onsdag 14 januari 2009

Swedes in Tokyo

Yesterday I found out just how crowded rush hour in the Tokyo subway is. Basically, imagine standing in a 1 x 1 meter closet with fourteen other people. Then twelve more people decide to get in. 
Today was just as bad, but having confided to holding my breath for 15 minutes (being a pirate, this is not beyond my skill) I didn't really mind. I'm sure I'll have many fun mornings on the train between Kugahara and Gotanda in the coming month. I mean, when you've had a robust Mexican boy shoving his hip into your crotch, you can't even remember what life was like without it.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Yesterday morning I learned that Tokyo has way too many people living here – and only minutes after my arrival to school I found out who they all are.
They're Swedish.

I'm taking a Japanese Conversation course. So are about twelve other swedes. From what I know, the situation is the same in every other language school and institute. What the hell is going on here?
Well, for one thing we get the king's money for doing stuff like this. CSN (NAMBLA for short) happily hands out dough to anyone who has the bright idea of going abroad to "study", so why wait? 
And Japan is the it-place to go right now, I guess. I don't consider myself a trendy or fashionable so-and-so, but I can't deny that some of the same forces have driven me here that have affected every other blonde-and-blue-eyed gaijin in Tokyo. 
It's fascination, in various forms and flavours. 

Aside from that grown-up analysis, it was cool to meet some nice people from back home. 
We only had an introduction yesterday, along with a small test to determine our Japanese skills (or lack thereof), so today was the first actual schoolday. 
It was alright. Our teacher, Mrs Hasegawa, was great. The lesson itself was extremely basic and pretty easy for me. But I guess it will pick up soon enough. 

After that, I went with some of the swedes to Shimo-kitazawa. By recommendation, we knew it to be a cluster of small shops and cafés, selling old records and second-hand clothing.
It didn't dissapoint, but I didn't buy anything today. Maybe next time.

And that will have to do for these two days, since I am barely able to keep my eyes open. 
A combination of jetlag, lack of sleep and choice of activities has left me completely spent. At 10:30 PM. 
Oh well.

1 kommentar:

Daniel sa...

förväntar mig att du återvänder med en absurd collection av suspekta japanska 7-tummare och minst en resväska tvättäkta japansk second hand. the indie hipsters would tremble in your presence!