An Alternative Childhood
After days of rain, Tokyo seemed to sigh with relief as the sun returned. An April breeze carried birdsong and a clear sky over ruby rooftops. On my walk to deliver rent, I passed prowling cats, kids on skateboards, and an elderly woman watering flowers who smiled at me. Turning onto a small avenue, I stumbled on a perfect scene: Cherry blossoms drifting from a pink tree, students in blue uniforms with soft drinks by a red shrine, surrounded by small houses, rusty bicycles, and potted plants. I nearly cried - though maybe it was just my cherry blossom allergy. And clichés. I started wondering how my life might have unfolded if I’d grown up here instead of in Germany.
What would it have been like to live in this neighborhood, shaped by this culture? Would I have been a rebel? A soulless salarymen? Look, it’s Maruseru, the Otaku. The heartbreaker. The dishwasher. The president. The globetrotter. The monk. The criminal. The girl. The one who knocked up an idol and now hosts a late-night TV show. In my imagination, school was a place where you and your friends prepared to battle evil forces in shiny robot mechas. There was always a redheaded tomboy who’d eventually fall for you, along with your perpetually hungry best friend and that shy girl with a talking pet. And yet, here I am now. So... where’s my redhead and my super mecha? Hello?
Whenever I share my admiration for Japan with my domestic friends, they meet me with polite bewilderment. They’re bored of Tokyo, while foreigners like me would give anything to live in this magical metropolis. Ironically, some of them are obsessed with Europe. Both sides are tired of their everyday surroundings. Only the new holds magic, after all. Standing in that small avenue, I eventually come back to my mind, but I couldn’t shake the strange feeling or those gnawing questions. Maybe, somewhere in a parallel reality, there’s another Marcel living out that life. I hope he’s hanging out with redheaded tomboys, perpetually hungry best friends, and shiny robot mechas.