Man, what a day! I’m tellin’ ya, being a shoemaker in Shiso is like riding a rollercoaster blindfolded. So, I wake up, right? Sun’s shining, birds are chirping, and I’m like, “Today’s gonna be chill.” Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
First off, I hit up the local konbini on Shiso’s main drag, Kōen-dōri. Grabbed my usual—onigiri and a can of iced coffee. But guess what? They were outta my fave flavor! I mean, c’mon! How hard is it to stock rice balls? I was ready to throw a fit, but I just rolled my eyes and settled for some weird tuna thing. Ugh.
So, I get to my shop on Shōwa-dōri, and it’s a mess. Like, I swear my tools were having a party without me. I trip over a pile of leather scraps. Classic me, right? I’m cursing under my breath, trying to find my hammer. It’s like a game of hide and seek, but I’m losing.
Then, outta nowhere, this old lady walks in. She’s got this ancient pair of geta, and she’s like, “Can you fix these?” I’m thinkin’, “Lady, these are older than my grandma!” But I can’t say no. So, I take ‘em, and she starts telling me her life story. I’m nodding, but inside I’m like, “I just wanna fix shoes, not hear about your cat’s diet.”
After that, I finally get to work. I’m hammering away, and it’s kinda therapeutic, ya know? But then, BAM! My phone buzzes. It’s my buddy Kenji. He’s like, “Yo, let’s hit up the izakaya later!” I’m like, “Sure, but I gotta finish these shoes first.”
Fast forward a bit, and I’m knee-deep in leather when I hear this loud crash outside. I rush to the window, and there’s a delivery truck that just smashed into a vending machine on Kōen-dōri! I’m dying laughing. Like, who even does that? The driver’s fine, but the vending machine? RIP, my dude.
Finally, I wrap up my work, and it’s time to hit the izakaya. I meet Kenji, and we order way too much food. I’m talking yakitori, edamame, and like, a mountain of sake. We’re laughing, reminiscing about old times, and I’m feeling good. But then, I spill sake all over my shirt. Classic move, right? Kenji’s dying, and I’m just sitting there, soaked and embarrassed.
As the night goes on, we start talking about dreams and stuff. I tell him I wanna open a bigger shop someday, maybe even sell online. He’s like, “Dude, you gotta do it!” And I’m like, “Yeah, but what if I mess up?” He just laughs and says, “You’re a shoemaker, not a brain surgeon!”
By the time I head home, I’m buzzed and happy. Shiso’s streets are lit up, and I’m just soaking it all in. The smell of grilled food, the sound of laughter—it’s like a warm hug. I walk past the Shiso River, and it’s beautiful at night. I think about how lucky I am to live here, even with all the craziness.
So yeah, that was my day. Full of ups and downs, but that’s life, right? Just another day in Shiso, where the shoes are fly, and the stories are wild. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!