I had a business trip to Nagoya at the start of the week. I had completely forgotten and turned up to work with no luggage completely unprepared. I borrowed smart clothes and shoes from a colleague who is 30 years older than me and bought underwear on the way to the hotel.
Great impression at a new job.
At least the meeting went well. I think.
When nomihoudai-tabehoudai is your only friend.
Pigging out in style is the only way to justify spending 5000円 on a meal.
Well, that and spending time with a great group of people.
After X amount of years in Japan, JJ "the extravagant" has thrown a special leaving party every month for 6 (or more?) consecutive months.
Is this over the top? Of course. But how fantastic. It is not the act of celebrating yourself that I so much admire. Nor is that what I believe he has been doing. JJ is someone who appreciates how hard it can be to find the right people in life. He truly understands the importance of bringing people together. Without being phony, or shallow, I share the sentiment.
There is true pleasure to be found through connecting people.
The space between two buildings in the middle of the Golden Gai, Shinjuku.
The place of nightmares.
Here's one way that living in Tokyo beats Ibaraki: food.
I no longer have to crave western food, tokyo has everything. This includes one of my favourite cuisines: falafel and houmous.
I had "almost-as-good-but-still-pretty-far-from-the-actual-thing" falafel in Shibuya with some old Ibaraki chums.
Anchorsong at Moon Romantic with a live string cortet.
Absolutely insane.
I love it when Masaaki and I are in the same city at the same time. He's the only friend I know who is always moving between London and Tokyo. Masaaki is a Japanese person who works in London, I'm an English person who works in Tokyo. Perhaps crossing paths was inevitable?
The support act Young Juvenile Youth was also awesome.
Great night great music.
I also got a free poster yay! I just took a shot of it from my bed. Not moving.
A couple of weekends ago I went up to Ibaraki to spend time with my old crew. We did the stuff we usually do, go to the Drunk Duck in Mito...spend all day watching TV in Robbies flat. Go out for a nice meal, and then get blasted at karaoke and do all our routine tracks. Special mention goes to Daleth for being on perfect form and helping me sing our favourite ELO tune together, Robbie who will whip a harmonica out of nowhere just in time for that Neil Young classic, Daniel for being a teenage pop sensation, Vince for having a voice as smooth as Sinatra and Hana for just bring there...all the way from New Zealand.
I missed Riley a lot.
Vince, Daleth and JJ will be leaving Japan over the next couple of months. Although I am not in Ibaraki anymore, so don't see them so much, it's going to break my heart just that little bit.
However, there are still a few old friends staying here and some who have also moved to Tokyo. But I must admit, if none of my old Ibaraki friends were hanging around, I would feel entirely lost and homesick without my japamily.
