BEYOND THE BIG SKY

Exactly a month ago, I decided to go back home to Japan. It was such a random (but not unplanned, because I fucking hate traveling haphazardly) trip but something I felt I definitely needed for the longest time. This blog is basically me retracing the steps of how I got there. what transpired during said trip, and what came out of it.

Pragmatic Planning

I can’t for the life of me go on a short trip without having a sense of control of what’s going to happen – which is exactly why I decided to go on this trip alone. I have lived in Japan half of my life with my mom and sister and based on experience, nothing has ever went according to plan with these two. Not to mention the fact that I would be tagging my grandmother along with me to Japan, I just knew that I would never be able to fully execute the trip I was hoping to design for myself. Plus, this is hard-earned money that I saved up on and I needed this trip for myself. I can’t have my family with me. It’d just be an entirely different trip.

It comes off like I’m this crazy control freak but I’m quite the mess myself. I like having a solid itinerary just for the sake of having it – of course, I like enjoying things as they are and not immersing in the moment would be such a waste for a trip like this. Basically: I make an itinerary, I do what I can to follow it, but if a detour or a change in plans brewed up, I wouldn’t mind screwing my whole itinerary up for it (not too much lol).

Something most of the people I know (yes, I’m talking to the people I follow on Instagram) do is make a solid travel itinerary of the best tourist-y places in Japan. I’m not one to judge but I do believe that the best way to travel Japan is having a core thematic for your visit because I swear to God, Japan isn’t a country you could travel to just once and truly appreciate. An art themed itinerary? Japan has a plethora of amazing museums and galleries, some having limited showings (Miró’s works were in Ueno when I was there). Food centric travels – which food? They also have lots. History? Modern tech? Nature? It’s just insane how dense a traveling experience Japan can offer on specific things, and I could totally vouch for this since I was a local there myself for a decent amount of time. I for one, would love to return to have a sex-themed visit where I just go around the best blowjob parlors around Metropolitan Tokyo, but I guess that’s a trip I would love to take on a different time. For this trip it was pretty clear to me what I wanted to do: I just want to retrace the steps of where I have been to, and to find clarity and closure for emotions that I seem to have not made any progress with. Soul searching, journey of self discovery, it goes by many names and you can call it whatever you want, but it’s literally me just going “home” and being a tourist in a place I was once so familiar with.

L’itinéraire: day 1

First order of business, I had to visit my dad and uncle. I can’t for the life of me start a trip like this without dropping by them first. After leaving my suitcase at the locker station in Ueno and letting my mom reunite with Lola, I headed to the JR station and purchased a Green Car ticket to Higashi Totsuka, Yokohama. This is basically where I grew up in during my childhood days in Japan, and a place I had so many memories in. When I was a kid, I always wanted to ride the Green Car since it had a lower and upper deck, which I thought was so cool, but my dad never let us ride it since he says it was expensive daw… lo and behold, I found out he was a cheapskate lmao. I mean, it still is pretty costly: it cost 750 yen for a fixed price, but if I was traveling from Ueno all the way to Yokohama, which is roughly an hour long trip, it is a luxury I would be more than happy to splurge myself with.

I arrived at the station greeted by that absolutely nostalgic vanilla scent from the local patisserie, and it made my knees shake a bit. Damn, I’m really fucking here. It took me a hot minute to find which bus station to ride from since the delegations for buses were different from when I was living there, and again, the immense weight of nostalgia was crazy throughout the bus ride to Myohoji, the bus stop nearest to where we once used to live in. When I was a kid, the ride felt so long from the bus stop to the station. Tenno Yamahashi – the bus station in front of Olympic, the mall where we would sometimes do groceries. Maeda Heights Mae – where we would buy rice and my dad would make me carry it all the way home walking because he said I lacked the balls to be a man (mind you I was 10, but a massive crybaby, hence his concerns lmao). Kawakami Shogakko Mae – the bus stop in front of the school where my favorite teacher from elementary transferred to. She heard the news of my family relocating to Tokyo due to circumstances with my dad and she cried her heart out telling me she was sorry she couldn’t do anything for me. Koen Mae – in front of Maruetsu, where we would always shop food for dinner, may it be rain or snow. and then Myohoji. It was a mere 5 stops. And there I was back home – in Nase.

