Today the guy who sells döner kebabs in front of Gap Shinjuku told me I’m beautiful. “Especially your eyes,” he said.
It’s the first time anyone tells me such a thing since I’ve been here in Japan. It’s no surprise that a foreigner said it.
Today the guy who sells döner kebabs in front of Gap Shinjuku told me I’m beautiful. “Especially your eyes,” he said.
It’s the first time anyone tells me such a thing since I’ve been here in Japan. It’s no surprise that a foreigner said it.
After a couple of bearable flights, New Year at the Miami Airport, and 13 hours of naps and snacks somewhere on the stratosphere, I’m back in Tokyo. My room is a complete mess and homework’s not yet done, but I’m not planning to solve any of these two issues anytime soon.
So what are the results from this unexpected trip to my homeland?
Et cetera.
This morning I wanted to sing, but then I remembered I don’t have a guitar in Japan, so I promised myself I’d go to Ochanomizu as soon as I settle down at my new residence. That is if I don’t get sent home in April. Could anyone move this sword away from my poor little head? I’m tired of adding “… if I don’t get sent home in April” to each and every sentence I utter or write. One more thing calling for written relief.
Akihabara is the part I like the least from Tokyo. It’s too crowded, too noisy, and too full of colorful signs. Of course this description would suit most of the city, but to me, the land of Densha Otoko contains no beauty among this chaos. There are people to watch in Shibuya/Yoyogi/Harajuku, amazing buildings in Shinjuku, interesting shops (and gelato!) in Asakusa, but Akihabara… I always want to give it a second chance, but it’s like a screaming psychedelic whirlpool between Ueno and Ochanomizu.
Today I went shopping there. It wasn’t a proper shopping spree, but it was very special, considering that I gathered courage to go out in the freezing rain to get a cheap 2GB memory card for my camera at a place I like to compare to Bogota’s San Andresito at an exponentially larger scale.
Contrary to what would be expected from an inexperienced foreigner like me, I didn’t go to Yodobashi nor any of those huge duty-free shops on Chuo Dori (the main street). Instead, I took the time to search for some hidden basement on some hidden street (given previous Internet research). I didn’t even take a map with me, trusting my memory and the accuracy of the map on the website. I felt somewhat geeky, going out all by myself to this little hole reeking of videogame music and spare computer parts, but maybe the only geeky thing about this plan was the fact that I went there instead of buying online.
Now I feel that limiting one’s shopping and sightseeing to Shinjuku and Shibuya is a huge waste of time. I still don’t like Akihabara, but I’ve certainly taken a step towards grasping this infinite city before I get kicked out of it.
We saw Billy Joel in concert last night.
I had never seen such perfection, such beauty and energy in a performer. The voice hasn’t changed a bit! There wasn’t a single song I didn’t like, not a single mistake, not a sign of weariness. I almost cried when he sang ‘Honesty’… and it was only the third song!
After the concert we were left speechless, in a dream-like state. Had this been real? Aren’t we still occupying two seats in the Tokyo Dome, waiting for something to happen?
Or maybe we had actually been awake then, only to go back to a troublesome sleep full of strange nightmares. If so, how fortunate of us to have that voice lingering in our heads!