Run Away Reports: Tokyo

It has been cool and cloudy the past couple days, I am not complaining! Summer campaign at work had me jumping on the bandwagon and wearing a yukata.. My body is totally unsuited for yukata-wear, but we made due! Mine is a cheapo yukata my older brother bought for me when he first visited Japan years ago. WH did not like any of the photos I took of her so she is behind the camera for these shots.

Buck-Tick tonight!!

I feel like I am floating! I am not thinking or something. I am about to go see my favorite band in the world Buck-Tick live in my favorite city on earth. During my forced days off, I have been spending time with people out of my own volition, guys who interest me and whose company I enjoy. It is much better than work, which I will return to tomorrow.

I hung out with Ryujiro last night; he is growing on me. He wanted to go to Crossover (where Daisuke, the charming bartender works) and we went. I felt sort of bad because Ryujiro and I were alone together. I told Daisuke last week that I had no boyfriend. He asked if he was my boyfriend. I said, no no, I am just teaching this guy English. I like them both, but Daisuke never made any direct move so Ryujiro is ahead in the game, I guess. And has more free time. Also, he knows who Noam Chomsky is, that is... +500 points, at least.

Ryujiro and I, after drinking several shots and mixed drinks, got kicked out of the bar at closing, then went to sit together under some eaves to protect from the rain. It was kind of romantic, and it was quiet in Roppongi, Tuesday night. He asked me what I wanted to do. I told him he should go catch his train, he has school in the morning. He said he did not care, he asked me, do you want me to leave?

I told him no, but he should not miss his train. He said I had two choices, he could leave and go home or we could stay up all night until the first trains. I said sure, we can stay up (I was up til 6 the night before so I was not sleepy). Then he told me he wanted to come to my house. I told him, I did not know him, and if he wanted to sleep, he should go home.

He smiled. He told me, okay then, I will see you this weekend. It was very hard to tell him to leave! He is charming even though he is only one year older than me and kind of silly.

Anyway! Who cares. Right now, I am ridiculously excited to see Buck-Tick tonight. I will see Atsushi Sakurai and Imai and everyone else in the band in real life!!!!!! I am ecstatic. I am trying to visual-kei up, clothes and makeup while listening to memento mori!

Everything that happened yesterday was almost out of my control. I just floated through the day, very conscious but passive at the same time, allowing the city and its people to act upon me, rather than exerting effort to do something myself. I went out and somehow accidentally walked a new route through Aoyama to Omotesando then ended up in Harajuku where I bought a few things. I always buy items that are marked down significantly, they are usually out of fashion and plainer, but more my style. I bought two long sleeve shirts and a skirt, then some decorative chains.

I went home and changed into one of my new shirts and he came to pick me up. It was nice to drive in a car. He lives in Ebisu, and, naturally, he drove toward there. He asked if I was hungry, and I said not really (I had eaten a big strawberry ice cream crepe in Harajuku), I just wanted to have some drinks.

Ebisu is an interesting area; I have never been there before. The station was a lot bigger than I had imagined it to be and it seemed like an active area, even yesterday night, a Monday. In the car, I told him I was listening to the Beatles earlier in the day, and that I wanted to drop acid in Tokyo. He laughed and said that another one of his American friends had expressed the same desire to him. We went to one bar café, but it was full, so he took me to another place he warned was more homey and woody. He made it sound like a bad thing. It was an Italian restaurant where we shared a small pizza margherita and some appetizers, I enjoyed it. I started drinking afterward at the bar and we chatted.

We spoke about coincidence, the strange timing of things, and drug use. He used to live in New York and tried almost everything. He was shocked when I mentioned leaving in September. He had somehow assumed that I would be staying in Japan for a longer time. I said no, I move around often. Later, he told me that his ex-girlfriend had called him the night before, and it was such strange timing, since he had just met me. I appreciated the honesty but it did not matter. I am nothing, he is nothing, and it would be silly to think otherwise. I drank three cocktails and a shot of tequila, went to use the bathroom and ignored a phone call from a customer, then we left.

It had begun to rain. We walked silently to his car then sat inside for a little while. I told him to take me home, but he wouldn’t, he told me that he did not want me to go home yet. He invited me to his house and I told him no, his girlfriend would be coming back to Japan soon and it would be inappropriate. He told me that her return didn’t mean anything, they were not together. It did not matter to me really, it was up to him, I wanted simply to remind him of the circumstances. When he was sure he wanted to have me, I went to his apartment.

It was a nice place, very clean and orderly with no sign of a woman. His small cat (which he was not supposed to have in the building) looked at me strangely, I felt unwelcome.

