My first time in Tokyo. As a country boy, I kept looking up at the skyscrapers, my mouth hanging open in awe.

Until middle school, I was a bundle of complexes, but I made my high school debut, got my first girlfriend, and started to gain confidence in myself. However, school classes were boring because I realized I couldn't study CG, which I had originally wanted to do, and I started thinking about dropping out of school and going to Tokyo.

Next steps

Deciding to move forward for now, I started thinking about my next steps. When I was looking up open campuses online, I found a school where I could experience CG. The school was in Tokyo.

I asked my parents, and they agreed to let me go to an open campus held in Tokyo during the summer break of my first year of high school.

My first Shinkansen ride

My first time in Tokyo. Since I was going all that way, I decided to make it a 3-day, 2-night trip and set aside time to explore Tokyo for a day. Leaving Okayama, where I had grown up, to go to a new place. To me, having grown up playing



Pokémon

, it felt like the start of a great adventure, leaving Pallet Town to head to a new city. I boarded the Shinkansen for the first time, heading toward Tokyo. I was also surprised by the speed of the Shinkansen.

I was leaving Okayama, the city where I grew up, in the blink of an eye. I was mesmerized by the scenery visible outside the window.

My first time in Tokyo

And then, I arrived at Tokyo Station.

First, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people at Tokyo Station. People were walking in every direction, and I didn't know how to walk straight. I wanted to go to Ikebukuro, but I didn't know which line to take. For now, I asked a station attendant for help.

After asking station attendants for help several times, I finally got on the Yamanote Line. Then, I was surprised by the digital advertisements I saw for the first time inside the train.

I couldn't hide my surprise at everything I saw.

The many skyscrapers

I managed to reach my destination, Ikebukuro, and the moment I stepped out of the station and into the city, I was amazed by the number of skyscrapers in front of me.

In Kurashiki, Okayama, where I lived, there were few tall buildings and the streets were open to the sky, but Tokyo was full of skyscrapers and I couldn't see the sky.

I looked up at the buildings, looking every bit the country bumpkin, my mouth hanging open.

As I was walking around the city, I happened to notice a crowd of people at a shop I was passing by.

I stopped out of curiosity, and that led to an unexpected event.

The first celebrity I ever met

As I stopped, a man came out of the store.

He was tall, slender, and had well-defined features.

It was Jun Matsumoto from Arashi.

Just as I thought Jun Matsumoto had appeared barely a meter away, Masaki Aiba came out next.

Following them, Hanako Yamada came out.

I couldn't help but retort in my mind at the combination of Arashi, Arashi, and then a major comedian from Yoshimoto Shinkigeki.

I understand Jun Matsumoto and Masaki Aiba, but why Hanako Yamada?

It seems they were filming a TV show at the shop, and I happened to encounter them the moment they finished filming and were moving to the location bus.

The first celebrities I ever saw were so close, yet they looked like they were on TV—they had an otherworldly coolness.

Summary

In my first time in Tokyo, I encountered my first celebrity, and I became completely captivated by the city.

After that, I headed to my original destination, the open campus.

I think I will save the rest of the story for next time.

Thank you for reading this far!