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J O U R N A L
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Saturday, January 31
[Of cardboard]posted by peter at 19:14 .......I just need some fucking clarity.
Or words to that effect. I leached knowledge from people today. I just know it. Helped them unlearn. Every creative synapse rammed against atoms of aluminium, or something polluted or genetically modified. Collisions with neither function nor grace.
Eyes closed with head tight against the wall of the train. And at the base of my lungs a rift allowing air into other spaces, washing organs which have never seen the light of day. So many unwelcome intruders – I question my quality of life every time a Gloria Estefan song pays a random visit to my mind.
An angry crystal sits on a table against the wall. A malevolent rock rests on an outdoor balustrade. Beneath the sky is a coil of razorwire.
I forgot to mention: I don't wear my mouthguard at night anymore. Ever since I came here. My teeth may grind like milk arrowroots for the base of a homemade slice, but at least I no longer greet the day with a fluorescent grin.
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[Figures at night]posted by peter at 22:24 .......At this point I need to pass on hearty congratulations to Miriam, for it seems that I am an uncle for the fourth time... yes indeed Miss Vivita was born sometime recently, which is fabulous news!
Now back to me: I spent the day wearing my new jacket in Jiyugaoka, where Jordy and I caught some serious winter sun and a few passing delicacies on an outdoor table at a French cafe. Afterwards I visited Genta, who inamongst packing for her imminent move managed to cook up a splendid feast.
I'm tired tonight. My weekend, whilst good, has hardly refreshed me at all. I can't bear the thought of working tomorrow, particularly since I'm delivering a two hour conversational seminar on food vocabulary. How positively dreary – I hope nobody comes.
I've been in an odd mood for the last week or so, and I can't pinpoint exactly what has caused it. Quite possibly overindulgence at a certain vile pour-your-own-drinks-and-have-as-many-as-you-like place contributed towards this particular seratonin trough.
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I hate the fact that I felt compelled to delete everything I just wrote.
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I tried to get up to the rooftop before, but the staircase was blocked by a padlocked gate with razorwire. There was a hint of rain and I just wanted to watch the lights from a six storey platform.
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Sometimes I think there must be ghosts everywhere.
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[Weekend missions]posted by peter at 19:43 .......Chocolate hasn't tasted so good lately but I think it's a seasonal rather than mental thing. Today I bought a true grandpa jacket; it's a light brown (maybe milk chocolate) 3/4 length thing with a loose weave that somehow manages to trap enormous amounts of heat. I probably shouldn't pair it with the jeans I'm currently wearing, but what the hell.
Coffee was again the order of the day, first in Shibuya (or possibly Ebisu, not sure of the divisions) with Chris and then in the oft-mentioned Futakotamagawa Starbucks. I think I need to wear black more often – I really had to hold myself back from buying a black synthetic leather jacket today; had the fit been slightly better I would have parted with the cash for sure.
I may yet do so anyway. It's not as if I can't go back to the shop. I know it exists and I know where. We beavers never forget such things.
I fear that I've already forgotten everything I learnt in yesterday's Japanese lesson.
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[Animalia]posted by peter at 23:48 .......By some twist of fate I neglected to mention that on Tuesday a student read my fortune according to the Native American Medicine Wheel, and proudly announced that I am a beaver.
Oh my stars.
She went on to say that I have a knack for organising my aesthetic space into layouts that promote harmony and relaxation, and informed me that I am creative, clever and like swimming.
I told her that I'm actually afraid of water, beaver or no beaver.
So this morning I had my first Japanese lesson and I don't think I've had so much fun in my whole life. I finally understand why students who have been stuck in the bottom level for the last 7 years keep coming back to our classes week after week... it's bloody fun. I enjoyed studying this language in a way that I haven't enjoyed an academic pursuit for years – perhaps this is a potent sign of a future direction? Given that I am the original changeling I'll probably be bored of it in two weeks, but for the time being it's nice to have something to be excited about.
I've just been coffeeing it up with some workmates. Oh I kid you not, the Futakotamagawa Starbucks is (as Sarah said) a place to see and be seen, Escada or no Escada.
And what of the weekend? Ebisu again, methinks. And I think the best course of action is to get a copy of Cat Stevens' Tea for the Tillerman but maybe I don't have enough money. Oh, oh, oh, I think I'll be going skiing next month, and a trip to New York and Chicago is on the cards (or on the Medicine Wheel if you prefer) too, but I am notoriously good at getting hyped up about things that never come to fruition.
