The final days

This is my last day in Tokyo before I head back to the states. I sit here in total peace now, a stark contrast over the last few days in which a trip to the beach, Fuji Rock, and a party have turned the noise and excitement levels to 11. The air conditioner in the room is broken so the I can almost feel the sweltering heat being emitted from the open window. Japan gets incredibly hot in the summer and if you're not dealing with the heat then torrential rain shower will ensure that if you're not hot you're wet. The rain brings temporary relief from the sweltering heat but serves a devil's advocate later on and only succeeds to increase the humidity and make things even more unpleasant.

I really don't mind that much, air conditioning and paper fans solve the problem quickly, it's a very small complaint next to a list of things I love about Tokyo, love about Japan and why I'm so bittersweet on leaving.

I have been more adventurous in Japan than I have ever been in America. I have taken more calculated risks, traveled down more less traveled paths, and explored a more diverse setting than anywhere back in America. It's safer to do that here, it's safer to go off the beaten path, to find the hidden and lost from society and to satisfy that sense of wanderlust whether it's from the giant metropolises or green and hilly farmland. Japan is a country which greatly rewards exploration and I have taken great advantage of that. Never before have I been to a place where the food taste better, the people are friendlier, the air cleaner, and the days longer. For years I have heard stories about great this place was, until I experienced it for myself I never would have believed it.

I might not take back much from here, but the memories will be enough to last a lifetime. It is impossible to replace memories of playing on the beach, exploring the ocean swept rocks, having seven foot waves crash down on you and have fireworks later on. Memories of waiting in the poring rain for three hours to see my favorite band, slowly succumbing to fatigue and getting chilled from the rain only for them to appear and give an amazing performance. Mud up to my ankles and some French dude crashing into everyone in the back could't ruin it. Waiting for a train for five hours while sleeping and camping out with a bunch of business men and Fuji Rockers was part of the experience too. Nothing like fatigue and inebriation among fellow music fans to make five hours fly by in a flash. I also didn't take the bullet train back but rather the normal train routes. They were much cheaper but also took nearly four hours to get back to the city. It was long, but the view on the way there was fantastic. To watch you window view slowly transform from green fields of rice to grey concrete pillars was a reminder of just how different the two sides of Japan are.

I got the fuller experience this time around. I was able to see all sides of Japan from people of all walks of life. I came here to learn, explore, accomplish a step of my goals, and have fun. I have accomplished all four in spades, and am rewarded with bright futures, new life lessons, and memories to last a life time.

Now it's time to say goodbye, like the woman you see once a year or the best friend you haven't seen in awhile, partings must be made. I want to go home but I can't stand leaving here. I am always happy here, I always have an answer to my problems, and I always am willing to be more than myself, I'm willing to be a better person. Tokyo brings out the best in me and like the neon city, I strive to shine along with it.

I don't know if I'll ever come back here, I want to make a promise that I will but time and life is funny in how it never works the way we expect. I will instead promise that I will try my hardest to return to the city that I love, the lover clad in silver, neon, and green.

Goodbye for now Tokyo, you might not remember me or even know who I am but I will never forget you, a weathered vision in my brain for years to come and the lingering soft kiss from a city that loves you back.

Paradox: A retail story

Japanese stores are a unique breed of retail. There are many big chains and larger stores for various retail items and items but there are also a large amount of smaller specialty stores than I have seen in the states. If you have any specific item that you need that retail stores don't carry, there's a very good chance that they have a store which carries it. Hunting or stumbling across these stores is a real treat as well because not all of them are easy to find. Some are hidden in the little corners behind larger buildings or in the walls of other stores, or even underground under normal looking buildings like offices or restaurants. It's these little stores which thrive by selling the unusual or rare. Even in an age where the internet can offer you could ever ask for with a few clicks of a mouse, stores like these still draw many customers and given the small size of the interior, seeing wall to wall people buying and shopping is a bewildering sight. People in Japan need their transistor radios and animated pornographic movies after all.

The major retail stores, specifically clothing retail stores are a different beast as well. The major stores are brimming with nearly every related store you could ask for. At least eight stories high and very flashy, these clothing store sell high end clothing and accessories for men and women. Not to different from where I love but it's the inside of the stores which makes them so different and memorable.

Each level has a different type of clothing for sale and each level has different sales associates ready to help you with your purchases. They are always standing by and always ready to assist you at a moment's notice. No matter how long you take or what you buy, if anything, they service you with a smile and make sure your experience is as pleasant as possible. A bum could walk into the store and they would probably still treat him like a king. The layout of the stores themselves are fantastic with wood crown molding, fancy chandeliers, and velvet chairs making up the layout. Each level you climb looks increasingly fancy and it almost becomes impossible to distinguish each lever from another. Me and a friend got lost three times from walking up and down seemingly similar stair cases, must have been a paradox.

