Kyoto - Everybody was Samurai Fighting, huuh

German, unmistakably 🎒

It's Thursday, and it's time for another activity. This time I will delve a little bit into the world of samurai.

On the way there, a group of five Germans walks ahead of me, two couples and a single person. I recognize them as Germans before they say a word. It's the combination that does it.

Number 1, one of the men is carrying a Deuter backpack. That's already the biggest indicator. In 80% of cases, Deuter carriers are Germans, and in 19% they are Japanese.
Number 2, one of the men is wearing Adiletten. He seems to be undercover, he exchanged his white tennis socks for bare feet.
Number 3, both women are wearing leggings, one against the will of her figure. Superficial? Yup. Judgmental? Nope. Accuracy rate? More than random...

The Germans walk ahead of me, taking the same route. Eventually, I pass them, leaving them behind. As I approach the location, I think to myself, 'What if my destination is also the destination of the German group?'
Well, welcome to the show 'Be careful what you wish for!'. Name of today's performance: 'It could come true'

I decide to reveal my origin only if I feel like it. I won't feel like it, my gut says 'No'. It's not a clear 'No', but 'no' enough. Someone once said 'Listen to your gut!' But who? Oh yeah, my gut. 😅

Samurai Playtime 👹

I was wrong when I listened more closely; they are not Germans. They are Franconians; Franconian is strong with them. There are six of us in total, enjoying 75 minutes of kendo. What is kendo? Let Wikipedia speak for itself.

Kendo is a modified, modern form of the original Japanese swordsmanship, as learned and lived by samurai. Kendo as a way follows not only the techniques and tactics of swordsmanship but also the spiritual education of humans.

In our case, it's costumes, blunt katana, and choreography. But it's fun. And our master is also good at taking pictures. Well, we're also in a theater here, not a dojo. 😅

Later, I sit in the 'Café without a noteworthy name' and go through overdue tasks on my laptop. Budget and cash flow, cleaning up my to-do list. I already miss my regular reviews. Maybe my safety-loving gremlin misses them too. 🤷‍♂️

Falcon Punch 🥊

Meanwhile, I let the beautiful view affect me and then turn back to my tasks. After spending a long time absorbed in the laptop screen, I catch movements out of the corner of my eye. Not the typical 'people going to their seats and away' movements. It's something else; there's a certain hustle in the air. When I look outside, I see the reason for it. Birds flying around in front of the terrace. Three crows, one seagull, and four falcons. The falcons are big buoys. I enjoy the rare spectacle as long as it lasts.
A short time later, the falcons will come back and have a brief fight in the air, only ten meters away. 🦅

I can't stand it anymore 🙈

I walk through the streets and notice how I react to other foreigners. It's not the first time, it's always like that when I change cities. Something in me thinks I'm better, even though I don't want that feeling at all. It's either a kind of superiority or homesickness or a fundamental energy that I absorb the longer I stay in one place. After a change of location, it's gone again. Until I spend several days there again.

Maybe it's also because many things are more familiar now. It's like looking into a lake. When it's raining, the surface is disturbed, and you can't see your own reflection clearly. Only when it stops raining can you see the bottom and your own reflection at the same time.

Well, it's the same here. It's raining new impressions all the time. The impressions that are already familiar land on the shore, no longer disturbing the surface. In April alone, I had 12 different accommodations. That keeps the system busy, in action, not allowing time to rest. Because for that, your system needs to be certain that nothing can harm you. If you change places every second or third day, that's difficult.

I love this country. I love this city. And I love the people. People here look into my eyes to connect with a deep smile in their eyes. Just five minutes ago, the staff did the same when I started writing these lines in the Sternenbock Café. I'm just one Gaijin among many here.

I will never feel at home here, maybe I don't even want to. That doesn't change the fact that I feel good here. What's missing is feeling at ease. The feeling of well-being in the company of friends with whom I exchanged warm hugs to greet. 😪

A Big Movie 🎥

With the thought of home in mind, I decide to do something I had to do without at home. Originally, I wanted to watch Super Mario Bros. in the cinema with my group of friends on the last evening before my departure. But the movie release was postponed.
So now I will watch the original film in Nintendo's home country. The original meaning in this case is English with Japanese subtitles.

I try to book the ticket online. Since the website is not in English, I have to use a combination of the browser's translation function and my translator on my phone.
Not enough, I have to enter my name. Hiragana is not accepted. So I will temporarily be とおます こじ, which is tōmasu koji in Japanese.

Two clicks later, I have a Japanese email in my inbox and a QR code for pick-up. That was easy.
So if that's the case, I can choose another movie. How about 'Guardians of the Galaxy'? ;)

Sport is Murder - for Bad Mood 🏃‍♂️

Nothing helps, so I grab my Switch and beat the air in front of me. I get into it, it truly feels good. I feel young. I feel in a better mood. This mood won't last the night...