I wonder if my sister's had her baby yet? She's due any day now.
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[s/s, accuracy, w/o]posted by peter at 01:54 .......More evidence that this job leads to personal insecurity: today an elderly student reinforced the whole 'gentle' thing, oh surely another adjective could be used to describe me? Somebody's going to get a lesson in alternative vocabulary, that's for sure.
Yesterday a different student emphatically agreed with the notion that I am a cat person. "Oh, I knew you would be. It's obvious." He then went on to question every other student in the room... "don't you think he's a cat person?" When I asked what on earth he could possibly mean, he deflected the question with all the linguistic aplomb of a native English speaker.
All I need now is a decent conspiracy theory and I'm gonna turn manic.
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[Loll]posted by peter at 17:03 .......What a completely fabulous day. In fact, it's difficult to articulate how much I've enjoyed it. You see, I've been hanging around in Daikanyama and Ebisu; in the latter locale I lounged decadently in a cafe for much of the early-to-mid afternoon, reading and casually ordering food and coffee. It was a completely perfect place – small, cluttered, laid-back and vegetarian friendly (if a little pricey but whatever Trevor, we're in the First World here). They served real Lavazza coffee too, which I enjoy not only because of the fact that they practise fair trade in the Third World.
I've now made my way up to Harajuku, to this free Starbucks/Yahoo Internet place which is apparently closing forever on February 8. Outfit wise I've gone for simple elegance today; silvery Carhartt jacket with brown V-neck wool knit jumper layered over a black skivvy with the hideous turtleneck carefully concealed beneath a casually strewn black scarf. Bootleg jeans and red Asics with yellow stripes and two-tone gradated sunglasses, it's all about keeping it real isn't it?
Oh, of course, there I was in one of Tokyo's hippest areas, and naturally I got caught in a wind tunnel. Honestly, the public plazas here just seem to invite cross winds. Anyway, the intense gusts rapidly transformed my carefully arranged hair style into something reminiscent of Cindi Lauper in her heyday. I just wanted to crawl home, but what could I do? hopefully the simple elegance of my clothing will distract any casual onlookers from the keratin chaos above, time after time, true colours and all.
And the other day I had to put an apple core directly into my manbag. I had no other choice... I couldn't exactly take an actual core onto a packed commuter train. But to think I may have been seen placing the core in amongst my personal belongings. Fortunately I'm still fairly anonymous here. My celebrity status is yet to come to fruition, but as they say, "stay up stay on."
I'm so refreshed. Bring on the working week.
*depressive slump*
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[All I really want to do right now]posted by peter at 18:08 .......I watched The Hours again today, but I'm not as obsessed as it might sound, because my friends had independently chosen the film before they actually invited me over. Which isn't to say that I didn't 100% love it. I need to read Mrs Dalloway I think.
This evening I'm going to go and sit in a cafe and continue reading Glamorama. I thought I'd never bother to attempt a Bret Easton Ellis novel (what I read of American Psycho made me sick), but this one is hilarious so far. I really should be continuing with Anna Karenina, so maybe I'll take that along as well.
I was planning to create a delightful meal this evening. My mind's eye had envisaged an abundance of tomato and basil, but a visit to my nearest supermarket would leave you thinking that the humble tomato is a rare and precious fruit. So I'm going to take a different approach; just not sure exactly what yet.
I think those of us who moved to Tokyo at around the same time are finally coming to terms with the fact that we've been emotionally unstable, one way or another. The support networks that exist here have a different basis to those back home. On one hand the complete absence of history can lead to more honest and open interpersonal relationships, but on the other hand a lack of context means that it's sometimes difficult to relate to other people's perspectives, especially when it comes to sympathy and advice.
Whatever the case, I'm doing my best to avoid emotional sponges, because to everything there is a season and right now I've got enough to think about. Can it be true that as the years go by, people just naturally become more and more selfish? Or is selfishness just a personal defence mechanism disguised as fast thinking upward mobility?
Sometimes I believe I'm the most selfish person in the world. And the unfazed coolness I think I'm projecting is probably about as transparent as the plastic wrap on my tofu patties. Oh where's Pete? He's off focusing his rage on the smears in the kitchen. I think I need to be a little more rational sometimes... the big things flow past me but I chase the minor details with a ray gun and a dustpan.
