I’d meant to leave for Yokohama much earlier today, but fell asleep in a patch of sunlight while reading ALICE NINE.’s interview in the latest ROCK AND READ.
When I did finally wake up, I got ready, shaking off the last vestiges of my sleepiness, and headed out to Yokohama station. I made a beeline for Loft, and was surprised to find the mall already decorated for Christmas; while I was at it, I also picked up the latest CD DATA in the Kinokuniya right next to Loft.
I went to the motomachi chuukagai area next for an appointment to pick up a package from the address forwarding service I use. Their warehouse was simple to find, but I had to contact them to ask how to get to their office. It was through a little set of double doors I hadn’t noticed at first, and then up some stairs to another door that was clearly marked, but also not necessarily for customer use. White Rabbit / Blackship is a great set of services, though. I was there to pick up my autographed copy of GRACE as it would have cost far more to ship it home directly.
The person I’d been communicating with via email invited me in to see the place, and I stepped in to take a look, but then excused myself because I felt shy and awkward. They were very kind about it, and it was close to their closing time, anyway.
I then walked all the way over to minatomirai, passing through bayside parks and around the Akarengakan mall.
And then… at the park leading to the entrance of the World Porters mall, I was enchanted by an incredible light display they’d set up in the park, transforming it, through LEDs and geometric shapes, into someplace magical.
I took my time staring at the displays as I walked, but I was pretty hungry and so didn’t dawdle; I went to one of my ‘usual’ bread shops and was pleased they still had some of my favourites left. The curry bread is just divine, but what I really went there for was their ちりめんじゃこ bread.
I found an empty bench along the boardwalk and ate my curry bread there by the light of a lantern, relaxing in the cool night air (plus, my feet were starting to get tired by that point).
Still, I wasn’t done. I got back on my feet and headed for minatomirai station to go back to Yokohama, this time heading through my usual route in Queen’s Square mall; the height of its escalators passing through several floors to go straight to the entrance of the subway platform really impressed me when I first saw it… and intimidated me a little. I’m not great at dealing with heights.
After a short train ride, I was shocked when I ascended the escalators out to the main square off Yokohama station, only to find that all the construction and restoration that had been ongoing during my last visits was all done, everything bathed in lights. It was a wholly impressive sight. I know logically it had been several years since I’d been back, but the restoration nevertheless wowed me.
I took my usual route to head to the Yokohama Vivre mall, also bathed in lights, because I wanted to check the Book Off there for magazines I’m missing, but found none… what I did find were a few more choice CDs (NIGHTMARE’s NOX/LUX, ELLEGARDEN’s greatest hits, and 凛として時雨’s #5).
And a gachapon shop. This time, quiet and empty as it was, I couldn’t resist satisfying my curiosity, and after perusing the whole shop, I indulged in 3 spins, for items that would add more tongue-in-cheek humour to my kitchen setup.
A kitten in a cabbage box with the same colour pattern as Scout, an extremely detailed replica of a portable toilet (I really wanted the Japanese-style toilet, but unfortunately got the western-style one lol), and a little replica of a capsule hotel unit that can fit another figure inside it.
Thoroughly exhausted, I finally called it a night and headed back to Yokohama station to take a quiet and rather empty train back to my hotel.
When I got home, I poured myself a bath, added some lavender-scented bath salts, and slipped into those mysterious, mystical waters before bed…
