Yesterday, I went to Tokyo to meet a friend whom I hadn't seen for a long time. We used to work together before he went back to England. 

I promised to meet him at Tokyo Station, but since I hadn't been to Tokyo Station for a long time, I had forgotten how huge that station was. It took us a while to find each other! I was desperately looking around for Marunouchi Central Exit, but the signs only pointed North and South. 

It's embarrassing to admit, but even though I have been living in Japan for a while, I still don't know my way around Tokyo very well. I generally avoid crowded places like Shinjuku, Tokyo and Shibuya as they are my definition of chaos. There are so many things going on I don't know where to look sometimes! 

When I finally found my friend, I felt relieved. It had been approximately 5 years since we last saw each other, so I was worried things were going to be awkward at first. As a working adult, life tends to take over sometimes and you forget to keep in touch with your friends. It's very easy to drift apart despite all the technology that is available to us. Even though I regard him as one of my closest friends, we don't exactly talk everyday. 

He shared the same feelings. He said it's hard to believe that it has been 5 years. He was also worried that we might not have anything to talk about. As you fall into the loop, you don't really notice time passing by. You go to work, you go home, you hang out with your friends occasionally, then repeat.  

Thankfully, despite the mess that is our life, my friend and I could still shoot the breeze just like old times. The banter, the philosophical talks--they still felt the same. If anything, I feel closer to him now than before because we both have grown as a people (at least that's what I'd like to believe). It's funny that we're both in agreement about how the past 5 years have changed us as a person. 

We've become more tolerant for sure and more sure of what we want in life. Before, we were afraid of failing, but thinking back now, we realized that even if we failed then, we'd have little to lose. Now, however, having more to lose than before, we feel like we should fight harder instead of being scared. 

Afterwards, I took him to Pokemon Center at Takashimaya so he could buy presents for his nephews. He said his nephews liked a specific Pokemon (Togepi), so we asked the staff there if they had any Togepi merchandises. The staff were quick to respond. He jetted through the massive store and gathered all the Togepi goods he could find. He then ran back to us and handed us all the goods. My friend thanked him profusely. When he looked at me, he had these sparkles in his eyes. He said he'd forgotten how impressive Japanese customer service was. 

Overall, it was a relaxing day. I'd be sad to see him go as I don't have a lot of friends in Japan. But at least I know that when I see him again in 5, 10 years time, our friendship will still be the same.