And I'm sick of all the attractive people in this city. It's just ridiculous.
[Quickly]posted by peter at 00:11 .......And thus I return with newfound time, although it may be short lived.
The curry was a hit. My firmly carnivorous housemate told me he'd never found tofu palatable prior to this moment (perhaps it was an odd ingredient but I needed something to 'bulk up' the meal because it is nigh impossible to buy long grain rice in Tokyo and I refuse to pay hundreds of yen for a small packet of gluggy sushi rice) and that such food made vegetarianism understandable (I made that up but I did almost blush from the various compliments) and Kat seemed to concur.
I've caught up on the various blogs that I love to read, and added this one to the list, but my comments system isn't working (hardly surprising) so unfortunately I can't be the talk show host I so badly want to be.
I really don't know what else. Work has consumed lamentably large portions of my life, but in between I've done the usual friend and coffee and whatever thing, fortunately no real routines have emerged but I've pared my sleeping time back down to 7 hours per night which I think is much more appropriate.
Honestly, it must be the psychic potential of this place... it makes you sleep and sleep if you're not careful. Caffeine helps, although apparently it attacks DNA structures or something.
I said this would be short lived, and I'm about to be kicked off again, so I'll leave mid-concept which is probably not such a bad thing because I feel a lengthy rant literally waiting in the wings.
Night all. ♥
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[Carefully choose the words]posted by peter at 19:38 .......How lame, no time tonight either so this will be quick again and non-interactive... I need to sit down and catch up with the electronic world sometime soon.
I've just finished walking around my international food store clutching Maldon sea salt, Peace cereal (with wild Brazil nuts and mysterious clusters, 10% of the purchase price goes to charitable causes), peanut butter M&M's, cous cous with coriander and toasted onion and something else I can't remember right now, maybe chick peas, which they then packaged up into a glorious brown paper bag printed with ethnosuggestive designs (I think I just invented a word). Fuck I love suburban Yokohama.
Kat's coming around for dinner tonight so I'm going to attempt a marvellous curry. I'm incredibly tired after my six day slog, but feel hideously overexcited at the prospect of my weekend, which has officially started. Imagine having time off to replenish ideas for idle chit chat with low-level English speakers!
And who knows what new places I will explore? If it's not raining. It snowed the other day; walking across the glass-walled aerial walkway between the Coach store and Mr Donut was a magical and surreal experience, as delicate flakes of snow danced and whirled above our heads in the beams of artificial light.
Fuck I love Tokyo.
[Cut short]posted by peter at 00:09 .......Yes indeed.
If spending money is not the fastest way to happiness, I don't know what is. So I've bought a gorgeous, tiny, slim micro stereo thing which is a festival of splendidly silvery minimalism and best of all plays mp3 CDs so I can access the wealth of music which I brought over in CD-ROM format.
And I stocked up on the plethora of Indian spices required for miraculous curries.
So I'm cooking again. It's been a slow but sure start: soybeans fried with garlic, olive oil, light soy sauce, walnuts and odd frilly mushrooms one night (the walnuts release the most delightful oil... char everything slightly and it's magnificent) and tofu with garlic, peanut oil, light soy, chilli (wicked, wicked, this fundamental spice is sadly lacking in Japanese cuisine) bok choy and the said frilly mushrooms the next.
Tonight I ate at a local restaurant. As I said, slow but sure.
OK, I'm being kicked off of this computer now, so I'll have to continue this diatribe and catch up on blogs and respond to comments later... grrrr.
Everything is fine.
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[I think I'll buy the flowers myself]posted by peter at 11:40 .......OK, so Morvern Callar is not really my type of film, but how I love The Hours. I watched it twice in the last 24 hours, so I've now seen it three times all up... it is so rewarding upon subsequent viewings, and kept Sarah and I thoroughly entranced for a whole early afternoon.
Anyway, what of today? What of the hours after this Internet cafe where I have just made minimum payment on the much maligned credit card? Well, I'm going to meet Jordy at Tama Plaza, but after that I'm not sure. Definitely Shibuya, I think, and maybe Harajuku as well. I'm doing a red, white, grey and black look today, with loads of stripes, badges, my skull belt and a tshirt with a black and white photo of my friend Kate. So I have to go and flounce about somewhere, that's for sure. It's all about being as visible as possible.
