With much nicer weather than when I first arrived, this has, more or less, been my view for at least 5 hours a day all week. The other 5 hours in the van are spent in complete darkness after nightfall until we are freed-no earlier than 10pm.
Though at times I wish I could sue for infringement upon my auditory space, the offenders being techno music and excessively loud portuguese conversation, I'm also grateful to be shuttled between castings. Because; a) I get to spend my days above ground rather than on a subway, and b) being absolved of all navigational responsibility, I'm free to do other things, such as discuss Japanese culture with my Jack Johnson, Tupac, and Bob Marley-listening driver, 'Tats.' Tats is the bomb (used to run a restaurant in Nairobi: major coolness factor). Anyways, today we drove by a lineup of homeless people waiting for food in a random park (homeless people are a rare sight here-most of those found sleeping on benches simply got too wasted after work the night before and passed out) and delved into a comparison of the issues surrounding homelessness in Vancouver and Tokyo. This of course led to the topic of mental illness.
According to Tats, many young people in Japan are being affected by mental illness these days, particularly depression. More people (30,000 a year if Tats' stats are right) die from suicide than in car accidents. One of Tats' friends killed himself because his girlfriend broke up with him. The popularity of blow-up sex dolls and cafes where men can go and pay girls to play boardgames with them both seem indicative to me of a culture of loneliness, though of course further investigation over the next seven weeks may lead me to other conclusions. Tats was saying it's interesting how in Kenya where everyone is so poor, suicide is pretty much a non-issue, whereas in developed/rich countries the problem just seems to be getting worse. I wonder, are certain cultural values more conducive to mental stability? Or is it simply that people who have 'less' manage to gain a better understanding of what is truly valuable? Afterall, as Seneca wrote, "It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor." Is our 'more, more, more' culture driving us insane?
I clearly get a lot of time to think these days
dewa mata (see you later)
well, actually we went galavanting and took about a billion pictures with people in crazy costumes who were out and about wandering the clubbing mecca of Roppongi
So far since leaving home on this asian adventure, I've celebrated my birthday in HK, thanksgiving in Singapore, and now Halloween in Tokyo. F***in' eh.
Though at times I wish I could sue for infringement upon my auditory space, the offenders being techno music and excessively loud portuguese conversation, I'm also grateful to be shuttled between castings. Because; a) I get to spend my days above ground rather than on a subway, and b) being absolved of all navigational responsibility, I'm free to do other things, such as discuss Japanese culture with my Jack Johnson, Tupac, and Bob Marley-listening driver, 'Tats.' Tats is the bomb (used to run a restaurant in Nairobi: major coolness factor). Anyways, today we drove by a lineup of homeless people waiting for food in a random park (homeless people are a rare sight here-most of those found sleeping on benches simply got too wasted after work the night before and passed out) and delved into a comparison of the issues surrounding homelessness in Vancouver and Tokyo. This of course led to the topic of mental illness. 
I can't say I was surprised to find such a sight awaiting me at the bottom of an obscure flight of stone steps leading off from the sidewalk; it's so Tokyo. And so wonderful. What I was surprised to find was this old friend:
Campbell's! And I thought I was destined to search the city in vain for comfort from my pesky cold!
I was grateful to be given the weekend off, and did a fair bit of wandering around my Roppongi neighborhood today.
After breathing in humid air for five months the crisp coolness of the air here feels absolutely incredible. I have fallen in love with breathing.
but had to leave singapore for tokyo eventually, so here I am.
getting rained on.
then stayed up with Anna until 3am when she left for the airport...
3am!!! oh yeah, I think that's what time I left for the airport in hk...remember, that time when I got to stay in the airport for 18 hours? I anticipate a 6am wakeup call on the day of my departure for Tokyo, which is rapidly approaching
BONUS PHOTO:
I MISS MY ANNA!!! :( now I have no one to share in my favorite hobby of mockery (all in good fun), or any other adventures/endeavors for that matter. Also, since my departure date is exactly one week after Anna's, this means my days in Singapore are numbered. 5 to be precise.
saw innumerable breeds of orchids in the orchid garden, as well as plenty of other interesting flora/fauna, and...bonsai trees!!! so cool
And later checked out some place called Aquabar down in the Clarke Quay nightclub area. It was like some sort of travelling circus (a.k.a.: mobile). The third time the power went off, Anna, Emily, and I took it as a sign from the heavens that it was time to leave. But first, we made the mistake of trying to use the 'bathroom.' One of the bartenders directed our attention to two portable toilets a short distance away. 
Needless to say we opted to make use of the facilities at a nearby restaurant before booking it out of there. 