The second I got off the bus, I was dumbfounded with how great the place smells like. The air was so fucking clean and fresh that I could feel my lungs whenever I breathe, which was an insane contrast since I was just inhaling the fumes-induced air of Manila just 12 hours ago from that point. Before walking through our neighborhood, I decided to stop by my old elementary school. It was a Saturday so I expected the school to be closed and I was hoping to sneak in some shots of the grounds from the outside. And to my pleasant surprise, the school was open because it was the Undokai (or Sports Festival) so I was able to enter in the guise of a parent…? lmao

Sports Festivals are a major school event and there are always lots of parents visiting to cheer on their kids. And me, being a 28 year old guy with a camera in hand blended in with no effort. The faculty in the gate even told me to hurry since the last events were about to take place, and I won’t be able to take footage of my kid if I didn’t rush. At that moment I just wanted to make a snarky comeback at her: hey lady, I’m an alumnus here and my child is waiting for me at home (I left Chandler in the care of one of my closest friends). The place felt so nostalgic and somehow smaller…? Sometimes it’s easy to forget how I much taller I am now and that this place that used to be so big to me before now feels nothing more than a decorated playground in terms of scale. It was nice to see an Undokai after such a long time though. The last I saw was my sister’s when she was in High School. And Japan at the end of the day, will always be Japan. Systemic, in orderly fashion, and punctual as ever. The event ended at exactly 12:30pm, faculty and PTA were swift with egress. All students out from the grounds before 1pm. Perfection. I did definitely feel the decrease in students though, which was very concerning. It didn’t use to be like this.

From the school, I walked around the neighborhood for an hour or so. I visited our old house, which had a mountain of mess that was visible from the outside window. I’m assuming my older brother still lives there and knowing how messy he is, he probably never cleans. I went to the park where I ran to when my dad was trying to kill me and it was dead empty. It used to be a place full of kids, and fond memories, but weeds were just growing everywhere – signs that it hasn’t even been maintained by the local authorities. The entire town was dead silent. Not a soul in sight. I’m assuming it’s because everyone was at the Undokai, and now that it’s over, they all went to eat out, which is a very common thing here in Japan. But I am nothing but grateful to have this one-on-one moment with this neighborhood I grew up in. It made me appreciate this place: how I never noticed how blessed I was to grow up in a town with such abundance in nature and fresh air. I smoked a couple of cigs before heading back to the bus stop.

I then rode another bus to Totsuka, and rode the Yokohama Blue Line to Kamiooka. There I bought two bins of Sake, lemon tea, a couple of onigiris, and a hijiki salad from Family Mart. The taxi ride to the cemetery was nice, the rider engaged in conversation and asked me why I’m visiting in the middle of May. I told him I am visiting after living overseas for years and we ended up ridiculing how ugly the new Japanese bills are.

I cleaned dad’s grave, and saw that uncle was also there with him after he passed away last July. The weather was so pleasant, which in my definition, is insanely dark and cloudy, almost as if it was just about to rain – my favorite kind. I smoked some more cigs here while telling them all my future plans which they can absolutely do nothing about lmao and then I bid them farewell promising that I will visit them again with better news. I decided to walk around the cemetery which ended up being a crazy uphill hike, and walked to the nearest bus stop after having early dinner (there was a Hungry Tiger close to the bus stop!). I waited for 30 minutes for the bus to Sakuragicho to arrive, and the moment I got in the bus, heavy rains started to pour. I slept throughout the entire ride.

