Starbucks God

Thursday, 17 July 2008

18h24

I am sitting by the window on the 2nd floor of the Starbucks at Shibuya crossing. I think I wrote about this crazy crossing before, in my first few days in Tokyo: people wait patiently until all cars stop at their red light and then start walking in all directions when they get the green light for pedestrians. What makes the whole thing special is that this is a huge intersection and seeing the 60-second marvel of people crossing is quite a sight. Right now there are no cars but people aren’t crossing: they wait. Three, two, one… north meets east, east meets west, west means north-south-east. A couple, holding hands, crosses slowly; they kiss suddenly as they continue walking. A man in a suit runs – is he late for a meeting – and a biker almost runs him over. A women dropped her cell phone and some random guy picks it up. They both bow, then go separate ways. A western-looking couple also holds hands as they cross, and she holds her camera high – probably taking a video of the whole spectacle.

And I, I see it all from the heights, like a see-it-all God who knows what you and you and you are up to.

This has to be the coolest Starbucks in the world – at least for people-watching!

I gave a seminar in Kobe University two days ago, and I had been locked up in my office and in my bedroom for too many days. I think the presentation went well and once I finished, I was finally able to relax. Takashi, a professor there, and his wife took me out for dinner to this very casual Japanese fusion place that served food that can be best described as Japanese tapas. We had so many of them, from octopus to crab to Kobe beef to vegetables of all sorts, plus some good hot sake, Japanese plum wine, and some other Jap-liqueur. The restaurant scene in Kobe is supposed to be one of the best in Japan. Their other characteristic feature beside its quality is that it reflects the international influence that the city has had for centuries. I confirmed this the next day as I walked around town and discovered even a traditional Turkish ice cream place – didn’t know that ice cream was a specialty in Turkey!

Although I only spent half a day exploring this city, that was enough to make me want to go back. The city was devastated after an earthquake hit it back in 1995, but numerous efforts to rebuild it paid off and now it looks fabulous – especially the harbour area. There’s a huge park by the oceanfront, with a beautiful hotel shaped like a pyramid, the massive white metal structure of the Maritime museum, which is supposed to symbolize the ocean waves crashing, the Kobe tower, some very nice statues, and an old carabela called “Santa María” – I wonder if that was Christopher Columbus’s… can’t be, right? And as I saw all this, I also saw some kids playing in the distance, I felt the wind blowing strong in my face, and I heard some happy-sounding Latin beat coming from a cruiseboat, and the loud voooom it made as it left the pier and all the passengers waved goodbye at their friends and relatives, who waved back. Combining all this with the fact that I had just finished my presentation the night before, that I was traveling (living!) solo in Japan, and that I had finally had a good night’s sleep, it occurred to me that I have perhaps never felt so free.

And after all this, I had my Kobe beef meal. Just perfect.

From here, I went to Kyoto to meet K as we had made an appointment several weeks ago to visit the Katsura imperial villa. This place is one of the most ridiculously well-taken-care-of gardens you will ever see in your life. It’s amazing how gardens are one of those few things that can actually be preserved for centuries (this one was built in the 17th century!) and still look like they were built last year.

Finally in the evening, I met my friend Claudia and we walked around the city and enjoyed the Gion Matsuri, one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It was beautiful. They close down the streets downtown to all non-pedestrian traffic and there are many “floats” all over the place, which are tall wooden structures decorated with tons of tapestries and Japanese lamps. On top of these structures, there are several men sitting by the edge, playing some music with bells, flutes, and drums. All along both sides of the street, hundreds of stalls sell anything from okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and hot dogs to cartoon masks, “peluches,” and kimonos. At dusk, all the streets are only lit by the lanterns on the floats and on the street, and it’s a beautiful sight. The downside? It’s insanely crowded!