Saturday evening train out of Shibuya, standing room only.

In the middle of all that—there’s this one face. Holding on with one hand and smiling so sweetly at his friend. Everyone else is bowed over their phones, I’m listening to one of the greatest albums from beginning to end, James’ “Laid,” with my earbuds…the perfect soundtrack for the existential burdens I’ve been carrying lately.

And here’s the part that feels particularly existential. This train car is a moving box full of parallel lives: strangers pressed shoulder to shoulder, I’m tucked into a corner, we’re all pretending not to notice each other, breathing the same air and thinking completely different thoughts. Tomorrow most of us won’t remember a single face from this ride. Except for me. His face will stay with me a while. My shutter snapped, confirming this moment happened. He was here. I was here.

29november2025
t o k y o
japan 🇯🇵