We smoked some weed even though I resisted at first. It was good quality. He told me he did not have much to drink, soda and water. I told him I was fine. Then suddenly something occurred to him. He said no one would ever drink it, so it was perfect, a miniature bottle of champagne. He poured the drink into a pretty champagne flute, a bit sweet but still delicious. It was not the first time I’ve had marijuana and champagne in the same setting, and it was not unpleasant.

I can’t help it!
There is no meaning to your name,
those characters simply make sound.
When your body is pressed against my own,
I can’t move, in this alley, brick wall behind me, it’s rainy.
There is something terribly wrong with this picture,
I ignore your face in the mirror,
see that girl and the man with her,
you and I can’t deny,
their looks as they pass by.
Yes, I’m shy.
There is no meaning, I told you!
When I stare, I see through you!
Transparent,
I can’t help it!
I feel nothing real,
skin frozen numb,
I prevent suffering.
Rain drips from your fingertips,
I look away, close my lips.
You are just another meaningless waste of time.
Your hands still on my hips,
I’m motionless, my heart skips,
how far will you go?
His hand slowly slips
into my skirt,
he unzips.

23:37 June 28, 2009

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Worked in Kabukicho last night and made some cash. I did not sleep and went to Azabu Juban in the morning to meet a new random person named Tomomitsu. I ate soba (again) with him and had a yummy soy mango smoothie. Later in the day, my room mate left to live in Chiba, then I met random guy number one, Osamu, again in the evening for coffee. He is kind.

soy mango

I do not know what will happen this week and I do not care (besides the Buck-Tick live on Wednesday!). I need to sleep.

cool salt shaker

I was told not to come to work, again. I am kinda pissed because that means I am losing hours and opportunities but it cannot be helped, so I am being patient. Hopefully I can go back to work on Monday.

Last night was a bit of an adventure. I went out with my room mate (who is moving out tomorrow, I guess this place is not convenient for her job). When I was waiting for her at Roppongi crossing, some random drunk Japanese university student named Ryujiro started talking to me in English and asked if I wanted to go out drinking. I told him okay but we had to wait for my friend. He was sort of silly and went to buy some noodles at the convini. I only tolerated him because he was a little good-looking, in a silly drunk college student way.

drunk ryujiro

We met up with some of his friends and went to the bar where (I guess he is my friend now) Daisuke works. I was a little concerned about showing up with the drunk Ryujiro because I did not want Daisuke to think he was some sort of boyfriend, but luckily Ryujiro's friends came along. We had some tequila and talked. They went to catch the last train.

ryujiro and yoshiya

Afterward me and my short-lived roommate went dancing in a few different bars. I think I danced to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean 4 or 5 times. I heard him being played everywhere in Roppongi. There were a lot of cops out last night as well, felt like I was in a police state. Police are usually quite visible in Japan but especially yesterday, they were nearly lining the streets and corners in Roppongi. We said good night to Daisuke and went home to sleep.

My roommate agrees that Daisuke's smile is extremely charming. But he probably smiles at everyone like that.

soba & tempura

On my day off, I did not know what to do so, I went to the internet. I met up with some random guy named Osamu who took me to the restaurant at Nishi Azabu crossing, Gonpachi. I had very good soba noodles and tempura (I have been craving for a while now) and a ramune sour. We talked about some random things, he does E but does not drink... He wants to go to some dance clubs with me (Ageha and Womb). I might go if there is E involved. We went for ice cream at Roppongi Hills then I said kthxbai.

Later on I walked to Roppongi, on the way this cute guy who works at a bar near the subway station said hi to me. He had asked me to come to the bar the night before when I was walking home and I said no. This time he told me to come and that he would be waiting til 5 am. I decided I would go, but later. I went home.

I have a new room mate, she is actually really cool so I am happy to have her. She is a Chinese office lady, speaks Japanese and English very well, and is very friendly. We have had a few conversations despite having opposite sleep schedules. She likes rock music like Rage Against the Machine etc.. She read my palm and told me about my Chinese zodiac. She freaked out about my birth-month (March) and told me that I was a very emotional person, falls in love very quickly and does not forget her past loves. I think this is true... She said my birth-year (Snake) is much more sensible, so I have some contradicting tendencies.

On my palms she read my past life was very long, maybe 90 years, and my heart was broken very deeply. She said this life will be a bit shorter and I will have some health problems toward the end. She said I should not eat so much then.

I thought about going to the dance club Feria but decided not to. I ended up going to the bar where the cute guy works, Daisuke. He talked to me a bit... He is friendly and smiles a lot, in a good way. He touched my shoulders and arm a few times and it gave me butterflies. I found out he is from Osaka (+10 points) and he lives alone in Higashi Shinjuku, having moved to Tokyo only a couple months ago.

Tonight it is back to work, trying to eat less random delicious food!!

