A Perfectly Normal Day in Yoyogi Park

It’s hard to say exactly when Tokyo started to frighten me, but it was probably during our visit to Yoyogi Park. While watching Japanese rockabillies bounce-step to Joan Jett, I moved out of the way for a couple dressed in … let’s call it “Victorian Gothic Steampunk, Pastels Version”. And that’s when it really hit home; something’s not quite right in Tokyo.

I’m from the American Midwest, where brightly-colored shoelaces would be considered a rebellious act of fashion outrage. I’ve never felt t...