Japan — January 2020
In Tokyo I thought about commas more than ever. The periods were not enough, because nothing seemed to stop; the light was constant and the people were liquid like a fluid always looking for a new container to transform into. Millions of people yet we all seemed to find ourselves in the most crowded social nodes constantly without any problem, even without meaning to.
Most of my days in Tokyo I walked dreamingly through the narrow streets of Hiyoshi, about 35 minutes from Shibuya by train. The metallic electrical structures are continuous, extensive, they would seem to be infinite but I know nothing is forever. Everything seems to follow its own route, in any direction, in all directions.
I met many people from different countries and cultures. I think I am very good at adapting to new places. I am moved by the void. Space in Tokyo is minimal, however that feeling of loneliness only makes everything feel immense, but extremely fugacious. Everything seems false, unreal, surreal. From the shops, the shop windows, to the people, the fashions. It is like being awake in a dream while running on a treadmill in some department store. Maybe we are like colors, we reflect all that we are not and can never be. Inside we are even more.
In Tokyo you say goodbye to yourself and surrender completely to the unstoppable train of time, ephemeral as in few places. You only meet people once and you don't see them again for months or maybe never again, each person may go through different lines on that chronic train.
I've never been good at saying goodbye to others, I hope I never do. I prefer to keep everything floating in space until the next time we meet, like commas that join phrases or ideas separated by spaces.
