Journey in Japan Part 58: The Tooth Without Enamel

Today is the last day in Japan to take a look at the autumn leaves. Abscission has actually started, and the leaves are ready. It is as though some secret biological rhythm powered naturally informs the trees that today they should cut their leaves. Plunging like clockwork. Fading like time. Today the fallen leaves will start to drop, and there is no changing that. The Japanese individuals tell me that it starts today. The trees recognize that it begins today. The ground outside a clean of environment-friendlies, yellows, and also reds. A showing traffic light on a rain brushed up road would fit the scene perfectly. Today is clear with sunshine; completely dry yet with a light breeze. No rain. No reflections. I head outside for one last time to enjoy the autumn colours. Tomorrow, there will be nothing left.

Regardless of my obvious fascination with the serene delight of autumn colours, I am distracted; still experiencing calmly from tooth pain. The dental practitioner doesn’t open till half 2; with a mid-day lunch planned, I decide on a 4pm visit. I take the train over to Harajuku. Today, there are 2 really various festivals occurring in the room outside Yoyogi Park. The first is a vegan food festival, the 2nd, a Spanish food event.

I exit the train right into Harajuku Station. Beyond of the ticket obstacle waits a young Japanese man with a microphone. Like a pet waiting to capture its target, he waits quietly for me to get near, prior to hurrying right into my path, quiting me in my tracks as well as thus interrupting my ideas of dentalangere. Excuse me, can you speak English? he asks, holding the microphone instead intrusively below my chin, before pressing it towards my mouth in want of a reply.I think twice for a minute, unprepared by his inquiry.
No, sorry, I inform him.
Oh, he claims, considering me with a mix of complication and also wry frustration. Okay, sorry then. With that he checks his Suica card on the ticket maker, and heads through the barrier towards the platform; his outline lost in secs as he is swallowed up by the reckless crowds.

I reach Yoyogi Park to discover the Spanish event in full swing, numerous food stalls (eleven of which are selling paella), standard Spanish clothing, and flamenco professional dancers dancing on the huge phase. The dancers appear to be genuinelyenjoying themselves; their hearts shed to the rhythm of music.

I didnt come all by doing this to be pestered by guys with microphones or pay attention to Spanish songs though. I came right here today for the vegan event. I wander from Spain as well as accidentally wind up in Germany. Somehow, somewhere in between both food markets, car maker BMW have a phase showcasing their most recent electric car; the BMW i8. I angle fairly see what this relates to the Spanish festival, or a diet free from animal products. The BMW phase is here though, and looks unbelievably misplaced; it is primarily overlooked by the many people who are clearly below to consume food.

At the vegan food event, there is a whole lot less hot food than I expected. Most of the stalls are selling natural and also Fair Profession products. Coffees, chocolates, teas, sugars, as well as different types of bread. There are just about ten hot food stalls, but mostly all of the food has actually currently sold out. I amspoilt for selection between a shop marketing Indian curry, and also a store marketing vegan hamburgers.

500 later and Im sitting on a park bench, eating a burger, bordered by fallen leaves that possibly taste better than my food. If it wasnt for the sauce that adds at least a hint of flavour, I would possibly throw out the hamburger; hurrying back to Spain for some warm paella rather. As I leave the celebration, I see thatthe people searching the vegan stalls are a great deal less happier than the people over at the Spanish festival.

Essentially loaded with beans, I head back to Asakusa, as well as to the dental practitioner. Here, I withstand four separate x-rays, before a fast solution is done on my tooth. I make an appointment to return in two weeks time. It looks like my tooth will face the exact same destiny as the fall leaves; an abscission of sorts.After an hour in the dental professional, I pay 9720 as well as receive an additional package of yellow tablets.

My pain going away, I head over to Sens-ji, passing heaps of skeletal trees. For the next 3 days, a festival is occurring. Something to do with badminton noises, or two it appears.

Today is Hagoita-ichi. An event ofdecorated battledores; old design badminton rackets showing personalities from kabuki programs. There regarding twelve different shops below each marketing these noises, at a high cost. These decorated wood boards are supposed to disperse evil; possibly this is where the bad comes from in badminton. The sportthat these noises are made use of for is something of a Japanese childhood game called Hanetsuki. Extremely similar to tennis, however played without a net. I suppose the evil is the shuttlecock, as well as striking it toward your challenger isa method to disperse that wickedness upon others.

The conventional way that Hanetsuki is played utilizes a selection of face paint. If you shed a factor, your opponent reaches rub paint on your face. If you were terrible at the game, I expect eventually your colourful face may start to resemble one of the personalities represented on the Hagoita. Nowadays, these noises are made use of mostly for decoration functions. Sandwiched in between the stores offering tennis noises, are food stores, and also one details store that caught my eye; since it looked so out of place.

Daruma are typical Buddhist dolls and show theimage of Dharma. These dolls are specifically taken into consideration as a symbol of good luck. With white eyes that look right into nothingness, it is claimed that if you colour in oneeye, then you can make a desire. When the dream comes true, colour in the second eye as well as your Daruma is almost total. The only point left for the doll is to be returned to the holy place it was bought from, and scorched. It feels slightly unreasonable to melt an item that has actually done its finest to approve you a dream, but unfortunately, thats just how these points go. As I am taking a photograph of the dolls, a man beside me is doing the exact same. His hat flies off his head in a gust of wind. In some way, I handle to reach my hand up and also catch his hat in midair; like a pro.

After the festival, I head over to Akihabara for an area of Xmas shopping. Japan is a country of Alcatraz themed dining establishments as well as robot cabaret shows; so normally I do not locate it unusual any longer tofind a caf themed around a popular lady idolizer band. Akihabara is still packed with comics shops, video game shops, and also huge electronic outlet store. This isn’t why I am here however. As if on auto-pilot, I head out of the terminal and also straight to the AKB48 Cafand Shop.

The last twenty-three single releases by AKB48 have actually gone directly to number one in the graphes, so my viewpoint is that they have to be popular amongst Japanese people. Among the added benefits (clever advertising and marketing tricks) is that with every CD purchase, there is a ticket that lets you tremble hands with among the members of the band. The individual before me in the queue is buying over one hundred copies of the very same CD; most likely he actually likes drinking hands. Leaving the store, and armed with 10 duplicates of 11gatsu no Anklet, I feel like a weirdo. Regardless though, thats Christmas buying 10 people finished in much less than 10 mins.

Before returning home, I head to Yodobashi Cam to play some piano, before leaving after half an hour because one of the personnel is givingme an are you mosting likely to get anything? kind oflook. Outdoors Akihabara Station, somebody seems to have mixed their Christmas up with Easter.

After Akihabara, I decide to have a drink in a tiny bar near the terminal. It is right here thatI get a call from my dental practitioner. She is calling up to examine just how my tooth is doing. I am surprised she made the effort to see how I am. An additional fine instance of exceptional customer service in Japan. Regardless of in 2 weeks needing to have my tooth cut without anesthetic, her empathy in some way relaxes me. I forget my fate, as well as take pleasure in the remainder of the night, virtually discomfort totally free.