i landed in narita airport on the 17th at 3 pm running on approximately 3 hours of sleep over the course of 2 days. the flight was not uneventful, as the two guys sitting next to me were talking for hours on end about one of them starting a charity in indonesia, running for president, and very normal opinions on black people. i got in a surprisingly high amount of tears of the kingdom time in as an effort to silence the homicidal urges.

[this plane had a camera system that let people see outside even if they didn’t have a window. i hadn’t seen that before. i watched this more than the suspiciously limited movie selection.]

i’m staying in a hostel next to a river in sumida with jasmine and a few others. i did a lot of research that led to booking here and i am mainly relieved it wasn’t a disaster. secondarily it is a really cool place and i love being here. the first thing i noticed about the general area is just how quiet and small everything is. the cars are smaller and quieter, buildings are mostly only 2-3 stories tall, and all of the roads in particular are noticeably smaller, normally only 2 lanes with plenty of room for pedestrians. our hostel is directly under a rail line and the noise is barely audible. this is exemplary of the urban planning concept of “design at a human scale,” which broadly refers to a planning ethos that puts the experience of humans in a location at its primary focus. walking down a street here really feels like it’s meant to be walked in. i don’t feel towered over by buildings no person could reasonably scale. i am not sequestered to a minimal stretch of road under threat of a roaring stampede of machines ready to crush me at any given moment. doors to buildings are readily accessible and not distanced by a god awful meticulously maintained and unnecessary turf. as someone who has had serious anxiety about leaving my house my whole life i have taken a grand total of 3 morning walks alone since coming here. it is true; i am no longer mentally ill.

i have noticed more than once that just while having normal conversation with another person i will be the loudest thing in a 10 foot radius. this is because my default speaking volume is adjusted to an “american” level of constant background noise. after a lifetime of being told to speak up because no one can hear me and never being able to hear other people because of background noise i am happily taking this as an excuse to say this is a problem with society for the rest of my life. i have truly never experienced this level of “quiet” i think. especially in the middle of a major urban area. noise pollution is Real.

[this is the road leading to our place. i have yet to see a car go down this road. they are too afraid of its power.]

i will save you a meticulous play-by-play of everything i have been doing the past few days and keep it to the most interesting anecdotes. i have been on a quest to find all of my favorite foods from 11 years ago which has been generally successful but ongoing. i first found cherry juice in a machine with sumo wrestlers painted on it on the same corner i saw two real sumo wrestlers in full costume a day prior. i later learned that the hostel is right next to a sumo dojo which explained a lot honestly. the konbini right next to the hostel is unfortunately not a 7-eleven but it has a lot of the same stuff, most importantly my favorite ice cream.

[this was breakfast yesterday because no laws to prevent me from doing that exist yet. the one i had with my mom was assorted fruit but i have yet to find that kind specifically. good thing the grape was always my favorite anyway.]

i don’t have a lot of pictures because frankly i forgot i was supposed to be taking them. i’m just quirky like that. haha. ok remember to live laugh love everyone more to come :2