It's amazing how sentences such as "but I don't really care to revisit that right now" lend such an aura of mystique when talking with people you hardly know. Yes, it's probably deceptive but I don't owe anyone any information about my life, so if I don't want to talk about something I can steer away from the subject however I like.
Can't I?
Did I ever mention how I once got in trouble for using the term 'new friends'? Apparently, referring to my 'new friends' left the 'old' ones in the dust. I derived endless pleasure thereafter, deliberately dropping the term whenever I could.
I think I'm becoming a bit vague now, which I suspect is linked to my desperately empty stomach.
I wonder what today will bring?
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[The happy Wednesdays]posted by peter at 12:41 .......I did a shift swap, so I have today off instead of Friday. I've just hired The Hours and Morvern Callar and will train on over to Hello House to watch them with Sarah. It's gorgeous outside; freezing but sunny. Actually, not even freezing as I was borderline overheated with two layers and a scarf, but then I tend not to feel the cold as much as some.
I underbudgeted for pay day by about 1,000 yen, which I don't think is too bad. Bring on midnight, at which my bank balance will surge back into life. I'm hoping to send at least 100,000 back to Australia this month, because something needs to be done about the credit card situation (the Gucci jacket will have to go on hold for the time being).
And tomorrow I think I'll buy a CD player. I'm fed up with listening to music through televisions, which I've done both here and during all my time in Melbourne. So, a nice minimalist music system for me I believe... I just have to decide whether or not I really need MD capabilities. And of course I have to bear in mind the aesthetic possibilities within my future dream apartment in either inner Tokyo or suburban Yokohama, I still haven't decided which.
I'm loving Jeff Buckley at the moment.
Oh that's right, yesterday Jacob (another teacher) conducted a class in which he made the students describe the personalities of the other teachers by matching adjectives to names. And what did I end up with? 'Kind' and 'gentle'.
Great, we all know what they are synonymous with. The least I could have gotten was 'fun', 'young' or 'interesting'. Blacklist those students, that's for sure.
Unfortunately my shift swap means I'm going to have to work six days straight next week. Yes there are worse things in the world but the prospect fills me with dread nonetheless. The single ray of light is that one of these days will be spent at a training session in Shibuya.
I'm pleased to announce that I'm continuing to work on my 'international' accent... oh people will hardly know me when I grace them with my presence... I'll be so amazing and eclectic and global.
And probably still single and insecure too. Bye now. XX ♥
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[Cold dark black]posted by peter at 22:38 .......I think I may have watched someone die tonight. I didn't actually see the accident, but the aftermath was all too clear. Warning beacons flashed and dark figures stooped over a motionless figure that sprawled in the intersection outside my workplace.
A motorbike had smashed into a turning vehicle.
I couldn't tell if they were administering CPR. If they were, he was probably already dead. If not, there was perhaps some hope.
It would be a lonely death on the streets of a big city. It's like there should be more people to mourn the passing, but actually there are only a sprinkling of distressed bystanders hanging around at the perimeter.
And the city goes on regardless.
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I went back home and paid about AU$1.70 for an apple.
I'm a little distressed at the moment. Shocked. Things don't seem quite right at this moment of the world.
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Happy birthday to my delightful sister though. I love you heaps. (I'd be a lot more buoyant under different circumstances, but I do hope you had a wonderful day.)
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[After the onslaught]posted by peter at 18:31 .......
Top left is the ghost patch that Genta made me. I love it more than my own life. It's particularly good when attached to my black scarf and worn in conjunction with red and black striped arm socks... it's so rock city Tokyo I tell you...
As the train sped past a vast car park, the myriad points of light shifted and glittered like the surface of a lake. I was startled by the illusion.
Also, I'm visually obsessed with stairwells. If I see a stair leading to mysterious heights, I always have to make the ascent, however perilous.
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Congratulations to Sally & Sally, married today in the Dandenongs! Happy wedding!!! Wish I could have been there... you girls are so fantastic!
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[Elbow grease]posted by peter at 21:47 .......I've just cleaned the kitchen and it feels good. I've thoroughly scrubbed most of the external surfaces and relocated or disposed of accumulated benchtop junk, some of which had fused to the stainless steel after countless months of grease exposure.
I'll need to give it another going-over a bit later, maybe tomorrow, because I ran out of cleaning product and thus the task still isn't complete. But the whole food preparation zone is a lot better now. It may even border on hygienic.
After my next pay day (the 15th) I'm going to buy my own frying pan, cutting board and implements and store them in a cupboard (away from stray fat spatters) marked plant foods only.
