saitama shuffle

I never thought I’d live to see the day where I wear running shoes with business attire. It’s happened, I look like Melanie Griffith’s Tess McGill in Working Girl. All I need to complete the package is to dye my hair red and listen to Carly Simon’s Let The River Run on my ipod.

I’ve now made it my daily routine walking from Yono to Omiya station. It takes me about 40 minutes each way. There’s a lovely path between Yono and Saitama’s famous Superdome. It’s kinda like walking around the Skydome but there are flowers and many small sculptures that look as though they were made by elementary students. I also pass a single row of 6 palm trees which is a lovely site to see. There’s nothing like spotting the odd palm tree here and there to remind me that the best weather has yet to come.

When heading towards the Superdome I walk in the opposite direction of many business people. They all wear black. Black jackets, pants and shoes. I stand out in the crowd as I dodge people here and there sporting my pink shirt, blue rain coat, red scarf and white Adidas. Tess McGill’s attire wasn’t as loud but you could probably spot her hair in the river of black suits.

Today I decided to put my ipod on shuffle and I can’t believe the difference it makes when I walk. As I was getting off the Iwatsuki train at Omiya station, Explosions in the Sky accompanied the action of searching for my metro pass in my enormous purse. Who knew such a simple action like that could contain such drama? People were coming at me from all directions as I fished for my wallet, I was afraid to look down as the music escalated. Suddenly I felt the leather at my finger tips and the music swelled out of control. I pulled out my wallet just as I reached the gate, I could feel the urgency of the people behind me as I swiftly removed my pass and inserted it in the machine…phew! I nearly fumbled that one.

As I went up the escalator to catch my connecting train Loverboy’s Workin for the Weekend came on and what a strange sensation that was. I didn’t know what to think. I was in a busy train station listening to…well…Loverboy. I guess there’s a time and place for it like karaoke or casinos but that just wasn’t right. Plus it was Monday, it might have felt a little more genuine on a Thursday or Friday…I dunno I got through half the song and had to fast forward it. After that I heard Sparklehorse’s Painbirds and it was perfect. There’s something really cool about listening to mellow music in the thick of madness.

I wonder what Tess would have had on a mixed tape. What was she listening to as she rode the ferry into Manhattan? Was it George Michaels’ Faith? Perhaps Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance? Maybe Chicago’s Look Away? My vote is Poison’s Every Rose Has It’s Thorn because, after all she’s just a small town girl trying to make it in the big crazy city.

Listening to whatever my ipod chooses