Issue 1 - Writings
Takayuki Kobayashi (flotsam books)
Don’t you get overly mindful of the other person when you try to work with them? Like, “I wonder how this person will feel if I say this.” Or like, “This guy and that guy have different aims, so I’m going to ask this guy to do this and that guy to do that.” Guesswork, guesswork; every day is about guessing how the other person feels and being considerate of them. And yet, you end up with an amalgamation of each party’s compromise. The more people are involved, the more they act polite, and both the good and the bad get lost, making the result a fucking boring one. That’s why I want to do things on my own....
READ MORE
Issue 1 - Writings
Fuyuki Kanai
A little before I came to Tokyo for university, I watched the film Lost in Translation. I saw myself in the protagonist: a young American college graduate with no job, dreams, or ambitions who had aimlessly followed her husband on his business trip to Japan. That feeling she has of being left behind in the hotel room after her husband leaves for work was something I’ve experienced before. I thought about her as I walked across Shibuya Crossing after I moved to Tokyo....
READ MORE
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...
READ MORE
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...
READ MORE
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...
READ MORE
