From Tokyo With Love
One month today I turned 24 in Japan. On a whim I said fuck it and bought a ticket to one of my dream destinations. The of the first big birthday presents I’ve given myself in all 24 years of my existence.
Before I went to Japan, I was questioning a lot about myself. The goals I have, the direction I am going in my career, relationships, love, life…. and my brand. Not “Asha Moné” but the clothing line that I created less than 4 years ago, Le Tokio Amor.
While I have been on a design hiatus for some time, I have struggled to stay with the name. From wondering if my love for Japan was just a “fad” that found me on my design journey to does the name make me sound like one of those “weeaboos,” what will society have to say about it, am I still in love with fashion anymore, etc. I’ve questioned it all. And then trip happened and those questions didn’t matter at all.
As I boarded my flight from Xiamen, China to Narita, Japan my biggest question was, Will I get to Japan and actually love it?
And at first I was scared to admit that…. I didn’t. Japan just felt like a new destination. It was something I’ve saw on postcards. Something that the world around me hyped up. Beautiful yet unfamiliar just like any other destination. But waking up and seeing the sun rise, in the land of the rising sun created a different experience for me as the days went by. I felt calm. I felt inspired and I honestly didn’t want to leave. The air around me brought this clarity that I have been searching for. I wasn’t worried about social media. Style inspired me. I didn’t have 1000000 thoughts in my mind. Everything had a purpose. It was therapeutic. Any doubts I had about myself were gone. Le Tokio Amor was staying. Point. Blank. Period. I joked with my best friend for 3 days straight about how I could run away from the western world and open a thrift shop and be happy there because honestly, who would have thought a girl from the 973 would ever get to Tokyo.
But life isn’t that easy and I can’t runaway from my potential. In the words of my best friend, Andrew “I have only just began. ” I can’t worry about other opinions. I have to just do me.
From the Robot Restaurant and Italian food in Shibuya (my best friend hit me with some crazy diet the day we got there. Was not prepared at all) to midnight runs to convenience stores, Hypebeast Saturdays (personal favorite) and failed fashion videos in Harajuku. I enjoyed every minute of it.
So with that being said, Thank You Japan for giving me a glimpse of what I was searching for. Thank you for being all the things I wanted and never thought of. Thank You for inspiring me and reminding me that dreams are possible. I could go on and on but I’ll wait until my next trip there.
- Asha Moné
P.S.- Thank you D for coming with me on such short notice. I owe you one best friend. How do we top this birthday?
