E47: I'll put you in a Hong Kong movie
There was a bus that went to Harajuku from right in front of my school, and I used to take it often. I could have taken the Yamanote Line, but I liked sitting on an empty bus, looking out the window, and getting lost in thought until I arrived.
I loved that.
From Harajuku, I would head toward Omotesando and go into my usual cafe. When I sat at the counter seat by the window, right in front of me was the 'Dojunkai Aoyama Apartments,' a building I loved and enjoyed just looking at every time. (1927–2003)
While drinking coffee at that counter seat, I would watch the people coming out of the Dojunkai apartments or the people passing by on Omotesando. Rain or shine, I spent my time at that seat, people-watching with a coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
[Postscript: My previous explanation was insufficient]
In the 90s, just before it was demolished, the 'Dojunkai Aoyama Apartments' was a cultural hub housing many galleries and shops. I was watching the fashion of the people who frequented those galleries and shops.
What kind of clothes should someone like me, with a long torso and short legs, wear?
What kind of life should someone like me, who takes the long way around, lead?
Watching the people passing by, I thought about many things.
That counter seat is still there, but
the shops I loved have already changed.
The Dojunkai apartments themselves, the most important part, have been replaced by a stylish and pretty building called 'Omotesando Hills.' They left a trace of the old days at the edge of Omotesando Hills as if it were an afterthought, but... even if they do that, you know.
(I know that everything is impermanent. I am by no means speaking ill of Omotesando Hills.)
Well, after enjoying plenty of people-watching, I would leave the shop and enter the back alleys. There was a vintage clothing store I liked in the area commonly known as 'Ura-Harajuku,' and sometimes I would splurge and buy something.
When you're in Harajuku, you sometimes run into stunningly beautiful people, and those kinds of people are inevitably approached every few meters they walk.
Thinking, 'Ah, that must be such a hassle,' I, a long-torsoed, short-legged person who has absolutely nothing to do with such things, would walk through the streets of Harajuku at my leisure.
Drinking coffee slowly at my favorite cafe,
clutching my favorite vintage clothes under my arm,
and eating a 'Jangara Ramen' with all the toppings.
That alone made me happy...
What does it feel like to be scouted by a talent agency...?
As I was spacing out, watching girls look troubled while running away from scouts, someone suddenly grabbed my arm...
'Huh?'
'Hey brother, you're a handsome guy! Come with me.'
'Yes, yes, I'll put you in a Hong Kong movie!'
Who are you?
Why me?
Why the condescending tone?
Why Harajuku?
Why a Hong Kong movie?
I see, so this is what it feels like to be scouted in Harajuku...
'Give me a break!'
I was just terrified, so I ran away.
But now, I think about it a little.
What if I hadn't run away back then?
What if I had followed that foreigner?
What would have happened to me by now?
♪Rururu rururu rururu
Tetsuko
: "Genta-san, congratulations on your 25th anniversary in show business. But, how did you end up in a Hong Kong movie in the first place?"
Genta
: "Thank you. I'm not really sure myself. When I was young and hanging out in Harajuku, someone suddenly grabbed my arm."
Tetsuko
: "Oh my!"
Genta
: "It seemed interesting, so I followed them, and this is how it turned out..."
Tetsuko
: "You never know what life has in store for you, do you?"
Genta
: "That's for sure."
...As if that would ever happen!
Thank you for reading until the end.