Silver Lake + Meguro = Me

Saturday, September 28, 2024

I swore I wouldn’t travel in 2024, but alas, an opportunity came up that could not be resisted so that we will go on our annual trip to Tokyo. Tokyo is our second home, more than anything else. I visit a few coffee shops in Los Angeles, and when in Tokyo, I also see my favorite coffee shops. There is nothing I would rather do than sit with a notebook or read a book in a Japanese coffee shop. Because that city and its citizens are busy, one tends to make a schedule for every second. My body has difficulty adjusting to that frame of mind, and the coffee shop is a pit stop or a holding area where I can gather my thoughts for the day.

The easy part is securing our home with someone living and working on the premises, but the tricky part for me is what to bring on the trip. I want to be like Paul Bowles or David Bowie, who would bring an enormous trunk suitcase for his books. Bowles had a serious clothes collection that had to travel with him to all locations. I'm not too fond of luggage. I almost have a phobic reaction to a suitcase full of stuff. My idea of travel is to bring a toothbrush in my jacket pocket and nothing else.

I came with an empty suitcase, and once I was in Tokyo, I visited MUJI and UNIQLO to get various long-sleeved T-shirts, underwear, a sweater, and socks. I have midnight blue shoes from ATOM that are perfect with any clothing and ultra-comfortable for walking around the city. MUJI also has my favorite shaving gel, and I have to point out that I only use gel. The foam I find is gross, but the clear jelly substance, such as gel, is perfect for my face and shaving pleasures. One can buy a portable travel comb/brush, hair tonic, and shampoo/conditioner. Buying those types of things in a drugstore is aesthetically not pleasing. Still, MUJI is more about design, and the content in these perfectly designed bottles and containers is usually excellent.

UNIQLO is perfect for people who hate shopping for clothes. What you don’t get is variety, but almost every item seems worth getting, so one doesn’t need a selection but just a store that offers suitable clothing. I also prefer well-curated shops; therefore, the buyer can pick anything that is good. The curating part of the customer is choosing the right shop, and once that is settled, I recommend that you let the store/boutique take care of everything else. And that goes with book and record stores as well.

Nothing is simple about Tokyo, so it is wise to be as prepared as possible. You should not overplan your schedule, but you will need a master plan, especially if there are places to go or things to do. It would be best if you used your phone for mapping purposes. Most of the streets in Tokyo do not have a name, but Google Maps works well in Japan. So, I recommend getting a portable wi-fi for your phone and laptop. Or, at the very least, get a usable e-SIM card for your phone. And some companies supply that service online.

It is a good time for me to go on this trip because a dark cloud always follows me, and it will surely sneak into the plane and arrive with me in Tokyo. Still, a change of scenery is a good mental state. A hobby of mine is to wander through the streets of a foreign city and bump into things one doesn’t expect. But I also like my neighborhood, Meguro, because there are no Starbucks (although I believe Starbucks Japan’s headquarters is in Meguro). It is still full of independent businesses. Still, there is something strange when I visit my local Whole Foods and see the same clerks, and then go to Meguro and see the same clerks. That defines me as living in both cities.