Before moving to Japan, I fantasized about how delightfully brisk travel would be between Tokyo and Shanghai. I’d spent two decades transiting across the Pacific from various regions of continental America, journeys that took roughly twelve hours one way, at best, or upwards of twenty hours with a layover. The geographical distance between China and Japan, on the other hand, is trifling in comparison: a mere two and a half to three hours, the same amount of time it takes to fly from New York to Chicago.
Pandemic restrictions deferred this dream of efficiency and ease during my first few years living in Tokyo. C. and I finally got to come to Shanghai last October. But yesterday we flew again between the expediently located airports of Haneda and Hongqiao. An early morning schlep by train notwithstanding, it felt pretty much seamless and slick in the way I’d imagined. Within an hour of landing, we were in a DiDi-hailed cab en route to our hotel in Jing’an District—a small splurge to wind down the year after a long period of grueling work.
“Ground to a nub” is how I’ve described myself these last few months. On top of my book publication, I started a new full-time job in a new industry this fall while balancing a very full plate of freelance projects. I’m a person who prefers to stay busy, moving by momentum, but I think I’ve learned a painful lesson about prioritization, especially as I’m pivoting to think about the year ahead and various personal and creative goals.
I did want to send one last missive into the ether as the year winds down. Thank you for reading this, however you may have found your way here. I don’t have any grand epiphanies to share, nor any desire to shape this platform into anything more than a vaguely diaristic outlet for the occasional brain dump. Here’s a little Instagram round-up I posted acknowledging the kind words that a number of reviewers have offered about Masquerade since it was released two months ago. (Can’t believe it’s only been that long? Feels like ages—anyone who follows me on social media might say the same, too. 🙃)
And here are some photos from the past day and a half. Layers upon layers upon layers to every encounter, every moment. How to make sense of any of it? I guess that’s why I write. 🛫
Dreaming of seamless flights between Haneda and Chongqing. Glad you got to fulfill the SH seamless dream brother.