On the very bottom are usually cafes or eating areas and the fancier the store the fancier the menu. The store I went to had 600 yen, about $6 glasses of orange juice. That's right, orange juice. I didn't even see the price of food but considering the deserts looked very extravagant and delicious, probably expensive as well.

I am in love with the stores of Japan, specialty stores of this number don't exist in the states, especially in the same area as some rich up scale stores. It's a very mixed bag and makes for a very unique shopping experience. Some might enjoy the uniformity of stores, but I like the variety, the craziness, and utter randomness of it.

The days move fast here.

I am starting to believe that the times in Tokyo are moving faster than compared to back home. Tokyo is eternally on warp speed and three days with a ton of activities jammed in them goes by much faster than I can comprehend and before I know it, three days have gone by, the flury of activities a whirlwind memory and my wallet looking a little thinner.

I am able to experience a different Tokyo from last time. A Tokyo where I explore more rural areas. I get to see neighborhoods, universities, and farms. I was able to swim in a university pool and bike ride through farmland. Stop at a traditional ramen stand along the way and ate a dish exclusive to Japan and while ramen is available everywhere, it's not cooked like this and doesn't taste nearly as good.

I got to see a movie with friends here as well. This just confirms that there are certain people you see a movie with and certain people you experience a movie with . Afterwards we went on talking about the movie for hours, discussing every detail and working through the plot. This is where I get the most joy out of movies. Seeing them is one thing but sharing them, sharing your experience with other people is entirely another.

By far though some of my favorite experiences so far is meeting new people and seeing old friends again. To see how people love and act on the otherside of the world, in a place where everything is a constant go is a treat to see. It really opens your perspective on the world to see other people's lives. How they have fun, what makes them happy and what makes them sad. The triumphs and tribulations, their view on my world and where I come from. There are many differences but also many similarities. It's then you realize that we are all human and we all have our own life experiences no matter where we are from. You hear it many times but when you get to see it for yourself, it brings itself all into perspective.

I only have about a week left here, and I already have a full plate of stuff to do with different people. It's only been a few days but I can honestly say that I am having a more enriching experience that my previous trip. I'm learning more. I'm experiencing more. I'm living more.

Tokyo, I will always love you, always.

Touchdown

I landed in Tokyo at 2:10 PM their time, after a long plane ride I was finally able to start walking on my favorite stomping grounds and get my hands dirty and my need for adventure satisfied.

Getting off the plane is easy but getting to and from Tokyo is a bigger challenge then most realize. Narita Airport is a good two hours away from main Tokyo so unless you're willing to spend the money to take the faster trains there you're stuck in a two hour ride . I'm not complaining though as the ride there goes through the country side of Japan and offers a different view than the electronic jungle that Tokyo is. Quiet towns and large green fields dominate the country side and you get to see a slightly simpler life. People in small pick up trucks and bicycles drive around the towns. No bustling business men and no people scrambling to make their train. Nice and peaceful and for some people, probably a blissful break from the hectic city life.

I finally made it to my stop about two hours later and had to switch to a local city train. easier said then done while dragging a suitcase and carry on behind you in a massive crowd of people coming from all directions. The bustling Tokyo life came back to me in full force and like riding a bike after years of in activity it was a jarring welcome back, but like the bike, peddle a few feet and it's like you never left. The feeling of familiarity and fondness I had for Tokyo hadn't diminished one iota. I found my old bike again and it's still as shiny and awesome as before.

Walking around Tokyo again was a treat. The place where I was staying at was a dormitory in Ikebukero and just walking around filled me with joy. I love the way smaller parts of Tokyo are set up. Almost like a mix of big city lights and skyscrapers but just less of them. All of the buildings are close together in order to save space and even the stores and restaurants may be underground or in some 8 story building on the 6th floor. Tokyo rewards exploration, especially for the new comer who may one minute be looking for a phone and the next find a comfy isakaya to eat at.

Thats another thing I love about Tokyo, the isakayas. An isakaya is a cross between a restaurant that only serves appetizers and a bar. It might not sound very filling but that's why you go with a group. The larger the audience the more food you can get and share, and in the end split the bill and save money. Even the atmosphere is wonderful. You sit on the floor in a traditional manner and sit around a rectangle table so the food is easily passed round. I went with two friends from Ball State and met some new people as well, most of them native to Japan or have been there for an extended period of time. We had a few laughs and got to know everyone better.

Afterwards I returned to my temporary living space and collapsed. 14 hour flight combined with constant walking around and drinking left me with little will to stay awake.

The sleep felt good and the the thought of being back in my favorite city in the world made me feel even better.