When I got to Sakuragicho, it wasn’t even raining there. Same business as usual, nothing new, still breathtaking. I went to Landmark Tower and looked around, shopped for some clothes and when I went outside the building, guess what – fireworks! I watched it until it was done and walked all the way to Cosmoworld. The roller coaster was not operating that day so I just continued to walk around the area for a bit when it started raining again. I got a severely overpriced latte to kill some time until I decided it was time to ride the hour-long journey back to Tokyo. My check-in for the hotel was on the next day. I had prior plans for that night that I’m afraid I will not be able to share the contents of here🤭 TLDR: twice, with protection, and tons of aftercare.

L’itinéraire: day 2

My day kicked off at 10 am and I headed back to the locker station in Ueno to get my suitcase, until I was bombarded with the reality that the locker I used for my suitcase had a different code. Apparently the locker I chose was prepaid and my dumbass assuming that it was to be paid upon collection, just left my suitcase out in the open for all these other foreigners who also arrive via the Skyliner to claim for themselves. I wanted to shit myself on the spot. I immediately contacted the company who operated the lockers and they sent out a staff to accommodate my concerns. We found out my suitcase was taken out of the locker and stayed in the middle of the fucking Ueno station hallway for almost half a day after checking the CCTV footage LMAOOO which would definitely be impossible if this happened to me in Manila. Seriously. Why do I even live here? The suitcase was then collected by the station staff and I was able to retrieve it shortly after filling up some legal paperwork (they thought it was a bomb or a body or something). What is a trip without a little excitement, ayt? *sounds of me banging my head on a wall*

I walked through Ameyoko and had some Kaisendon before heading out to my hotel. I checked in at the Hotel Crown Hills Ueno Premier, which was relatively affordable (for the dates I chose, thank you Agoda) and was peak location. It checked off everything I wanted for a room: a high floor with a view of the city, walking distance from 3 stations (insane tbh), with a bathtub, big bed, and of course…

For the rest of my itinerary, I decided to book all of it beforehand from Klook, which doesn’t sound very Japanese of me, but they had this bundle pass that was so affordable for it’s price! I booked 4 attractions from this bundle: A 3-day Metro subway pass, a ticket to TeamLab Borderless, a ticket to Tokyo Tower, and a ticket to Shibuya Sky. The 3-day Metro subway pass was the most broken among these because I would have probably used around 5,000 yen just for going around the places in Tokyo I wanted to go to, so it was a massive steal.

I settled into the room for bit, took a shower and a nap, got changed, and left to begin my second day in Tokyo. Sunday, was another nostalgia trip as I have decided to go to Mita, where I spent most of my days during high school. The place hasn’t changed much, but Akabanebashi station has finally finished its renovations and now looks dapper, which was a nice surprise. Again, since it is a Sunday, the school was dead empty. I wanted to enter the school since I saw some faculty inside, but decided not to since I had more stuff to do, and going back inside campus will most likely teleport me back to the time I was there and freeze my reality completely. I will always cherish this place. I feel like I have no bad memories here. Only good ones. I remember blasting Coldplay and Imagine Dragons songs during the walk from the station all the way to school. And then there’s the soothing air but with a hint of dust, different from the fresh one in Nase. It had me in the feels: reminiscing the volleyball club practices after class. Memorable teachers who both berated me and supported me all throughout my stay. High school romances, the chocolates I got for Valentine’s. The horny office ladies in surrounding offices and Keio university students wanting to sneak a quickie at the nearest karaoke booths at their earliest convenience. The sheer amount of amazing ramen places in the Mita-Tamachi area. The brutalist building in the middle of all this corporate jungle made by Tadao Ando, my favorite architect. The Tokyo Tower never leaving your field of vision. I remember it all too well, and it was such a comforting feeling to be greeted by these and them reminding me: we will be your constants.

My time slot for the Tokyo Tower elevator was 7:45 PM, which I deliberately timed so I can get a view of the fireworks show in Odaiba that will be starting at 8. I slowly made my way to the Tokyo Tower, getting a glimpse of Shiba Koen where I participated in volunteer work, public space cleaning, during my 1st year of high school. It was also where I was dropped off by the Kakehashi committee after finishing an overseas program in America during my 2nd year. Where I would contemplate about my future while watching the changing colors of the Tokyo Tower during my last year in high school. Ugh. Feels. Again.

