I’ve been enjoying connecting with other travellers in the hostel I’m in, helping them with travel and life advice. Many young men who have appreciated conversation, and myself the same with them. I haven’t had much success interfacing with Japanese locals, but tonight I went out to Shibuya and did some shopping, walking amongst the many thousands of people on the streets. The busiest intersection in the world is Shibuya scramble Crossing, and the whole district is a shopping and tourism yuppie playground. The business and rules, the quiet and the order, the strictness seem to melt as the work day ages and ones location gravitates toward busier areas.
I bought a special ring today, a simple steel band for middle/ring finger engraved with “This will also change”, a similar sentiment to “this too shall pass”, a constant reminder of the reality of impermanence. If I wear it on my right ring finger it looks like and engineers ring – that’s a level of responsibility I’d be happy to associate with, though I have yet to earn it. Lug The young man at the jewelery shop was very kind, a good heart, working at busy Shibuya for 2 years. Apparently you can barely walk on the streets during Halloween hahaha, I fully believe it, and they close shop when it gets that busy. I was speaking with a bartender who had excellent English, doing 2 years at a Calgary high school, though she grew up in Tokyo. Dancing at club “Aoyama Enter” I spoke with three young Japanese men who are interested in where I was from. It was good to have some interest from locals as to who I was (though The two bars/ clubs I went to both allowed smoking, my lungs could feel it on the walk home). It was also good to be asked WHY I came to Japan, and myself reciprocally saying what you’re going for/ looking for is more important than where you go.
Tokyo is relatively Western, I imagine. I want to experience other cultures, learn what it means to travel, learn what it means to be a foreigner, develop the skills associated with traveling. “Inaka” apparently refers to the country outside of the big cities, that’s where I want to go. Tokyo is Tokyo, the rest of Japan is not like Tokyo. I have spent many hours working on my laptop because it is important to me to be moving forward toward other goals as well. Finding a place cheaper than Tokyo to stay and work will come soon, I have some ideas, but I think my stay in Japan will be less than a month. I will book a night bus ticket for tomorrow. “A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day, a string of such moments can change the course of your life” – Christopher Germer.