I’ve always had an affinity for the month of June (maybe because it’s my birth month, marked by solstice and the start of summer), but this year was particularly magical. I spent all of June in Tokyo, attending writing and Japanese classes, living, eating, and communing with a group of the most talented and creative people I’ve ever met.
Wrapping up the month-long program with Astray, a new friend asked what I had been most surprised by. About the course, about Japan, about myself. The obvious answer was the ease I felt almost immediately upon touching down in Tokyo.
Before Tokyo, my only other experience with international travel as an adult was a beautiful (but anxiety-inducing) two-week trip to Italy. In Italy, it took me about five days before I could sleep soundly, making it through the night without nightmares of pickpockets and bedbugs and losing my passport (none of which ended up being an issue).
In Japan, I slept soundly. My sleep schedule was disrupted only by late nights out after the last train and frequent 3 pm matcha lattes. I arrived in Tokyo mentally preparing for agonizing anxieties and sleepless nights. Instead, I found instant ease and an infinite well of gratitude <3
R - Reading
When Lucy and I went to a used bookstore in LA and asked for a copy of this book, the stockist looked at us incredulously and asked, “Who sent you?”
We glanced at each other, unsure of what the right answer would be. “We never have copies, but we just got one in today,” she explained. (That’s what I’d call a synchronicity for all of you Artist’s Way heads out there.)
Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines is a memoir by Nic Sheff. His account of addiction, plus his father’s memoir of the same time in their lives, eventually became Beautiful Boy, the movie starring Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell.
The memoir has an interesting, conversational tone that I haven’t encountered in many books, but I think it works well for how personal the subject matter is. Nic, as a narrator, feels like he’s recounting his struggles with addiction to a therapist, friend, or fellow addict.
It’s quite a dark read, and can get pretty graphic. At times, the only thing that gave me the strength to keep reading was the knowledge that, by the very fact that I was reading his account of his life in the first place, there must be some sort of happy ending.
E - Eating
I had so many amazing meals this month, so I’ll just leave you with a gallery of some of my favorites.
I will say, being a vegetarian in Japan is a unique challenge.
I was able to find meals nearly everywhere I went, but it often involved a little extra searching (goodbye cellular data and phone battery), and I usually ended up surrounded by fellow foreigners. It’s a self-induced limitation, so I won’t complain too much, but it was sometimes a bummer to miss out on traditional Japanese meals or not be able to impulsively duck into a ramen shop for a quick bite.
While convenience store food made up probably 75% of my diet, I was quite sick of it by the end of the month. So no konbini photos here.
P - Playing
One of the magical things about June was that I really didn’t consume any media, and it was entirely unintentional. I was so busy exploring, socializing, and writing that I didn’t watch any movies, TV shows, or even YouTube videos. I barely listened to music, but I still managed to amass quite the collection of songs.
I re-downloaded Shazam a few days into the trip, embracing the earnest cringe of holding up the app in public to capture songs I heard in the wild. From Japanese synth-pop to rock to rap, I wanted it all.
It was just gonna be Japanese songs, but one of the cafes I was working at kept playing such good indie music—the exact kinds of songs I look for back home—so I added a handful of those to the list too.
I also met my musical match this month (94% compatibility, can you believe that?!) so I’ve been listening to our Spotify blend too. (Hey Lin, we still need to sing Elliott Smith at karaoke!)
O - Obsessing
I mean, just the whole thing. The people, the place, the experience of it all. Tokyo is a magical city, but some of my favorite nights were the ones spent at the guesthouse. Game nights and river walks and late-night talks sitting on the pavement.
It’s hard to imagine how to recapture that feeling. I could come back to Tokyo, repeat the exact same itinerary, but I know it wouldn’t be the same. Maybe this June will just exist behind a hazy sheen of nostalgia, something to remember when I wonder if this feeling is even possible. It is.
R - Recommending
It feels impossible to recommend anything without going rogue and telling you to quit your job and live in Japan and surround yourself with writers. But I need to be able to capture that feeling once I get home, too, so here are a few things I’m hoping to bring home with me from Japan:
Talking to strangers - most people are happy to strike up a conversation, and you never know where it might lead. (I knowwww the Seattle Freeze is the antithesis to this, but I’m going to try to be more open and engaging).
Jazz bars - and live music in general. Small shows, small venues, jam sessions, cafe sets. I want to seek out music and weave it into my daily life. I need to keep practicing piano.
45 minutes on the train really isn’t that far - why do I avoid places I love, like West Seattle or Columbia City, just because they’re kinda far? I need to get out of the bubble of my apartment and my neighborhood and actually explore the city that I live in.
Trusting that things will work out - I think that’s where the ease comes from. I’ve been believing that I will get where I need to go. I hope I keep feeling that way.
Sharing my writing - it’s vulnerable and scary and intimate and so so so rewarding to share with the right people.
T - Treating
This whole month was a treat in and of itself, but I also celebrated my 25th birthday in Japan, which was a perfect excuse for some extra treating.
I picked up these Tabi Mary Janes from Marugo Tokyo because I’d been eyeing them since discovering them on a Reddit thread my first night in Tokyo. They’re fun and funky and I have no idea when I’m going to wear them at home. Maybe to an aforementioned jazz bar?
My birthday also felt like the perfect excuse for this cafe experience, where you write a letter to your future self (wax seal and all) and they mail it to you a year after you write it. Because I’m wordy, I filled double the allotted space. I hope it’s worth reading a year from now.
The night ended in a crowded karaoke room, singing 2000s pop hits with my newest friends. We rushed out right before the three-hour mark, singing Take Me Home, Country Roads as we made our way down the hall in an attempt to save ¥35,000. We gave up a stacked queue, but we saved the money. Next time.
Love this - also your film photos are beautiful !! Missing you already
My favorite report yet! I loveeeee June in josieland, matcha lattes, and a “gonna” thrown in the mix