Dearest Rachel –
Only a day into this tour (barely half that, in fact!), and I’m realizing that there’s another difference about this one as opposed to most of our previous travels that may make keeping you up to speed that much more difficult. While we’ve done plenty of trips where we’re running at a different pace than we might prefer (let’s face it, most, if not all, of them have had stretches like that), most of them have had down time where I could fill you in properly. I’m not exactly sure if and how that will work here.
Normally, in order to get from one place or another, we’ve been riding in a coach bus, which gives me time to take notes to accompany what pictures I’ve taken along the way. However, it would seem that we’re going to be doing a lot of walking around one neighborhood or another here in Tokyo (and, I expect, in Nagano in turn). That’s all well and good; I’ve trained to cover ground like this over the past few years, so doing so doesn’t even render me footsore that often anymore. However, walking isn’t particularly amenable to taking notes as we make our way around.
And for longer distances, we’ll be taking the metro system to get from one ward to another, which requires a certain level of situational awareness that precludes too much focus on my phone. Not that there’s any need to concern oneself with pickpockets or perverts – one is safe as houses here, even in the heart of the city – but being unfamiliar with the city, it’s that much more necessary to pay attention to where you are, what station you need to get off at, and in some cases, make connections to another line. You’d recognize the London Game, but in real life, and in Tokyo instead.
You might ask about my bringing my camera with me, and whether I’d be taking pictures or video rather than notes. Well, it turns out that even that divides my attention; I’m either talking to the camera or I’m taking in the moment. I can’t do both at the same time. With a small group such as ours, there’s something of a responsibility to interact with everybody, whether or not that’s comfortable to do. We’re here in part to meet this YouTuber who’s hosting this, as well as several other fans of his; it would be rude to ignore them for the sake of filming, or writing (it’s apparently also rude to talk or film on the trains, but that’s a separate, cultural issue that isn’t so much spelled out as inferred. You get the sense that what you’re doing is frowned upon without being told directly; I can’t explain it, but the vibe is definitely there).
A case in point; when everyone assembled in the lobby yesterday and we toddled off to the izakaya for our evening ‘get to know you’ meal. I did film a bit as we made our way there, and tried to get the first few courses as they came in, but as everyone started conversing, it became clear that this was not the time to be doing that. Again, I could either create memories, or stay in the moment. And while I ultimately put something together, it was such a small part of the experience that it hardly seemed sufficient for whenever I might go back and take a look at this again.
To be sure, once we were done with dinner, there was talk of half of the group going one way for a few more drinks, while others of us intended to just return to the hotel. At this point, I didn’t see a problem in splitting off from both groups, especially since Daniel was still hungry (the courses were all rather small, and at least one had to be passed up for being a fish course), and we decided to pick something up from the local convenience store. And yes, that was filmed; even though Daniel doesn’t like to speak on camera, he seems to have gotten used to being on it from time to time. I’d like to hope he can see these again someday, and remember being there and doing that.
But I’m not sure how this is likely to work out going forward. Will I be able to take much in the way of notes? Will I be able to film much without being too worried about whether I’m violating some societal norm? It’s weird, considering how the Japanese tourist abroad with their cameras used to be a trope back in the day; I’m basically returning the favor back to them, not that many recall those go-go days at the tail end of the Showa era, when they were all but atop the world. Then again, maybe it bothers them to be on the opposite side of the camera; who knows?
In any event, I certainly don’t; and I just want to let you know that I might have difficulty getting all this written down for you in a timely manner, because I’m trying to be more in the moment than preserving memories like I probably should as well. It’s a tough balancing act to maintain.
And to that end, I’d as you to keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck, as I’m going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 