By the time I left Tokyo Tower, it was already around 9:30 PM so I decided to have dinner at one of the ramen places near Keio University – Hakata Issuitei. Not gonna lie, I was batshit tired after walking 25,000 steps plus on both days, so I decided to head back to the hotel and take an early night cap. My younger self would’ve probably been so disappointed with me knowing how wild Tokyo night life could be at the right places, but I guess I’m at that point in life where I could shrug it off and say, “Hey, I paid good money to sleep in a great room with a comfy bed. I should get my money’s worth, no?” So I headed back to Ueno at around 11, stopped by the local Don Quixote to buy some essentials like bath salts so I can finally bathe in my own filth, and got to bed by 1. It was so nice bathing in an ofuro again in so long, and to those who are interested, I actually have uncensored footage of me taking a bath (yes, my dick is not pixelated like it usually is) and it’s up on my Onlyfans! Feel free to support me! Needless to say, it was a solid second day.

L’itinéraire: day 3

I had to work remotely for a bit in the morning up until 2 PM so I was spending most of the day time in my hotel room. I left Ueno at around 2:30 PM after going around Ameyoko looking for anyone who has plies because my tripod’s quick release got stuck on my camera and I couldn’t take it off. Good thing, there was a really nice artisan who lent me his, and I was able to manage somehow. In good spirit, I decided to check what he was selling and apparently, he was a renowned lighter craftsman and ball pen connoisseur. He had this really cool Asuka-themed Evangelion lighter which was so sick so I thought of buying it, but it costs way more than the budget I allotted for miscellaneous stuff so I had to say sorry and told him I will revisit once I come back to Tokyo. He then told me leaving a review on Google would suffice so I made one while I was in the subway.

I went to Asakusa to buy some pasalubong for Kat, and to offer prayers since I’m already there. I also bought a lucky charm for Riki and had it blessed since she got into law school (congrats! I like surrounding myself with people of law background because of my inherent proclivity of committing crimes I didn’t even intend to do, at any given moment). I also drew Omikuji, or had my fortune read, and got a 大吉 (super lucky) which never happens lol so I keep it in my wallet for good luck. I was also hellbent on taking a hyperlapse of Sensoji since I fucked it up during my first attempt 7 years ago, but holy fuck due to the sheer amount of people and tourists, It was impossible to take stable footage without a gimbal and heavy lifting in post, which I wanted to avoid at all costs. Maybe next time it’s better to head out early in the morning when there are barely any people. So, this footage wasn’t used in the edit🥲

After taking a couple more shots, I left Asakusa and headed straight to Toranomon when I suddenly ran out of roam data. I was lowkey panicking inside the subway because I also had work messages incoming around that time and my misjudgment on the amount of data I will be using for the trip really fucked me up in the worst possible time (I do it a lot). In fact, I do it so much that Ayrelle, one of my best friends has somehow become my go-to person whenever I’m stuck in a data-related predicament. It was a hail mary attempt but I tried to message her an SMS and for some reason it went through (I’m genuinely still confused as to how this happened). Our shared brain cells never worked harder, telepathically conversing with each other despite her not receiving any of my messages lol. She came in clutch, as always, and I am thankful that she goated for me in such a crucial moment. Labyu always heheheheh

I decided to visit TeamLab Borderless, despite it being such a tourist attraction, because I have very fond memories of this place with my mom and my sister. Back when I decided to pursue my studies in Ateneo and chose to leave them in Japan, we visited it when it was still located in Odaiba, and it was genuinely one of the purest moments I had with the both of them despite all that has happened between us in the past 7 years. Back then, I was so invested in taking as much footage of the both of them that I think I remember them more than I do the place – so I wanted to revisit it and immerse in the experience with a new lens. I spent about 2 hours and a half in there, just gulping in and digesting how beautiful the digital art was, stuck between reminiscing the past and appreciating what was in front of me. Truly one of the highlights of my trip.

