And yet again, I’ve decided to travel to briefly escape. I occasionally find myself on days when everything feels less interesting, and there’s less enthusiasm in dealing with what’s in front of me. This yearly escape fills what seem to be bare, and I know it should not be like this, but I’m slowly working my way out of this mindset.
When I was in Japan, I spent most of my day in Tokyo, a city filled with people and skyscrapers, with temples in their midst. It was busy and colorful all throughout the day, and even more at night. At city centers and stations, it is so easy to lose myself in a sea of people –blank faces, all in haste to be somewhere.
I’ve never been in such a big city before, so whenever I stroll around, I sometimes find it hard to take everything in. All the noise and rush. I think I’d describe the experience as similar to two bullet trains passing by each other, everything is happening so swiftly and all you have is an image blurred by motion.
On my last day, I met Seo, my old creative director and friend, in Shinjuku Station and I remembered our exchange of thoughts about the comparison between Philippines and Japan. It is odd, but not surprising how we both have an affinity for each other’s country. I guess when you’re a tourist or when you are new to an area, you look at a place and its people with a rose-tinted glass. Your views lean more into the positive, untainted with stereotypes, and you look at everything around you like a curious and happy child.
Overall, Tokyo was a beautiful and unique experience. The city offered me a lot of new experience and perspective, and it’s definitely a city that I’m going to visit again in the future.
