The Hopeful Wanderer: Yet Another Trek 'Round the Sun

Well, it's gone and happened again; another year has crept up noiselessly and established itself before anyone could even think to ease off of the accelerator. Here we are more than three quarters of the way through the year, 2012 knocking on Autumn's doorstep, and I haven't yet gotten used to writing 2011 on the date column. I suppose at some point you learn to stop struggling at the brake and enjoy the whooshing sound the years make as the train of life gathers speed. But with every new year comes another birthday week, and this year's proved to be a fantastic mix of chaos and delicious.

A woman navigates through the bustle of a Shibuya street
while talking on her phone

It was interesting from the start. As it turns out my birthday in Japan is celebrated as a national holiday. Don't ask me why these East Asians stop all business on behalf of little old me, but the result is such that the day before is alight with social activity. Aside from the workers of chain-restaurants no one has to get up on the 19th day of the 9th month. So, planning accordingly, I was all set to go on a 2 hour cruise in Tokyo bay, scoping the skyline and having a few drinks with friends. I finished work around 5 and, as luck would have it, the first train after work would get me there just in time for departure. Everything was going smoothly until, 10 minutes before arrival, someone jumped in front of my train. The "personal accident" (as it's directly translated) delayed me just enough to miss the boat. It felt just like a crappy made-for-tv-movie; me, dressed in a ridiculous pirate costume (did I mention it was international talk like a pirate day?), sprinting to the dock only to witness the boat slipping away a mere seconds ahead of me. If they'd have let me onto the departure pier I could have easily long-jumped onto the boat as it was pulling away....dramatic indeed. But not all was bad. I had my camera and got the opportunity to try my hand at capturing to energy of the Tokyo nightlife.

Two days later an unbelievable typhoon hit Tokyo. When I got the call from work that the schools were closing for the day I felt like a celebratory beer was in order. However, I made it just two steps out the front door before the elation was (literally) blown off my face. Winds in excess of 100 mph and torrential rain also seem like something from a bad disaster movie. I even witnessed the trailer for it: A man in a black business suit walking towards the station during the peak of the storm. His balance-point is artificially shifted forward against the wind giving him the appearance of a swimmer perpetually primed to launch into the pool. In his raised arms he carries the shredded taters of what was once an umbrella. Through some storm-induced delusion he is still trying to deflect the frenzied raindrops, though his tool is about as effective as using a fork to eat miso soup. I had to admire the man’s perseverance. He was trekkin it to a station where the trains were likely not running, self-saturating and risking sight from the whirling debris, all for a JOB? Hard workers these folks are indeed! Though from a very young age they're conditioned to give full commitment to the society/group they're included in, this even extends to the company they work for. So when a worker takes a vacation away from his job, it's a common practice to bring back omiyage (souvenirs, usually edible) from the place he's just been to. The significance is that he is offering his sincerest apologies for straining his coworkers with his share of the work. As a token of this gesture, he offers up the tasty treats so that he may be absolved of guilt.

The streets in the aftermath of the typhoon.
All of this was flying debris only hours before

Speaking of guilty. The night of my birthday a few friends and I visited one of Tokyo's most famous Sushi houses 美登利寿司 (Midorizushi). I won't blather on about how great the food was, but take a look at the photos and decide for yourself. Enjoy.