no foreigners and disappointment
in december i found an interesting book at my workplace. "happy victims" – a photo book by kyoichi tsuzuki. he photographed japanese people obsessed with a singular fashion brand. the pictures show mostly small rooms, on their floors pieces of the chosen brand spread out. the victim in the center of its hunting bag. spending money on food, vacation and spacious accommodation for these people is of low priority. buying a particular brand’s trousers/blouses/shirts/shoes comes first. for some this might sound like fanatic consumerism and that is simply what it is. it is especially fanatic because these people don't mind but enjoy it. "happy victims" – what a great title.
on the first day of the year i did not have to work and went back to the cafe i earlier had to hold a speech at. after saying hi to some of the familiar faces, i got to know some new ones. one of them was taiga. a young man, clean-shaven, slowly reaching for his coffee latte. contrasting this calm appearance was his dress – wearing a colourful pink and red coat. flower designs and an anime character printed on the back. a certain conversation starter. what do you do in life, i ask him, imitating the cafe’s owner. he works at a second-hand store and collects clothing by comme des garçons.
"only this one brand?"
"yes, only this one. i like it."
is this possible? i have found a real happy victim! of course he knows tsuzuki's work though he has yet to be featured in it. he continues to show me his collection of blouses, jackets and shoes through pictures on his phone. he stops abruptly, leans back and asks me if i know about japanese sex dolls. well that is a different topic! is he collecting those as well? i sure have heard of them but certainly have not been looking for them. he goes on how he went to a museum recently displaying all sorts of sex- and fetish-themed things. his face is glowing in excitement as he shows me the picture which initially made him change the topic. he explains, there is a bar in this museum where you can have a drink among special decoration. the selfie picture shows him to the left, a sex doll in the center and to the right is his girlfriend – the humans both smiling, the doll’s face in silicone arousal. my face? smiling in confusion – what a weird place for a date. (now that i think about it, actually a good choice. a classic choice in japan would be the aquarium or the zoo. an uncommonly decorated bar sure makes for a funnier experience than entering a staring contest with a depressed primate behind glass.) i remember discovering an article about such a similar establishment and tell him. his eyes grow to the size of the doll's. he has not heard of it and wants to know name and address. i pick my brain but no luck – the information slipped away. what a bad feeling. the only thing i remember is the museum is the owner’s home and you have to make a reservation if you wish to see the collection. i promise to research when i get home.
"if you rediscover the place, we go together."
"okay, sounds good"
in the evening i consult my browser’s search history. there it is. 21st of september. praise the brain prostheses! i write a message to happy victim. he is going to make a reservation for both of us in two days. exciting. the next day i receive a message from the museum’s owner, forwarded by happy victim:
tomorrow is a closed day, and foreigners are not permitted to enter. additionally, reservations require the submission of names. we do not wish to deal with anyone who fails to comply with our requests whatsoever. please do not contact us again. (translated)
after reading this, i check the website. what i found written there made further inquiry pointless:
for the time being, the country will continue to be closed and foreigners will be prohibited from entering. no foreigner! i was treated as a sex offender by the german public broadcaster ard. yale university in the us was a training institution for criminals. the chinese communist party was a bunch of thieves. (...) fuck ard! fuck eu! fuck yale university! fuck communist!
i guess being a german painter is not always beneficial.
lets see what happens next -kunde
this times recommendation: happy victims by kyoichi tsuzuki ISBN: 9788409732692, prabérians by thomas rousset ISBN: 9781912719396, the post office by jason polan ISBN: 9780894391033, ewan susan https://www.instagram.com/e1000__/