Welcome to Kyōjima, Tōkyo

Welcome back to Tōkyo! This visit, I'm staying in the Kyōjima neighborhood, and to be honest, it feels very little like the Tōkyo I know.

Sure, the geeky craziness of Akihabara, the streets lined with ginko trees, and the world's craziest crosswalk are all a short train ride away. But here - it feels more like a sleepy suburb of Kyōto.

There are no salarymen, rushing from one place to another. No cars backed up in traffic. No megastores, lined up back to back. No neon lights.

But what there are - are families. I've seen more parents and children in the short time I've been here than in my previous nine months in Japan combined. In place of cat cafes are kids learning to ride their bikes, proud parents running behind them. Kids playing baseball in apartment corridors, and moms with kid seats in front and back, bicycling all over town.

And there are old folks. Spry but well-aged men and women going about their lives, getting groceries and their favorites at the neighborhood Izakaya restauarants, walking one more round around the block to stay active, fight off old age. Pedaling slowly but steadily everywhere they go.

It's taken me a bit to settle in, to work through the expectation vs reality of being here in Tokyo. (I had no idea this was the neighborhood I'd chosen.) But having done that, lord is it tremendous. I'm getting a different version of Japan than I have in my previous visits. I get to see how the world's largest city actually feels in the parts where most of its families actually live. I've walked my share so far, and I haven't seen a single foreigner within a full mile radius.

And look - to be honest, this wasn't the plan. In my head, I was staying somewhere more central, near to the river so I could do long runs, and be in the Tokyo I already knew. But as so often in traveling, I find myself somewhere unexpected - and I know that the key to making the absolute most of it - is courage.

Courage to poke my giant frame and spiky hair into the small doors of local spots, and see what I find. Courage to dig in and really level up my Japanese this visit.

Courage to show up, put myself out there, and trust as I've trusted everywhere else, that my fellow humans have got me. So here we go. :)

With lots of love, -Steven

p.s. The best thing I saw all week was this thought-provoking video essay on continuity in film - and nature of art and narrative beyond that. It's given me a lot to think about in my own work - maybe it'll give you things to think about too!