How is it week five already?!?

The meeting with the film producer went incredibly well. He offered thoughtful, detailed feedback that really helped me see the project from a new perspective. On top of that, I received the final mix for one of the last songs on the My Super Fiancé OST, which is one of mine and after four years of adjustments and re-recordings, finally feels like it’s actually finished. I can’t wait to share it.

Work is starting to steady out, which is a huge relief. That said, adjusting to being paid once a month after eight years of weekly paychecks has been… an experience. Everyone warned me, but living it is something else entirely.

On the fun side of things, it was a big week for STARTO Entertainment fans. Snow Man dropped their 13th single, and their first triple A-side release, while timelesz returned with their sophomore album. Meanwhile, Travis Japan kicked off their Disney+ docu-series, and Aぇ! group announced a major milestone: their music is finally heading to streaming.

I also went to see Sakamoto Days starring my forever favorite snow man Ren Meguro. Even with my incredibly limited Japanese, it was a wonderful film and so much fun! He’s genuinely hilarious, and I’d love to see him lean further into comedy.

After the film, my friend and I saw multiple emergency vehicles struggling to get through Shibuya Scramble. People kept crossing, ignoring the lights, sirens, and requests to stop – some even stopped to film, using the flashing lights as a backdrop for content.

Later, I learned it may have been a personal emergency on the train line. I didn’t look further into it, but in Japan, that often points to something deeply tragic. The idea that someone is in crisis, and the instinct of people is to turn it into content… 

We as a species should be better than that.

Looking back though, I was also glad for the quieter moments of the week.

I spent several days exploring the city with friends, laughing, wandering, and slowly becoming more and more familiar with my new home. While at the same time revisiting a few favorite places, like the STARTO Family Club store, the Sailor Moon Store, and POP MART… small, happy pockets of color in a very big city.

It’s was a great week. It’s a big new world, but it’s truly starting to feel like home. 

There will be more soon so… 

Stay tuned!