Yesterday was nice, dry, bit breezy, so I took a long walk through Aoyama cemetery (it is very beautiful and peaceful there) to Aoyama, then discovered the outer Meiji gardens. I reached Kokuritsu Kyogijo (National Stadium; it is like a tongue twister, when I used to commute to Shinjuku, I would hear it everyday, it took me forever to say it correctly). I took some photos, definitely will visit again, it is a nice area. Next time I will go to the Meiji shrine. During my walk, Guitar customer called me and told me he would come to the club next Friday and asked me to dinner before. Yes!

sunlight

cool cross

couple bicycling

I asked to photo the team

cute girl balancing bat

Work was weird last night. I drank a bunch of tequila with one group of customers, they were cool. I shot back a rude retort to one of the old Russian girls when she tried to tell me what to do. She was treating me like a child and she has never even spoken to me before, if there is one thing I hate and will not stand, it is someone telling me what to do, especially if their authority is unfounded (pretty much everyone). I think they assume I have never worked before; one was surprised I can speak Japanese.

After the first group of customers left, toward the end of the night, I sat with a different couple. One guy was interesting. His English was good, I told him, Oh it is so nice to speak English with someone who can speak well! When I asked for his card, he said that I was going to love him... He is a banker. I am not so shallow as to care, but still makes him a good customer probably. I dunno. I will try my best.

Alcoholic Boss was weird and touched me multiple times toward the end of the night, on my legs, put his hands my face, etc.. He is crazy. I went with another girl to a sushi bar with the customers after the club closed. It was delicious, I am going to get so fat if this continues. I forgot about how quickly consumption can consume me.

Kanaria

Shibuya schoolgirls

The walk to Shibuya takes about 30 minutes. I had a good time catching up with Yuki yesterday, I could hardly recognise him when we met at the Hachiko statue. He told me that he would pay for my coffee because he was older. Sure, go ahead! Actually, we went to Excelsior and I had a white peach smoothie and a piece of mille crepe cake. It was very good! We talked about this and that, being lonely and him getting a job at Hitachi. He is distressed about the fact that he is going to be turning into a salaryman and will have to work everyday for the rest of his life. I felt bad. He told me that I don't need to worry about it, I am American, and I can do whatever I want.

Takahashi mailed me in the day time asking me if I still hated him (I told him last night that I did because he was being annoying). I replied with yes. He did not respond for a long time. When I was having coffee with Yuki, he mailed me a photo of his Ferrari. Very interesting logic, don't you think?

I had enough time to walk back home too, so I did, rather than take the train. It feels good to walk; work is so close that I can hardly call it a walk. I was really sleepy at work though, I don't know why, and hungry having not eaten much. I sat around for hours kind of miserable. Toward he end of the night customers came in and I had to sit with them. I drank two shots of tequila right off the bat. I really felt them because I was a little hungry. I got moved to sit with WH's customer.

Randomly the boss told me to come to the door. I was a little confused but went. It was Leor, the Israeli guy. I wondered why he was there. Apparently he was trying to claim that he referred me to the club and was trying to make money off of me. Wow, what a loser. I sort of just brushed it off and went to my seat. Alcoholic Boss was really bothered about it though, naturally. Leor called me today to tell me sorry, that his problem with my boss is his problem, and I should not have been brought into it. I told him I don't want to know anything about it, it is his problem, yes, so let's keep it that way.

After work, WH, her customers and I went to the tranny club! It was very very cool! Mama is a wonderful singer and I couldn't take my eyes off of her when she had her show. She is so funny. We ordered some Chinese food (I was very happy to eat) and she kept making sexual innuendos about the shrimp and other things. She knows everything. She told me that I am the kind of person that is usually and always alone, and have been for a long time. She told me that I am far from my mother (!!) and I miss her. She said that my aura is violet and this year I am going to fall in love many times. Next year, she says, I will have a big change. We'll see!!

I went out to dinner with Takahashi again last night... he is gonna make me fat, I've gained weight this weekend. He is trying to gain weight but says it is impossible. He misses his younger body when it was bigger and he consumed 7000 calories a day. He tried to build muscle when he was seeing the Moldovan hostess, but couldn't. I prefer his slim self. We went to TGI Friday's, drank white wine (my silly choice) and had a big salad with fish and chips. I could hardly eat because it was late and I was drinking the wine.

He is kind of annoying... he is trying to make me jealous and put me in a certain position so I keep asking things of him. And I do. I can't help it. He nonchalantly told me that he is going to take a couple days off this week to go to hot springs. I wanna go!! And he wants me to ask. So I did. And he said no. He wants to drive me crazy. Anyway, I am going to ignore him for a while. Or try to, at least.

I went home drunk and slept very well. It is not too hot nor rainy so I am going to walk to Shibuya and meet my friend Yukiyasu (my Japanese teacher's assistant from freshman year) then go to work. Week two begins.