I've mainly been consuming raw foods lately. It's a peculiar gastronomical trend which has been bearable because it smacks of fad diet so I feel vaguely trendy, but it will be nice to cook up a Thai storm sometime soon.
I've also been on a bit of a protein binge ever since fried tofu reared its ugly but surprisingly tasty head, never would have I thought that it would become a staple. It may even signify the regaining of muscle bulk; I just weighed myself and have apparently gained 1kg.
I'm possibly going to delay my househunting for a month or two, because I'm generally not one to rush into things. Therefore, in the meantime I've resolved to make the best of this situation (I really like one of my housemates, and my room has become a sanctuary of morning sunlight and attractive plants, although it's usually messy because I'm far from settled and therefore feel little motivation to develop my own Martha Stewart Storage 101 solution), and actually cleaning stuff is a good first step. I also vacuumed the living and bathroom areas tonight, and I might begin my assault on the wet area tomorrow. Wet area. I hate that term.
So perhaps I've had a small epiphany tonight. Combine this with the actualisation of a prophetic dream (major deja vous while cleaning the kitchen, this is the first time I've cleaned it and I remember having a strange dream recently, maybe even before I came to Japan) and it's been quite a cosmic evening.
[Shallow breath]posted by peter at 19:38 .......Fragile Susan meets the savvy city bitch, so far from the line that marks the end of rainfall. Under the expressway in a coffee shop, fingers meet and remember uncomfortable dreams, lingering like acetate ghosts, haunting sepia hosts, raising dark toasts.
And it is always something about edges, cusps and aphelions. Always a hidden truth, always something immensely profound. Intensely sound. Round.
On those days the wind carried the scent of the desert through torn flyscreen and smeared glass. In those hours the fans would whirl, the sheets unfurl, the water curl.
On a nearby hilltop lay a pale set of bones, scattered and bleak, shattered and meek. Look carefully for the sad soul hovering above, it weeps, it creeps, it never sleeps.
Every time, on every single occasion, on this street corner. When the lights change, for the briefest instant you can see the scowl, hear the howl, flee the jowl.
And it's probably real.
It could be.
[Your reflection in a snow covered hill]posted by peter at 18:57 .......Ooh, don't I have a lot to say today? It was a good day, but things that are irritating me right now include:
- social regression
- first time out of home syndrome (responsible for much of the above problem)
- pettiness (coming from somebody such as myself, it's a big call, I know)
- blatant exploitation of workers by the body corporate
- 1950s attitudes towards gender equality
- the no socialisation policy (I could be making myself some swell friends out of these students)
- people assuming 'no definition' equates to whatever contextual framework they care to impose
- the fact that I still haven't finished Anna Karenina, despite loving every word of it
- the astonishing speed with which yen flies from my wallet (especially since the said wallet once belonged to my frugal grandfather)
- having no clear goals for the next few years, but everyone's heard this all before
- the fact that we can't teleport yet (why the fuck aren't they working on this??)
- the fact that I don't speak German, which I suspect is largely because of WWII, during which my grandparents were persecuted for their distant ancestry and therefore dropped the 'mother tongue'... although realistically I could be kidding myself on this issue (but I'll take any opportunity to point the finger of blame)
- unenlightened environmental practices and excess packagingI had a feeling that I belonged. I had a feeling that I could be someone, be someone.
[New adventures in real estate]posted by peter at 15:34 .......Well the apartment wasn't exactly the answer to my prayers. Whilst I had anticipated that it would be exceedingly small, what I hadn't expected was that it would be in no way connected to the outside world. A glass sliding door led to a balcony that was completely enclosed by translucent glass. There was no possibility of spilling my life out into the city.
So unless I was looking to set up my own miniature biosphere, the place had little to offer. It was also a studio apartment, which is a concept that I kind of shy away from because I imagine cooking aromas permeating my clothes and bedding. A fragrant vegetable curry may be a tantalising creation at dinnertime, but nobody wants to be reminded of it early the next morning when it is time to get dressed.
The place was a little bit manky too, which fortunately I had prepared myself for. However, for me to do manky, I need to have space to counteract the negative energy. I can do without space, but in that case I need plenty of whites or creams and preferably a view of some description.
So, given that the rent would be more than I am paying now (and I would have to pay utilities on top), I have clearly decided against this particular building. It's good to have an idea of what you can get for your money. Suburban Yokohama is looking that little bit more attractive at the moment.
