Greetings from Tokyo.
It’s been a whirlwind of a time. I have seen the sun rise twice (from the wrong end, mind you), quaffed much beer, walked 80km in a week, laughed until I cried, cried until I cried, and generally had the time of my life.
Someone has joined me on my travels, and it has changed the game. I am not sure what I will do when it’s time to go home, but I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.
The next part of my journey continues in Kyoto, where I stumbled upon a small bar in a quiet street, and happened to meet some of the nicest people. The owner taught me a lot of Japanese, with liberal use of Google Translate to help us along. A regular at the bar gifted my companion with a hand-drawn picture (she’s an artist) and it was lovely.
Next, we returned to Hiroshima. There is a very particularly interesting bar of a certain subculture that we went to. The owner taught me many things, and many “niche” Japanese words that I never would’ve guessed I’d ever need. Ask me about it one day, and I may tell you (depending on who you are… Hi Mom, hi Dad, hi colleagues, hope you’re well). I also gathered the willpower to return to the Memorial Peace Park and proceeded to absolutely embarrass myself by crying in public. It was a very heavy, very emotional experience. There was an exhibit about child soldiers at the time of the bombing, where they relay the things the saw and felt and experienced, and it is absolutely devastating. I’m tearing up again, so let’s move on.
Next, Kanazawa. It was cold. Very excuse-my-french-ing cold. But, also, the warmest people on the planet. I returned to last year’s haunt, and was warmly welcomed back to Music Bar Jealous Guy. I have been told I am now part of the family. There may have been an evening that ended with two unnamed persons ugly-crying in the back of a taxi. On a brighter note (maybe), I am pretty sure I nearly died from laughing earlier in the evening. I can’t really explain, because you have to had been there, but it involves fancy dress parties, Sicily, over-explaining otherwise unfunny jokes, puns about shoes, and finally the pinnacle of comedic timing I have ever had the privilege of experiencing. The night will forever be known as The Night of The Thirty Nine Gyouza (don’t ask).
Next, Tokyo! We have been here for four days, and it’s been crazy. Sleep is plentiful, alcohol is minimal. Or maybe the other way around? I can’t remember, I didn’t sleep much last night. I will save the Tokyo stories for the next post because I intend to continue posting a bit more.
My biggest takeaways so far have been that a little bit of Japanese goes a long way; that there is kindness to be found in unexpected places; that you can feel homesick about leaving a place you have never visited before; that laughing until you cry is the best wish you can have for someone; that “too much of a Gyouza thing” should actually be an idiom; that crying in a taxi at 4am is a beautiful thing. OK, so I have more takeaways than Uber Eats.
Yours most emotionally,
Cameron P. Clarence
Crier in Public
Crier in Taxis
Part of the Jealous Guy Family
Not Crying While Typing This
Etc.