomorrow I should get a mobile phone. I can't believe I've been so non-wired for so long... I tried to buy one this morning but the shop didn't open when I expected it would.
Don't you just hate it when people crunch and munch potato chips loudly? I was so violated.
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[Nocturama]posted by pete at 23:23 .......What hasn't happened over the last few days?
So I did the Saturday night out (layers, expensive jeans, velcro shoes, scarf, transparent umbrella which somebody stole and I ended up being given a broken equivalent by the apologetic bar staff) and reluctantly left with the last train. However, the last train is not really the last train because the last train does not go as far as my station.
I needed the second to last train... you know, the one that doesn't terminate.
Men with megaphones and white gloves hastily ushered us out into the night. Being stranded in the rain at night by an unknown train station in a foreign city left me feeling about as dejected as I've ever been in my life.
The queue for taxis snaked back for miles, and whilst I found some 'foreigners' to talk to, they didn't seem to dig the notion of collaborative problem solving. Now, this train station may only be two stops down the line, but 3 minutes at >100km/h does not equate to walking distance on a rainy Saturday night (especially in the labrynthine streets of my area). Enter the beautiful, beautiful, glorious girl standing near the bus station who offered me a lift home. She spoke French (♥) and some English (more than she admitted to), and is going to Paris for a month at the end of the year. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a Banana Yoshimoto novel. Another encounter with a stranger on a street somewhere in Tokyo.
Japan may be a non-Christian country, but I've seen more acts of Christian kindness in two weeks than I saw in a whole year back home. I think I mentioned how the man who came around to inspect our apartment ended up giving me a Tokyo guidebook for no apparent reason other than that I smiled and attempted some feeble Japanese.
Sometimes I'm so overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers. Who said that? Blanche DuBois or someone?
Last night I visited Genta and Jordy, who lucked out with a totally beautiful, refurbished apartment somewhere in Kawasaki. It really feels like a home. The large balcony overlooks autumnal foliage and an endless jumble of apartment blocks. Massive pylons rip scars in the sky, carrying dangerous voltages above streets that buzz louder with human energy. A microwave tower lurks in the night, and those distant red lights blink on and off until the dawn flows. The view looks like Tokyo... it looks like everything I imagined it would be.
Vodka is so cheap at supermarkets here.
Genta says she likes to alter the lives of strangers with simple acts of kindness. Heeding her advice, I smiled at a lady on the street today, but the poor thing looked mortified. I've been told that my chakra projects an enormous amount of red energy.
Tonight I had dinner with Sarah and Grace, and successfully ordered a safe dish with my fluent vegetarianism. Should I say, fluent Japanese. I think I want to live in Futakotamagawa; they have an abundance of imported chocolate and other gorgeous things.
I'm just feeling so happy at the moment.
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