" hey man, that's japantastic!! "

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march 20th-21st:

big up to emi louie-nishikawa for coming through to the fullest.

sometimes in life, you are unsure of your place in the world, and it may seem as if you are utterly alone. the void is deeply visible and everything teeters on the cusp of falling over. and then a light of such pure brilliance comes and claims the overwhelming darkness. this is friendship, and it exists on a global scale.

did i tell you that i love japan? cause i do.

supa-asia friends straight up in it


we met at my room, executive floor room 3062. together we thrust ourselves into the world outside and what did we see?

a japanese monk procession at meiji shrine, a wedding ceremony, the early morning j-kids getting ready for their weekend day of fun, a food fair complete with strawberry girls and people in silly costumes, sticker pics, j-hip-hoppers strolling the takeshita street venue, a fucking surprise saint patrick's day parade, the out-of-place fantastic prada building, harajuku kids galore and also making fun of stupid foreigners who didn't understand why they were condescendingly male-gazing assholes and stupid, scavenger hunt musings turned photo-op with a girl in a pikachu costume, shibuya crossing, tokyo hands with us as monkeys during the greatest live kitchenware cutlery informercial known to man, don quixote, reading comic books in that shop when i was seeing flashy stars about to pass out, 100 yen super stores, people watching at hachiko plaza thing alongside the deconstruction of japanese fashion, drinks in a cool ass restaurant, 2am custard run at cico mart, and last minute touristying on the top floor of the govenment building southern tower. we were all over this mad puppy of a thriving cityin a mad dash, like electricity through the oceans' deep. now what?

you're faced with life in it's most raw form; pulsating, engaging, funny as hell occurrences, the subtle in-between moments that create lasting memories never to be forgotten. the moments of your life.

bay and the harajuku j-kids

- (c) baystar/emi 2005 -

so thank you again emi. you made my trip, and in just one day and a half, you have reminded me that we live in a wide world that is just waiting to be experienced. this is something i will never forget, and we are better people for knowing one another.

tonight's homework:

get the fuck out of your house, apartment, condo, car, and rut. engage the world beyond your doorstep for once in your life, and just go for it. it is all out there waiting for you to interact with it, and if you don't, you'll find yourself watching a glowing flicker-box with a remote control in your hand guiding your brain to a sure softening. or you could have interviews with the harajuku j-kids and take your photo with them. now, what's it gonna be is all i ask?

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