As we walked to the Meiji Temple on a cold evening, memories of my student days in Christchurch came flooding back. The cold air that filled my lungs jolted my memory, reminding me of things that I missed back then. I made a choice to return to Singapore instead of staying in Christchurch to be just another Asian immigrant trying to make ends meet.
It's funny how the sun sets at 4.30pm in Tokyo around January. I think it sets at 4pm in February. The early darkness forced me to wake up at 7am and to leave the apartment at 9am to catch every bit of limited day light. Unlike the locals who hid in one super-heated shopping mall to another, I actually enjoyed standing in the cold outside. It just invigorated me. It made my mind alive. I could theorise about things that I couldn't figure out earlier. I'm just the kind that can't sleep if I can't understand something.
The people of Tokyo really take care of their appearance. Almost every lady puts on very thick eye mascara, false eyelashes that are stuck outside the far corners of their eyes to give an illusion that their eyes are bigger. A few gentlement even put on mascara and foundation. Tokyo is probably a place of high-fashion, as is Seoul or Hong Kong. People dress well. The girls wear cute dresses, not the elegant black leather the European women wear. The fashion in Tokyo/Seoul/Hong Kong is more varied than in Europe.
As I trudged reluctantly to the bus that brought us to the airport, I wondered what Shanghai would have been today had they made a different turn in history. It would probably be very different from what it is today. It would probably have been ultra decadent, ultra modern. Right now, China is still grappling with rampant air pollution, the tap water is not drinkable, and food safety is suspect. It would probably not be a place I want my future children to grow up in. Singapore is too hot and humid, surrounded by a rather unstable neighbourhood. Worst of all, I do not know how Singapore will cope with food shortage and rising sea levels. Perhaps we will be like Holland, where a third is below sea level but saved by the dams.
There aren't many places that give me a perfect blend of economic vibrancy, safety, a temperate climate and a good investment environment. I'm still searching. But Tokyo has set a high bar indeed.