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Can I just end this by saying that I hate – HATE – it when people say 'no' to something by simply not replying to an SMS/email/answering machine. I really, REALLY hate that. I think by now we're old enough to deal with refusals... particularly to casual invitations that mean nothing, and it is so much easier if the 'no' occurs at the outset so that I no longer have to think about the possibility that the answer may in fact be 'yes'.
Sometimes a 'no' allows life to go on that little bit more smoothly, so please feel free to use it around me.
[High cocoa]posted by peter at 00:22 .......We scored insanely well with gifts at work today... one surprisingly young guy brought in a massive box of Godiva chocolates (easily worth a few thousand yen, maybe more) and another thoughtful student deemed it appropriate to bestow a massive assortment of donuts upon us malnourished teachers. We've done quite well since New Year... this is one aspect of the job that I definitely enjoy. It really does make up for those hours of painstakingly slow conversation.
Tomorrow I'm going to inspect an apartment in Koenji. It sounds perfect: a hip area, four stops from Shinjuku, loads of nearby coffee shops, record stores and 2nd-hand clothing stores, 1 bedroom, kitchen and bathroom for 65,000 yen per month. The deposit is what will potentially rule it out as an option, but we'll see.
I haven't actually done my budget yet.
The main issue is that living there would mean catching three trains to and from work every day, including a stint on the notoriously sardine-like Yamanote line. But do I really care? I don't think that I do. The wait between trains is essentially negligible and as long as I've got wicked tunes playing through my earphones I'm generally a fairly happy person with a pleasant demeanour.
Living alone is the other issue – do I really want this? Especially since I'd be quite some distance from my friends. As with everything, there are pros and there are cons.
The biggest bonus would be that I would have free transport to the wonderlands of Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya whenever I please, because I don't have to pay for my monthly train ticket... work does!
Anyway, it could turn out to be the biggest pile of crap ever, so I don't want to get too preemptive. But I hope it's not crap. I hope it proves to be the perfect solution to my current housing issues.
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Oh my gosh, I participated in a high-5 on a public train platform yesterday, and I even made a noise to go with it... what am I turning into? Think I might add that one to the 'Completely Hideous and Embarrassing Public Acts' file, even if it was done in a jocular fashion. Later that evening we ended up back at Mizonokuchi, drinking like vagrants in the public plaza while frazzled commuters marched past towards distant towers. Yet another note in the file...
Also, I went to an okonomiyake (sp?) restaurant tonight for some vegetarian splendour (think big, mish-mash omelette-like things with loads of vegetables and so on), although I'm a bit worried that some residual animal fats (predominantly prawn juice) on the communal hotplate may have leached into my meal. But one just can't worry about these things... I put it in the same category as accidentally squashing a bug. It's not even as bad as deliberately crushing a repulsive spider.
Oh and my comments are broken again, so I'm sorry I haven't replied to those lovely notes! :)
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[Final weekend]posted by peter at 19:22 .......I don't know why I neglected to mention this the other day – probably because I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually was eating fried tofu on the street while walking between Shibuya and Harajuku. Hideous. Anyway, there we are, Genta and I, strolling along when next thing we hear someone shout out "what are you eating?"
We turn to see three Japanese boys parked in a car on the side of the road.
"Are you eating fried tofu?" one of them asks.
"Yes."
"We want some."
I hold out the pack with the remaining tofu patty.
"No, we only want a little. Chotto, chotto."
"Oh, just take it." I give them the plastic container.
"You look like a little boy," they tell me.
We don't hang around for much longer.
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I went to church this morning. The actual chapel is perched between a Louis Vuitton store and an Emporio Armani, which is part of the reason I chose to go there. Nowhere else on earth can you feel so spiritually and materialistically safe.
This church had it all: banners, wreaths, timber furniture, smiling singers, overambitious musical arrangements and Shine Jesus Shine as the leading song.
After the urge to giggle at the Southern US accents had subsided, I actually really enjoyed the service. It was so daggy and yet so familiar at the same time – I half expected to walk out and find myself back in Adelaide. Since I normally work on Sundays, it was nice to finally be able to attend church. I actually do feel spiritually refreshed. (I even had to stand up with a microphone and introduce myself to the congregation, which to be perfectly honest I did not appreciate at all, but at least they didn't get my contact details.)