Waiting in line for a piece of the action

I’d usually be posting this on blogger but since wi fi isn’t cooperating I’ll have to write this now and post later. I’m sitting in my terminal right now with people surrounding me. All of them look tired and weary as if the journey here was as long and tedious as the journey which awaits them. I always thought it was interesting to observe the airport environment. It’s almost like a mini city in itself where people from all around the world converge for a moment in time before heading on their way. You can make conversation with the people here, they will most likely be friendly and probably in some cases memorable as well, however the memory of them is fleeting and after you are on your way their memory becomes just another faceless person among the thousands in this bustling microcosm. I am bursting with energy, despite barely sleeping two hours and knowing that a fourteen hour flight awaits me, it’s taking nearly every inch of will power to not jump out of my seat and make a mad dash to the plane. This is how it usually goes for me, never feeling the excitement until right before the moment of truth and the point of no return. The morning started out tepid and natural, the gentle dew and coolness setting the peaceful mood. The ride here was an analogy for intensity as traffic was particularly fierce and when I wasn’t bumper to bumper with a monster big rig nearly three times my size I was zipping in and out of lanes like a fly buzzes through the air, my pulses racing my mood quickly escalating from tepid to feverish excitement.

Now I sit amounts the crowd of people waiting to board, the flight attendants crowd near the gate and chat with each other as if they’ve know each other for their entire lives. People continue to walk outside and make their way to their terminal momentarily pausing only briefly before heading steadfast towards their final destination.

And while the chaos and hustle and bustle erupts around me and I am ready to burst at the seams with excitement, I sit on my computer and write. It’s the only thing I can do right now and the first thing which came to my mind when I sat down. Despite the excitement and slowly creeping fatigue I still find time to write my thoughts down, not even caring if anyone read them but rather to satisfy my own thoughts and my own nerves.

Crazy to say but I just might be a writer.

The preflight gitters

I haven't traveled very much in my lifetime. When I was in grade school I'd hear stories about traveling on airplanes, the seats, the view from above, and painful popping of ears upon take off and landing. I was always interested and had a strong desire to fly but it wasn't until years later that I would step foot on a Boeing 757 for the first time and feel slightly underwhelmed, it was fun but essentially just another means of getting from one place to another. Four years after my first flight, I was back in another airliner only this time the flight was about ten hours longer and half way across the world.

Long flights feel like a limbo or purgatory in a metal flying tube. You do everything to pass the time. You read until your eyes become sore. You go to sleep to rest your weary eyes. You watch their horrible selection of in flight movies. Eat a meal or two, and sleep some more. In your mind it feels like a lifetime of being up in the air. You get up to use the bathroom, sometimes not even to actually use the bathroom but rather just stretch your legs from sitting down and letting the blood come back to your feet. The prickly feeling of a thousand needles poking the bottom of your foot slowly begins to wear off and replaced by the feeling of blissful release and the unconstriction of the muscles.

You sit back down and the horrible screen of limbo stares back at you. In your mind over 9 hours have gone by and only a few are left until your arrival. The screen says differently. There are still over 6 hours before your arrival and your heart sinks, how are will you pass the remainder of the time?

You go to sleep or rather try to go to sleep but when you're sitting upright and cold air is constantly blowing on you sleep is more common in short bursts rather than long time eating periods.

Finally, finally after what seems like a lifetime you arrive. On time, on schedule, on good old terra firma. All of the anxiety and anxiousness is instantly gone and all is right with the world.

Then the jet lag sets in...

The nerves, the excitement, the journey

I'm going to Tokyo again. Something that for awhile I thought would not be possible and for awhile thought was a once in a life time experience that would eventually become nothing more than a pleasant memory. In only two days I will be on a jetliner half way across the world in a place that has more in common with Blade Runner than nay New York or LA could ever come up with. I'll be in a concrete jungle drenched in neon and towering monoliths of steel and glass. I'm back in the city I love and for a week and a half, she's mine again.

It's like visiting an old friend again, or rather an old significant other you left for a while only to be back in her arms, with her as beautiful as you remember her, as youthful and vigorous as ever and ready to welcome you back in her loving arms. Tokyo is a city that gives as much as you want to take and does it with a smile. She loves you, as much as you love her. Tokyo is your city, a love story in neon, a love song of flashing lights and moving crowds.

I go to Tokyo not entirely for fun, I go for a trip which may very well be a building block to my future, an opportunity to come back to Tokyo and not as a visitor or some distanced traveler from afar but as a resident. Someone who can experience the city and it's lifestyle on a daily basis and be a part of it's electric atmosphere. It's too early to say if I'll be successful or not, but I can hope, work, and dream until I make my dream. May not be in a few weeks or even a few years but I can't say no to working here, to staying here to being a part of the city I love.

That's why I continuously work and try to continuously get better. The carrot at the end of the stick gets closer everyday. A dreamy light bright colored stick and carrot, the most delicious kind.