Speaking of highlights, perhaps my most memorable memory from this visit to Japan was the dinner that shortly followed after TeamLab. So I had a massive craving for Abura Soba and I was hellbent on not leaving Japan without eating it. This came in the form of an unexpected bowl at Kamiyacho’s Ganso Aburado. I’m not really sure if it was because I haven’t had Abura Soba in so long but HOLY FUCK was this immaculate. Eating this made me feel like I haven’t eaten good in years like holy fuck it was crazy. I wanted to get another bowl, it was that good. Seriously, they have several branches in Tokyo, so I implore you to not miss out on this gem that’s ridiculously affordable just as it is tasty. Just thinking about it makes me want to kill myself, turn into a ghost, and live in that kitchen forever. Will definitely be coming back.

I then headed to Shinjuku, drank my ass off, got so wasted, and woke up the next day so sore in my hotel room without any recollection of how I even got back there. Nuff said. Day three – done.

L’itinéraire: day 4

Day 4 intinerary was JAMPACKED. I wanted to go see Shibuya Sky, since I have never been there. I wanted to take footage of the Shibuya Scramble crossing. I wanted to curate my own perfume, Rose+Patchouli with hints of oud and amber (Since Tom Ford Noir de Noir was still out of my budget). I wanted to eat Yakiniku for lunch since good meat is relatively affordable before dinnertime. I was going to Harajuku to shop at some of the thrift stores there.

I went to none of those, even those I already made a payment for to secure a slot. *cries in Yen*

My body clock woke me up just in time to attend to key tasks at work, which I’m thankful for, but in general I was just so out-of-commission and had a crazy headache from my hangover that I decided to drain the alcohol out of my system the entire afternoon by taking a 2 hour long bath. I was just simmering in the tub for like a good chunk of the day until I finally sobered up by the evening. I decided to just focus on work (as much as I possibly could) and take it easy for the rest of the day. I know I wasted away the whole day, and it sucks since the weather was so nice too (cloudy af) but at least I was able to take this selfie of me with this amazing natural lighting from the hotel window.

At night, I walked along Ueno since my body physically rejected any forms of traveling outside of the area. I ate pasta while sipping on some Kalimoxto (call me crazy, I will allow it) and finished buying all of the pasalubong I had to get for the very few friends I have back home. I was just walking around Ameyoko, watching the booths and stalls pack up for closing, the drunkards barely traipsing along the pavements on a Tuesday night, and for a very slight moment, it felt so at home to me.

During high school, I was already working at an Izakaya in Ginza so I have early experience to what life is in Japan as a working class commoner. People going out drinking on weekdays as a way to escape the 9-5 to find any form of solace. Making it a habit, just so they can reach the weekends, until a cycle is formed, and escaping it becomes a tad too difficult. Using their day-offs bed rotting and recuperating, only to repeat the same shit come Monday. Just to clarify, I wasn’t drinking like that since high school (or did I…?) but it definitely was the environment I was exposed to all the way till I decided to re-pursue my studies. The place I lived in, Adachi, was no stranger to that kind of scene either.

Currently, I drink in good moderation. I barely get wasted like I did on my third night. Getting drunk along Katipunan was so different in nature to how people drink here. There is a hint of melancholy in the way people drink here. You can see it in their eyes. It’s either they are running away from something, trying to catch any semblances of rest. Or they have something they so desperately want to attain, so they will take any chance they get to try to forget even for a split second. Watching these people barely able to walk head for the station to not miss the last train made me remember one of the reasons why I wanted to leave this place so badly. And why I can’t bring myself to call this place home anymore. This isn’t the life I want. I thought about this while drinking my third can of beer while I headed back to the hotel. I needed to start packing since I am leaving the next day.

