Issue 1 – Writings
Tsuyoshi Katoyama
I think I’ve figured it out now, more or less. Whenever I catch a cold, I start showing symptoms the day before. I wake up to the unpleasant electronic sound of my alarm, and my throat feels awful, and it stings to swallow my saliva. Using my phone’s flashlight, I light up the far end of my throat in front of the bathroom mirror. The red interior of a person is as dark as magma. My throat’s irritated—it’s acting up—but the fog drifting in my mind is in soft focus, dense, and nebulous. I retrieve an Omron thermometer from the back of my drawer and place it under my armpit...
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Issue 1 – Writings
Sogo Hiraiwa
I like being alone. I don’t hate crowds, but I feel more comfortable and grounded when I eat, watch a film, and travel by myself. That’s why social media is really draining for me. But that doesn’t mean I don’t use it at all. I use it for business and pleasure somewhat frequently. It’s this "social" aspect that I find peculiar. It is said that the medium of language was invented by Homo sapiens to develop social bonds. Neanderthals were apparently capable of using language, but the Homo sapiens community was bigger than the Neanderthals community. Because of that, they were able to thrive and continued to do so until they evolved into the people reading this...
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Issue 1 – Writings
Umi Ishihara
The sadness of someone I’ve never met, who lives in a faraway world, might’ve taken over my body.
The night is much too long and dark, and I’m sitting on a virtually empty bus with my slightly unclean face en route to a distant house in the south, where no one awaits me. I see the reflection of my ghastly face in the window and feel horrified. Did I always look like this? I know I’ll feel better once I listen to music, but I don’t have the energy to look for my earphones in my bag. I was just having a good time drinking and laughing with my friends, but as soon as I parted ways with them, I was brought back to the reality unfolding...
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