2024-07-22 04:00:00
Anyone who follows me on Facebook knows that I spent two weeks in Japan at the end of June.
I have posted more photos than a Japanese tourist visiting Old Orchard.
What are you looking for, Japan is probably the most Mars-like place. Exclaim you on every street corner.
“A cafe where you can pet pigs! A hotel room that looks like a drawer! Giant robots in an eyewear store! A temple with gazillions of cats!”
Not to mention the public toilets, architectural marvels that resemble Expo 67 pavilions.
RESPECT OTHERS
But the most impressive thing is the cleanliness.
Discipline. Politics. The courtesy. Civilization. I know how to live. Respect for others.
Silence in the subway. No cars honking on the street. Pedestrians waiting to cross the green light.
It’s not a single piece of paper on the street… even if there aren’t any trash cans! People put their rubbish in their bags, then throw it at home!
When we returned to Montreal, my girlfriend and I, we had the impression to land in a septic tank filled to the brim.
“Yes, but the Japanese are psychorigid, you tell me. They have to suppress their emotions. The suicide rate is through the roof! The percentage of burned out As well as that!”
And here, you think it is better?
Homelessness, drug overdoses, kids chewing antidepressants like they were M&Ms, depression, dropping out of school, unnecessary violence, insecurity, disrespect for authority figures, excessive individualism…
Do you think we have lessons to teach the world?
Between living in a monastery or living in an asylum, I prefer the next option…
I AM MYSELF
Of course, we will never be Japanese.
Like the Japanese will not be Afghans.
But… we are unhappy!
The Japanese sacrifice some of their individuality in order for society to function.
Here, it’s every man for himself, and fuck everyone else. We pull the blanket to our side until the other person is completely exposed on the mattress.
Do I walk on foot? Fuck cars and bikes!
Am I going on a bike ride? Fuck the pedestrians and drivers!
Am I in a car? Fuck cyclists and pedestrians!
And when you go to lie down under a tree to rest, you can be sure that there will be a mother or uncle next to you who will be tapping away on their mobile phone thinking that their conversation is about the latest episode of . Island of Love belongs to the whole planet.
THE MOVIE
A French comedian already told me that a Quebecer with a cell phone is a farmer.
Yes, it is contempt (especially for farmers), but at the same time, let’s be honest, it is not wrong.
On the «slack».
The type who goes to a gig with a dirty t-shirt and a whole pack of gum in his mouth.
I have only one wish now. Return to Tokyo as quickly as possible.
A megacity with the tranquility of a village.
#Mars