L’itinéraire: Last day

My last day in Tokyo, I woke up because of the sun. And it was so fucking bright. On my last day here, in pure Masahiro-fashion, I was greeted by one of those rare blue skies which you could barely see during this season (Japan is about to enter the rainy season). My bags are all packed and I just had to attend a work meeting till 1 and I was set to check out. For my last day, I only had one plan in mind and that was to eat Ramen (again) before riding the Skyliner to Narita. But because I kinda felt remorseful for wasting the day prior, I decided to sneak one in just before leaving. I headed to Chiyoda to visit the Sanno Inari Shrine and see the gates there. I love Kyoto so much – and Fushimi Inari is my second favorite spot because of the thousands of gates there (a.k.a the profile picture of 45% of the Filipino community on Bumble) and I hate that I love something so very much mainstream – my favorite place in Kyoto is Sanjusangendo by the way, for those who are curious. Nothing will ever beat the aura of that place.

Sanno Inari, despite having a significantly smaller scale in comparison to Fushimi Inari, emulated the same aura it had. It was enough a reason for me to go out of my way to squeeze it in to my remaining time in Tokyo. Needless to say, also due to how niche it is and the lack of mobbing tourists, it was a very memorable experience during my trip.

I then went to Ginza to check if they were selling the Manju I wanted to buy as presents: they weren’t, which absolutely sucked, but at least I was also able to get a glimpse of Ginza, which I used to be so familiar with. I was planning to buy Manju from Shiose, the oldest Manju store in Japan’s history with a whopping 700 years being in the Japanese sweets industry. I did a cultural study for them during high school and I remember how amazing their Manju was in comparison to… Moshi Manju (no offense). I really wanted my friends to have a taste of the Manju because you can really feel the absolute craft and dedication these people have poured out to completing this simple sweet (I was hoping to get a box for myself at the very least…), so maybe next time I can catch them when they have stock.

I was also searching the entirety of Ginza since I totally forgot about Escano’s, a friend of mine from my Ateneo days, request to buy him some stuff. I was so close to giving up… so I did lmao, but kept it in the back of my head because I thought I might be lucky if I found it at the airport or something. I walked from Ginza to Yurakucho with my suitcase and headed to Nippori via JR Line to have a late lunch at Bazoku, probably my favorite Tantanmen place in Tokyo, to finish off my trip. Like man, their noodles are just peak. Stayed the same all these years. And their Gyoza was as meaty and juicy as I remember them.

Basically, this meal concluded my trip. I rode the Skyliner, departed Narita, and flew back to Manila. Just. Like. That. Oh wait, I actually found what Escano was asking me to buy in Nippori, which was nice. But that pretty much sums it up. I booked a Grab from NAIA, which by the way was as appalling as ever (I was lining up at the Foreign Nationals line which consisted of 80% Filipinos for some reason, and Immigration didn’t bat an eye), picked up Chandler from my friend’s place in BGC, and we got back home to Makati at around 2:30 AM. A part of me felt like it was a bit lackluster, but there was also a part of me that screamed that the entire trip gave me everything I needed. And since nakauwi na ako sa Pinas and I had footage to work with, papunta na ako sa wakas sa exciting part.

the conclusion of the girls trilogy: boy.

My first attempt with editing actual videos was when I was still in High School. But this desire to create video content rooted way before that – when I was watching my mother create shitty AMVs using her laptop and Windows Movie Maker. I remember being so amazed at the generic transitions she would slap on the videos she made and how she will time the emotional beats of the song to key footage in her videos. In retrospect the quality of her videos are basically garbage lmao: it was a compilation of photos and short clips of important events in our lives like vacations, birthdays, graduations, etc., But in her videos, there was always a profound sense of passion in them. You could tell how much she enjoyed making those videos, but more than that, you can sense how much those videos mean to her. I have never looked at videos the same way ever again since I realized the beauty in her imperfect works. To me, a video edit means nothing if it doesn’t evoke an emotion, or if it doesn’t elicit an emotional response to the viewer. And since my videos’ primary consumer is, well, also me, I need the videos I make to have me feel things. Things that when I watch them, make me remember why I made them in the first place.

