ItalianoGACKT Official Blog update. Translation below:
Since the flight to KL is only around 7 hours, and the time difference is only 1 hour,
you can say that most of the time, I don’t feel that it’s a pain even if I have to fly.
Honestly,
there isn’t much of a relationship between the flight duration and fatigue.
The one that affects fatigue the most is the problem of time differences I suppose.
If only there’s no time difference with America too…
There are definitely moments when I feel relief upon returning to KL.
Firstly,
one of those is when I ride the empty train alone.
Normally, in the first place,
maybe because I don’t ride trains aside from the bullet train,
but riding in the front of the carriage of an empty train is exceptionally enjoyable.
I’ll definitely have to take a roughly 2-minute train ride after I exit the arrival gate but
when I enter the immigration building where I have to wait, there’s an inexplicable feeling of intimidation.
Like how it will be when entering a space fortress, this feeling is really nice.
It’s like entering Zeon’s fortress.
The kind of atmosphere that you would’ve imagined long ago,
of the feeling when entering a moon base, that’s what’s here.
It doesn’t seem likely that I can go to a moon base before I die though.
Those who keep looking at their phones without enjoying this feeling are pitiable.
I’m always moved by this feeling of rushing into the building though.
Immediately after arriving in KL,
I went through a number of meetings.
Recently,
the number of friends who have come to KL have increased.
And,
there has been an increase in bringing my friends
along with my colleagues and business partners out for meals.
They came because of their own work but, they would contact me, saying
『Are you in KL now??』.
It feels like the world is steadily shrinking.
Even in KL, I’ve been having meetings for consecutive days but
just as I finally thought that I could relax,
I had to return to Japan.
I don’t like having a hectic lifestyle but
until mid next year, I’ll just do what I can.
It’s been awhile since I’m this pumped up.
It feels good.
As I left the restaurant,
I spotted an unusual sight.
This scene of all the Bentleys lined up one after another is what I saw.
I felt a strong sense of discomfort.
To have so many lined up naturally like this
in a country where one Bentley costs close to 100 million yen…
The rich people here are poles apart.
There are many who are overwhelmingly wealthy.
This is something I’ve always had in mind since I started living in this country,
but those who are considered as the wealthy class in Japan
are increasingly not included in that same class overseas.
It’s not only the case in this country.
Recently, in Vietnam, the Philippines,
Thailand, Indonesia, and such countries,
there is a frightening number of these people who surpass that wealthy class.
The concept of an average income doesn’t exist.
If you stay in these countries,
you’ll understand that drawing a salary of the average level doesn’t hold any meaning.
I’ve once again come to recognise, overwhelmingly, that a country like Japan,
that doesn’t have an upper or lower class, is a rare case.
Of course,
that means that Japan is wonderful in some sense of it but
the fact is that this also becomes one of it’s biggest weaknesses.
It’s weakness can be seen from other sides too.
Japan isn’t a country that’s prepared for a competitive society.
It’s without a doubt that children,
who haven’t been prepared for any kind of competition,
will do badly when they are suddenly thrown into a competitive society after school ends.
That is similar to
going into open water on a boat without having really learnt how to swim,
and then suddenly falling off the deck and into the water.
This isn’t a problem that lies solely with the education system.
In the first place, this is a vicious cycle that keeps repeating
because the way of thinking doesn’t change.
Right then, back to what I was saying…
When I came to this cafe that I like,
I thought【This is what really delicious coffee is!】,
the result of continuing with one’s particularities is being able to enjoy this flavour.
With the opening of this cafe,
it adds another reason to the joys of coming back to KL.
When a coffee is ordered,
they carefully make it cup by cup.
Of course,
it requires quite a lot of time but the flavour that is produced is the best.
This time, as I brought the cup to my lips,
I noticed an aroma that’s different from the usual.
The barista, who is also the owner,
stood next to me and looked at me.
When my face expressed abnormality, he said this.
『So you do know after all??』
The punch of the aroma doesn’t have it’s usual intensity,
Then,
when I drank it, I noticed an extremely mellow balance.
This time, I even had the impression that the milk was too strong.
It’s the impression that it’s fruity, too mild.
『These are beans from Ethiopia.
And most Malaysians prefer these beans,
which has a stronger delicacy to it than usual,
but is it not to GACKT-san’s liking?』
I honestly told him what I thought.
『The strong punch of aroma when I bring the cup close
from the Panama beans that I usually drink
is indescribably habitual.
There might be people who find it too strong at the start and can’t handle it
but once you get a taste of that,
I have to admit that no matter what else I drink, I’ll end up feeling that something’s lacking.
Although the aroma is so strong,
I’m again surprised
by the unexpected mellowness when I taste it.
It’s enjoyable to watch from the side the surprise that comes from
the change in impression for someone who drinks this made from Panama beans for the first time,
and I think that the cappuccino here is really the best.
Of course,
if we’re talking about real coffee,
it should be based on drinking espresso though…』
After saying this,
he made another cup from the Ethiopian beans again,
this time, with lesser milk.
However,
it isn’t the solution to the dissatisfaction.
『Next week, we’ll be using Panama produce again』
To me, cappuccino is like
a Bordeaux wine,
the level of quality of the beans
and the blending ability of the knowledgeable maker,
together with the feeling that depends on the fastidious skill for even the smallest detail,
is consciously exceptionally similar.
It’s not simply about choosing the best beans.
You have to look for the right processing method for the bean, and even milk that’s compatible for it.
Furthermore, starting the thought process from
the temperature to the mixing proportions,
it becomes something so profound that it makes you feel like you’ll go bald thinking about it.
Coffee that’s drunk as espresso
isn’t a Bordeaux,
it’s instead exceptionally similar to
the feeling of enjoying Burgundy wine.
Depending on how the beans are ground, the flavour will of course change but
there are many people who find the feeling, that the beans’ quality is directly conveyed, unbearable.
For me, from the start,
I wanted to enjoy an espresso like Burgundy wine but…
Until now, the immature me is still incapable of drinking espressos.
In order to gain more years,
and to become a sharp adult who can understand the flavours of an espresso,
I have to work hard and keep going…
My excited personality has calmed down quite a bit too though.
I suppose I’m still a young bird.
Alright then,
I’m off to eat.
Until next time.
Source: GACKT Blog
Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team
Translation © GACKT ITALIA