Red Heart

The original meaning of Roppongi is six trees. I did not find lots of trees in Ropoongi, but numberless neon lights, many men and women, black and white foreigners, and different style Japanese people.

It's hard to see Japanese people not wearing suits during the week days. Men and women are mainly wear black or gray suits. I have an illusion it is the Gray Suits Times for Tokyo in the 21 century. Maybe many people know the 1970 Gray Jackets Times in China during the Cultural Revolution.

However, today in big cities of China or America you can always see people wearing all different clothes not just suits. Especially in summer young girls' skirts and dress will make you feel the whole city is a big garden, as girls dress like flowers. So many colors, so many styles are shining under the sun.

In Roppongi I see similar girls at night under neon lights—short skirts, low collars, and heals. There are so many bars, restaurants, and pubs in Roppongi. It's crowded but not so noisy, no loud music on the streets, people like to talk in their own small circles.

Inside the pub it's different: hip hop or 1990's western music, red light, dance moves, smoke, young Japanese, foreigners all mix together. I was there with a friend who used to work as bartender in a famous hip hop pub 10 years ago. The pub is still there and still popular today.

“Drama starts after midnight,” he said.

At that time over a hundred people dance together--face to face, hip to hip. He squeezed in between the crowd. Sometimes he felt the breasts of young girls swing through his shoulders as he walked by and the girls were laughing. Sometimes he arms were burnt by the dropping cigarettes ashes of some guys.

Finally the most popular girls would dance on the bar table. Then guys all started to buy her drinks. She drunk, dance and drunk, dance and got very drunken. Guys started to tear her cloths... Laughters, Hooray, more wild moves.

“Do you want to stay and eyewitness this tonight?” he asked me.

“No,” I grabbed my bag and walked out the pub. My hearts could not take too vibrate scenes. The black guys next to our table was already publicly flirting his Japanese girl...

“ OK. Let me show you something,” he said and then guided me to an ally behind the pub. He explained as there's no public space in Roppongi, lots of people used to take their lunch break in this place.

It is a grave yard, just a dozen feet behind the pub and other restaurants. Big and small, tall and low grave stones stand next to each other, looked crowded. But there was no sound.

Everyday it is crowed in the grave yards, and it is crowded in the pubs.

Live and death, in between life is like a dream.