Masakatsu Takagi is not a household name, which I feel is absolutely criminal, but I clearly remember how watching Wolf Children made me feel the first time I watched it. Yeah the story is compelling, a single mother who lost the love of her life, trying to raise her kids with “dual” personas, not having a clue when and where to start, and struggling with understanding the true essence of motherhood (hala familiar much???). But it was the score of Takagi that really elevated the entire movie for me to levels I cannot even put into words. I fell in love with his discography right then and there. And then I heard Girls.

This song has saved me so many times in the past it’s crazy. It’s such a simple song, but it somehow manages to tug at my heartstrings every time I hear it. It’s the type of song that makes me feel understood, and at the same time comforts me, almost whispering to me, that life will be so fucking hard, but at the end of it all, everything will be okay – because it has to be. So at my very first attempt at actual actual editing, I was sure that I wanted it to be the song I use. This was the edit I made for Girls all the way back in 2018. Watching this video back, I become such a major critic for my videos. It feels so trashy, I’m just slapping transitions here and there. My grading is shit and some footage is either horrendously overexposed or underexposed. Sound design is so mid. The hyperlapse was so half heartedly stitched. The list goes on. And yet I remember the joy I felt editing this. I was just so happy I’m making something meaningful for me – and with the song that I like, and with the people that I loved in mind. This was my love letter to my mother and sister. This was me telling them that even if we are far away, this is how much I treasure our moments together.

I wanted to revisit this Girls edit and make the changes I wanted for my Japan trip and make something personal. The second edit I made for Girls was for my grandmother and my late aunt. Two of my favorite people as well. But recently I realized that all my videos were of my favorite people, but never me. I then realized that it was because I really didn’t like me at all, especially during the last 4-5 years. And because of that, I also lost my love for making videos. I was in Japan for a mere 5 days, but to some extent it was able to reignite the passion I thought was long gone – hell I’m even writing a whole ass blog post about it. Girls has always been about my love for the people I cherish, and my passion of creating videos I love to watch. But at the same time, the trip also made me realize that I have to start looking for new things to love, and to use my love for making videos to crystallize them. And it helps that no Girls performance is the same, since Masakatsu Takagi pretty much plays the song based on the crowd of each performance and his emotions at the time of his recitals. There are probably a dozen versions out there, all equally beautiful and ethereal.

The trip back to Japan was essentially me going back to places that meant so much to me – both in positive and negative lights, making peace with these memories, and saying farewell, since I have decided to move forward and pursue new avenues where I can pour out my love to. So the final Girls edit I made, the ending of this somewhat trilogy, is an ode to old and lost love of sorts, if I may say. It sounds cheesy but I think it’s something I really needed in order to fall in love with myself again.

Editing this video and writing this blog really made me remember how much I loved doing this. Creative work really scratches that itch in my brain so hard I could yelp for days. My editing and grading skills have been rusty after not editing in so long, but I really have made significant leaps in comparison to when I first started. The first iteration of Girls took me a full month for cutting and editing, a week for grading, and another week for sound (watching tutorials and reading about it in between so cut me some slack). This one took me a whole day of cutting, 12 hours for grading and 6 hours for sound. I think that’s quit the improvement. I also tried new stuff which I haven’t done before! Like incorporating Procreate, which is so fun and I am currently having a blast playing with this new toy. The Japanese text on the video are all my handwriting too, just to add a smudge of personal touch to it. Damn, I really enjoyed making this one and I can’t wait to start editing more (also, I realized that I need a new camera because damn this a6300 feels a bit limiting already lol).

Since I am also working and have schedule constraints, I’m planning to conjure something up by Q4 that will allow me to start taking in projects pro-bono to build up a portfolio for myself. I mean, that’s also kind of the reason why I made Big Sky Studios after all. As much as it is fun making videos I want and about topics that I like, my love also extends to those stories out there that needs help in telling.

Until then! Thanks for reading this random ass blog lol