O came over to Tokyo with his architecture class from Oslo. It was absolutely awesome seeing him again - we got to hang out and mess around and just be silly. I was going to spend more time with his class and go with them on architecture walks and stuff, but my knee decided to hate me to the point where I had to go to the hospital and get it x-rayed, leaving me to instead order pizza delivery from Domino's with T and watching House. A good trade-off, all things considered.
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| T and O, four years later. |
I went to the Moomin cafe in Korakuen. It was just the most adorable shit. The staff will literally come around with a Moomin plushie, have it wave at you, and then place it in a chair by your table so it's having tea with you. Why yes, this is the sweetest country on the planet.
Tokyo started blooming...
...and the coworkers spent an evening of beer and chips and Cards Against Humanity. This particular evening ended with me walking home for about half an hour and scaring myself shitless when encountering a large-ass tanuki statue hiding in a corner in dim light.
This town is only terrifying in ways that no other town ever is.
My dad got really sick back in March, and I was devastated. I left work early and went to the place I was meeting Turtle early, stopping at the nearest Starbucks to get a breather. I must've looked like absolute death and someone in desperate need of some cheering up, because the barista boy spent a good few minutes drawing this cat on my mug. At the moment he handed it to me, I kinda wanted to cry.
These two pictures in and of themselves aren't special. What's special is that one of those toothbrushes is mine, and one is Turtle's. The lense case is marked with Turtle's name so that we wouldn't get our contacts mixed up. The fact that this made me happy enough to document goes to show how ridiculously enamoured I am.
Easter came and went. I proceeded to be my strange self.
Cherry blossoms are kind of a big deal here, and I love them to death. For a little less than a month a year, the trees turn to cotton candy, and everyone is happy.
Turtle and I went to see the Magritte exhibition at the National Art Center in Roppongi. I, being the nerd that I am, focused just as much on the building as on the exhibition itself. That being said, the exhibition was amazing. Surrealism at its finest.
Ironically, this is the one picture I felt represented the day the best for Turtle and I. Because of his divorce situation, things could get messy if he was seen dating someone before everything was finalized, so in weird bouts of paranoia, he'd wear a pollen mask over half of his face and keep at a bit of a distance.
"I hate doing this," he told me when we'd returned home. "I wanted to smile more. I wanted to touch your hair and bop your nose. But I can't. Not yet."
I know you're not supposed to have favourites when it comes to your nieces and nephews and all, but, well...
I will favour the one who sends me a drawing of an Easter chicken with hearts and bags of seeds.
Some more friends were in Tokyo. We did purikura. Purikura turns me into the most adorable Kyary Pamyu Pamyu-like creature, more kawaii than I ever thought I could be. Seriously, purikura me is a fucking babe. Now if there was only a way to make my eyes 50% bigger and whiten my skin in real life, and we'd be all good.
My parents came over.
It was one of those things that was both great and slightly irking. It's difficult to go from living your own life one second to having to explain everything and suddenly give a crap about what others want, but I love them to death and I miss them dearly. They travelled across the globe to see me and spend time with me. In that aspect, even though they want me home and don't really understand the pull of my being here, they're the best, and their time here was really wonderful.
Whiny as I may be, I really mean that.
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| Turtle and Franco. |
Some evenings just stick with you, you know? Like this one. We played othello at a bar, and then went to this place where we got a whole room filled with fake cherry blossoms to ourselves, where we had one of those amazing times you'll be thinking about whenever your future grandkids ask you what you were like in your youth.
In my youth I spent a lot of time in bars with wonderful friends and a beautiful lover.
My parents and I left Tokyo for an excursion to Hakone, for some hot springs and Mt. Fuji. It rained most of the time. Things were great all the same.
We visited the Hakone Museum of Art, and I was appalled that the rampant age-ism. What do you mean I'm not allowed in the kids' play area if I'm over the age of 12? I call bullshit. Let me climb the crochet funhouse, you bastards.
Sulphur valleys with smelly black eggs cooked in sulphur waters are the most foul-smelling things ever, but the eggs are good and apparently add another seven years to your lifespan. Having chowed down two, you all can now look forward to an additional 14 years of me. You're welcome.
When we suit up, we suit up properly, yukata style.
I found out that dad has this whole baked goods franchise thing going on that he never told us about. Him being his own mascot was an interesting move. Modesty is for chumps, after all.
Work has been alright, but slow. There's been quite a lot of studying going on. Not sure as to the amount of retention, but I've been writing shit down and attempting to get it crammed into my head. That should count for something.
Kagurazaka is a lovely place for quiet dates at French bistros, cafés that look like they're straight from Ghibli movies, browsing in kimono shops and tastefully minimalistic architecture. In other words, pretty amazing.
T's dog is ancient and a little smelly, but as with all dogs, it was love at first sight, because look at that face, holy fuck.
Like I said - love at first sight with all dogs. All dogs. Especially the happy puppies who love you right back with their little puppy hearts.
Home sweet home.
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