The brand next demonic

It is pouring rice grains. Transparent umbrellas intertwine. My days in Tokyo are fading away like yesterday’s anti-perspirant. He’s gone. A part of me departs when my life-partner goes. I’ll meet him at home where our mutual memories lie. I am wearing my Harley Davidson t-shirt. In Japan everything goes. I read foreign slogans that say nothing. Who cares? Why would they have to say something… anyway? : “The brand next demonic”, “The void ultimate suddenly”, “peace counter-insurgence sweet”…

No one enters this island if not approved. The only territory for imperial ordeals is Media. I see many Angelinas Shimizu and Hirokis Pitt; a flow of exotic hair dues and brand-name walkers. They add their twist, ne? La vie a la Japanese! The filter is the culture of the bullet train, of the bowing waiter, of the talking robots and those omnipresent vending machines. Order is emperor. Balance is shogun. Subtle changes, unstoppable trends. I’ve passed by those timid eyes that see beyond. I’ve prayed in shrines.

At 7:59, as printed on the voucher, the Hikari arrived. Not before, nor after. Past one minute we fly at 400 KPH on the Shinkansen. It is an attempt to visit Mount Fuji; an excuse to re-encounter Tsuchiya, Hiromi san. But Mount Fuji is wearing a coat of mist. No point in diving to its shores. We will have to come back. Hiromi and us settle for green tea, instead. The best leaf in Japan: Shizuoka’s.

We talk about slang, idioms and dialects. And as the afternoon irrupts I wish I would write forever. Shall my muses arrive before I head off? If this summer is propitious, and the triggering whispers of creativity find me at work, I should produce some arousing thoughts. Neon would light me as I stroll through the water fields of sanitized Tokyo. One can get lost in random alleys even when stationary. Moving one’s eyes to the rhythm of varied stilettos is enough. I learn that sake is any source of alcohol. Let’s toast. The scent of okonomiyaki, and that of cigarette smoke, has already attached to my soul. Share