After the service I made a bee line for Brown Rice (Aoyama's organic vegetarian zone of wonder) and had one of their set menus for 1,600 yen.
Then I strolled down Omotesando, turned left and headed to Aoyama cemetery. I spent quite some time meandering among the headstones, and for the second time since coming here I perceived that there are things in this city which are more than 15 - 20 years old. I couldn't read any of the kanji on the gravestones, but one gaijin grave bore a date of 1921 which helped put things into some sort of perspective.
Revolting crows swooped overhead, clutching bare branches with fierce talons. Shy cats – all remarkably fat – darted between the concrete monuments. The whole scene reminded me of something out of The Legend of Zelda (the original GameBoy version).
The place was peaceful. Serene. One of my students told me the cemetery was renowned for ghosts, but I didn't see any. I think it's healthy to contemplate mortality from time to time.
On the way home I went into the Omotesando Gucci store and found the jacket I'd loved so much on the website. It was 148,000 yen. I thought it would be hypocritical of me to buy something with a leather trim.
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Back to work tomorrow. How creepy.
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[2004 and still not shutting up]posted by peter at 16:03 .......A second all-nighter followed hot on the heels of the first, but it was New Year after all. We were actually on a train when the big 2004 rolled around, although a Shinjuku reggae club proved a better vehicle to the early hours. In between dub-filled dancing and the bizarre Japanese take on MC-ing (which seems to involve frequently yet erratically fading out the music – with scant regard for timing – and interjecting loudly) we found time for very expensive coffee and a pleasant stroll through the Shinjuku nightscape, including the rows of 'love hotels'. Quite strange.
In the cold light of day I caught a slightly later train which lulled me to sleep and I only awoke at my stop just seconds before the doors were due to close. In a gazelle-like leap of glory, I disembarked and fell home through morning sunshine to a day of sleeping. (That is until Chris, Genta and I went down to the Tamagawa river, oh my gosh I've never had so many grass seeds stuck to my jeans. Later, we decided to welcome the New Year with binge eating.)
The streets were so quiet yesterday. Tokyo was like a ghost town; I hated it. The trains were empty caskets; the platforms welcomed cold wind and lonely automated announcements, but few passengers. Shops hid behind roller doors and roads carried no traffic. Absolutely depressing. Like Hong Kong on Chinese New Year. Quiet streets... all the energy concealed within faceless apartment blocks.
I suppose it's a good thing that this festival is very much a 'stay home with your family' affair, but it really makes it boring for everyone else. Luckily I've had lovely friends to spend time with, otherwise it would have been lonely in the post-cataclysmic world.
I've taken a bunch of really beautiful sepia photographs but I'm too cheap to publish them at the moment... emailing them from my phone will add too much to my already troublesome phone bill, oh bring on the 15th and its bounty of 'payment for work done'.
The good news is that Harajuku is buzzing today. As always, it makes me happy in the most manic way. I even forgot I was walking along the street carrying a bag of fried tofu – once I realised what was going on I felt a bit embarrassed and promptly shoved it in my backpack. There is absolutely no place for fried tofu when strutting your stuff in Harajuku.
Every time I come here I want to just die with happiness, but therein lies the conundrum, because suburban Yokohama sometimes has that effect as well. Seriously, I feel obscenely happy when I walk those upper-middle class food courts with their international supermarkets and beautifully arranged excess packaging. I bask joyously in the light of those overpriced French patisseries and the little fruit and veg shops with free range eggs.
So, given that I've had housemate issues (through a combination of his thoughtlessness and my unreasonably intolerant approach; I didn't move to Tokyo to teach someone how to live out of home for the first time) and am looking to move, do I want to immerse myself in the chaos and splendour of Tokyo (and pay many thousands of yen for the tiniest room imaginable) or do I want to chase the Yokohama life in an apartment block with marbled entrance foyer and gurgling water features (still paying many thousands of yen)? This shouldn't even be an issue for me, because the former is so clearly the correct answer. And yet I am feeling the pull of comfort-living (yes I am eyeing off a lovely range of tea towels) which can be so easily done in suburban Yokohama, still only 20mins to Shibuya by express train.
Hmm. I think it's called 'getting older'.
I've written too much. I'm going back out to the street... what better way to spend an afternoon than window shopping in Aoyama? Well done if you've gotten this far through my narcissistic journey – thanks for reading. :) I hope 2004 brings everything you hope for and then some!
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