beauty in the breakdown
Back in Tokyo. It's been too long. Too fucking long. I love it here. And we only just arrived, and I've hardly done anything, but stare out at the Shinjuku skyline from where we're staying.
We said goodbye to Okinawa yesterday--I spent the afternoon in town in Naha, having the most amazing seafood lunch ever, with a group of mostly Japanese friends, and then doing a quick one-hour karaoke. Back to the hotel, bags on the bus, another trip to the airport and another flight, the fifth one in under three weeks. I didn't cry this time.
We're staying at the National Youth Olympic Center right in the center of the city. It's a really funky place, built for the '64 Olympics, and it's full of young people from all over the world, like something out of an idealistic visionary propogandistic commercial. There are student conferences happening here, sports teams working out and practicing here, disabled kids, and us. We ventured out last night, briefly, around 1am, after getting checked in and stuff, and found ourselves in a back alley somewhere west of Harajuku and Yoyogi, in a Korean restaurant, eating Bibimbop. We worked today straight through from 10am until 9pm, a fucking ridiculous schedule if you ask me, especially for our first day in Tokyo. I was bored out of my mind for most of it. I've just been relaxing since 9... had a nice long bath... and I'm hoping some adventure ensues for tonight. No luck yet getting in touch with any Tokyo friends. It will all be over in the blink of an eye, and then I'll be bloody alone again, on a flight back to California, going through the same thing I went through seven months ago, moving into a new apartment. I'm not ready for it. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave.
At least I finally have Internet access on my own laptop here. I will try to upload some pictures soon.
I've listened to almost nothing but the Lost in Translation and Garden State soundtracks for the past few days. They seem to capture my mood. "Everything looks perfect from far away."
I'm in Japan, I'm in Tokyo, but it feels like I'm not. I need some alone time. I need some wander time in Tokyo.
We said goodbye to Okinawa yesterday--I spent the afternoon in town in Naha, having the most amazing seafood lunch ever, with a group of mostly Japanese friends, and then doing a quick one-hour karaoke. Back to the hotel, bags on the bus, another trip to the airport and another flight, the fifth one in under three weeks. I didn't cry this time.
We're staying at the National Youth Olympic Center right in the center of the city. It's a really funky place, built for the '64 Olympics, and it's full of young people from all over the world, like something out of an idealistic visionary propogandistic commercial. There are student conferences happening here, sports teams working out and practicing here, disabled kids, and us. We ventured out last night, briefly, around 1am, after getting checked in and stuff, and found ourselves in a back alley somewhere west of Harajuku and Yoyogi, in a Korean restaurant, eating Bibimbop. We worked today straight through from 10am until 9pm, a fucking ridiculous schedule if you ask me, especially for our first day in Tokyo. I was bored out of my mind for most of it. I've just been relaxing since 9... had a nice long bath... and I'm hoping some adventure ensues for tonight. No luck yet getting in touch with any Tokyo friends. It will all be over in the blink of an eye, and then I'll be bloody alone again, on a flight back to California, going through the same thing I went through seven months ago, moving into a new apartment. I'm not ready for it. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave.
At least I finally have Internet access on my own laptop here. I will try to upload some pictures soon.
I've listened to almost nothing but the Lost in Translation and Garden State soundtracks for the past few days. They seem to capture my mood. "Everything looks perfect from far away."
I'm in Japan, I'm in Tokyo, but it feels like I'm not. I need some alone time. I need some wander time in Tokyo.