GACKT Official Blog update. Translation below:

The jet lag is still not going away.
Mm,
this might not be jet lag but instead maybe it’s just me being blur.
Let’s think of it that way.
Even if I struggle with it, it’s pointless.
Instead, I should enjoy.

When I woke up at 4 a.m., I looked down at the city.
Not bad.

Before training,
I decided to have coffee and finish up my work so I headed out.
There’s a Starbucks in front of the hotel.
Just nice.
I thought of having coffee so I opened the door and had a look but
for some unknown reason, there was a huge line and my mood immediately turned bad…
I’ve never seen such a crowded Starbucks.

What the hell is this?
Even though it’s only 7:30 a.m..
Disgusting.

I went back to the hotel, sat at the bar counter
and finished up my work.
When I looked around, there were people here and there despite it being 7:30 a.m..
Of course, the bar isn’t open.
Just what are these people doing…
Oh well, from a third party’s perspective, I’m the same as them I guess…



It’s a bar with a good ambience but
at night, it’s so overcrowded that there are no seats.
If only I could find a good place.



I quickly finished my work and headed to train.
Well,
it’s always like this but, even if I train in
the gyms of such boutique hotels,
I don’t really get to meet anyone.
I suppose everyone is desperately playing.

I was surprised by how well set up the gym’s machines were.
What a waste.
For no one to be making use of it.

After moving my body in the gym for around 2 hours,
I changed my clothes and headed out for a walk.

The taste of New York is similar to what I’m looking for.
I like this vibe…
I wonder what is it.
What do I like about this.
Hmm,
even when I think about it, I still don’t quite know but
maybe it’s the energetic feeling that I like.
But, it’s too far away for me to stay here.
And it’s so dry that it makes my skin crack, it’s dreadful.

Conclusion.
Occasional visits are enough.
My skin can’t stand it if I stay here…

But…
Being in New York for the first time in such a long while, this place is really great.
I guess I like the feeling of this chaotic gathering of races, kinda.
When I think about it, I think that South America
will be quite to my liking too though.

It’s a pity though,
there aren’t any direct flights from Japan to South America.
Even if I transit through Los Angeles or San Francisco,
I think it’ll take me over 24 hours of travel even with the most minimal transit and waiting times.

It’s also too far for me to stay.
Though I wonder about permanently staying there.
As long as I’m working that’s definitely not possible.
I wonder if I should stay in South America after retirement…
The place I’m most interested in is Costa Rica.
My journey included Costa Rica this time but
there was a change of schedule, and I was forced to take it out.
It’s such a pity.
Next time, I’ll go to Costa Rica.

Without deciding on my destination, I just walked.
The street performers spoke loudly,
communicating with the audience.
It’s well established as a form of entertainment.
It’s of high quality.
I’m talking more about the quality of their showmanship and their skill.
It would be great if Japan had lots of these on its streets too though.


On one hand, in terms of calling out to tourists,
the street performers are exceptionally tough on grabbing control.
The balance is horrendous.
Despite that street performance is also a part of Japan’s culture, even historically,
it’s terrible that now, if anyone starts performing on the street, the police will soon arrive.
Like, I wonder why…

In the past,
when street performances were popular,
when car-free zones were popular,
the city was fiery no matter the era.
That was the trend that became the culture.
That’s what I think though.
Now, you can say that the faces of netizens are hidden,
and they only mumble what they want to say.
Does it relieve stress,
or is it simply something they want to say.


Even so,
this becomes a stimulus…
To be able to bring joy to people is a technique too.
Furthermore, if your technique is unsatisfactory, the audience will turn cold.

It’s a big deal after all,
this city.

Alright,
maybe I should walk around a little more…

Source: GACKT Blog

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA