By Kevin Cooney It occurs to me (often) that more than a few pets in this city have a higher quality of life than I do. Even my own goldfish, Kenji, has a comparatively sweet set up compared to my humble abode. I mean considering his size versus my size and the size of our respective homes, he is swimming around in a palatial mansion. Plus if it's really true that goldfish have a very short memory, by the time he gets to one end of his tank he doesn't even remember where he was a few seconds ago. This would explain why he turns around heads back to where he was about 5 seconds earlier. I hope he has a short memory, because that fish has seen things that would surely scar his young fish psyche forever, were they not happily already forgotten. I pace around in my apartment a lot. Unfortunately because it is so small I only go a step or two before I have to turn around. So I guess Im not really pacing, just spinning. It occupies a very large portion of my day. The other portion is spent on my computer. Similarly my fish hovers next to his endlessly bubbling water filter. It's our respective comfort zones. Cutting of his air supply or my internet would have disastrous health affects. Dogs carried in bags by attractive female Tokyoites however, I beat on acreage. I have the added benefit of not having a mascara brush crammed halfway up my butt and a compact mirror digging into my spine. While the prospect of being totted around by an attractive 20 year old is neat, I would really require a roman style litter and 4 to 6 litter bearers. Preferably gyaruo. That would be awesome. I digress. The sight of dogs carried in bags is a typical Tokyo sight, and one everyone seems to notice. Mostly people just remark how decadent it seems, and when the woman is also carrying a parasol one starts to wonder if people missed the whole point of the Marie Antoinette story. But what I take away from it is that, as ridiculous as the situation seems, the dog likely is unaware that the situation is ridiculous. Correct me if I'm wrong, but dogs... while wonderful creatures are not particularly attuned to their surroundings. My shins attest to the fact that most dogs have little social awareness. But dogs, if they dream, probably dream about pretty straight forward things. Food, sticks to chase and an occasional tryst with a corduroy covered leg. I never quite got the phrase, "every dog has his day." I think for dogs, the standard to which they consider "having had their day" is pretty low. Pretty much everyday is a dog's day. Probably because dogs don't complain about apartment sizes. Have you seen a "dog house." That almost makes the japanese euphemism "Mansion" seem accurate. Dogs also don't generally pass up delicious looking garbage... or really any garbage. And of course dogs don't blog. So with this in mind I'm going to attempt not to envy my goldfish and his comparatively lush, lavish lifestyle. I'm going to forego jealousy of pampered poodles in Prada. I'm simply going to enjoy what life has given me and not want for anything more. Well... ok, a little more closet space at least.
My Few Square Feet of Tokyo
- Kevin Cooney
Kevin Cooney is a long time Tokyo resident. He makes regular appearances on TV as a reporter. He has his own popular internet video series. He performs stand-up comedy regularly in clubs around Tokyo. In his free time he is an avid chef, and hiker.
- Claytonian
Claytonian lives in the countryside of Japan. A very different lifestyle to the hustle and hum of urban centers like Tokyo. He takes a look at some of the traditions and settings that make Japan a unique place to live.
- Anna Kunnecke
Raised in Japan, Anna wears many hats: voice artist, international business consultant, life coach, mother. But the hats are nothing compared to the shoes! See Japan through her eyes, a working mother in Tokyo.
- Martin Faynot
Martin Faynot a.k.a. Marutan is a french illustrator living in Tokyo since 2002. He has published many illustrated books and his passion for Tokyo keeps him always on a quest to discover and observe how the city evolves. Tokyo as seen from behind his sketch pad.
- Emily Connor
Emily is a young singer, songwriter just breaking onto the Japanese music scene. Mostly self-taught, she became fluent in Japanese and moved to Tokyo at only 18. Following her musical dream, she has already made a name for herself in Japanese entertainment. She shares in this blog her life experiences in Tokyo and a first hand look at someone already becoming "Big in Japan."
- Danny Choo
Danny registers over two million unique users a month on his very own website and is an expert on his biggest passion: Japanese figurines. In this new Japan themed blog is all the latest from the world of Akiba-culture and society at large.
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