Osaka, Japan

In the Company of Mayu


Japanese nightlife is a multi-faceted, multi-billion business. In Osaka, an enigmatic couchsurfing hostess welcomes us, somewhere between the geisha and the luxury escort.

It's 22 pm sharp.

Mayu appears at the end of the deep corridor at Osaka Jokitazume Station and walks down a kind of cold walkway made of white industrial mosaics. It approaches the tourniquet barrier and us with a Japanese lightness that impresses us.

It is presented in surprising English, with a much deeper voice than we are used to hearing from Japanese women, yet soft and to the point: "Hi, it's Mayu, come stay at my house."

Mayu Portrait, Osaka, Japan

Mayu in one of her many kimonos and about to start her work shift in Osaka.

We confirm our identity, thank you again for the hospitality and follow in the hostess' short steps. We got into the elevator and went out onto the surface avenue.

The entrance to the building he used to live in is less than 100 meters away. We entered the lobby and another elevator.

Couchsurfing hosting with a view of the castle of Osaka

We arrived at the 10th floor and at his home, took off our shoes and settled in the small room, overlooking Osaka-Jo, the imposing castle that American bombs razed at the end of World War II but that the city authorities rebuilt and they now stand out from the urban pitch, using powerful light cannons.

Mayu puts us at ease on her little white napa sofa and brings us cans of iced Sapporo beer. We share one. She drinks three and blushes before her eyes. your english is confirmed Intermediate  and not beginner as I had registered in the profile of Couchsurfing that filled out.

“I learned almost all of it in Europe, he confesses to us. I've been to Croatia twice. I also went to Bosnia and Herzegovina and France. I loved your Eurovision Festivals”.

When we ask why Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina out of so many countries in Europe, it just shrugs and sketches a "Because it came along." nothing explanatory, much less convincing.

In addition to mastering foreign languages, and being 32 years old, the inevitable item “Occupation”. As for this one, Mayu couldn't be more defensive: “Not of your business! "

We stayed chatting until 1am. Around that time, alcohol and fatigue combine and force her to retire to her upper room in a kind of mezzanine room. We took advantage of the suggestion and gave in to the soporific comfort of the futons and comforters that he had extended to us.

Mayu's New Day (and Night)

We woke up at 10 am, caught in a radiant sun. We come across a note from Mayu informing him that he had gone to the gym and was returning at lunchtime.

We leave the apartment to explore the neighboring precinct of Osaka Castle, occupied by countless free souls from the metropolis, groups of restless young students, dating couples and even an eccentric and lonely J-Pop dancer who moves like a rubber band. rhythm of the private music provided by your headphones.

We headed home to pick up our laptops before turning to the ever-convenient free Internet from the McDonalds chain.

We found Mayu preparing to descend, dressed in a kimono. “Don't be scared, it's my job. I'll only be back there at 2 in the morning. They must be asleep already.”

In duplex, Osaka, Japan

Mayu descends from her rooms on the top floor of Osaka's floor.

Mayu's Intriguing Night Service

Inside, we took a closer look at a hanger full of other traditional Japanese clothes and, in contrast, photographs of him taken in purikuras (sophisticated Japanese photography studios) with friends, in underwear.

Mystery about his profession thickened under the forbidding specter of the online notice. It was none of our business, period.

In elevator kimono, Osaka, Japan

Mayu leaves his house, already wearing a kimono.

In terms of hours, the day-to-day sui generis Mayu's hardly matched ours. She kept coming back we were already sleeping for a long time.

We left the house well before she woke up. Thus, three days passed without us crossing.

Kimonos and First Confessions

We started to find the situation inappropriate and, the next night, we waited for it. Enough in her kimono and, in the middle of another long conversation, she agreed that we would photograph her in her typical costume.

Props, Osaka, Japan

Mayu analyzes a suitcase full of underwear, straps, bands and other accessories that she wears under her kimonos

He asked us for help in choosing a more colorful one and exemplified the delicate placement of the belt.

She confessed to us that she hoped her boyfriend would come visit her from Tokyo over the weekend but I was disappointed because that wasn't going to happen anymore.

Conversation makes conversation, Mayu feels more at ease. He speaks for the first time to his customers and reveals part of the enigma to us. “A lot of these things you see around are gifts.

Every day they give me things. By the way, I have a new client who is especially wealthy. As you agreed, I am in need of a new notebook. I think I'll see if he offers it to me."

Mayu confesses to being a companion and thus explains her repeated and improbable trips to Europe. It leaves open the degree of intimacy of its service provision.

Mayu leaves his house, already wearing a kimono.

Osaka's Daily Life Past with Mayu

We closed that early morning with pleasant conversations showered with Sapporo and, taking advantage of the reinforced complicity, we suggest accompanying her for part of her pre-work Saturday. Mayu accepts.

The hostess wakes up late again. We met at home around 14pm, she had just returned from the gym. We had lunch heated in the microwave. Then let's go to the salon together hair stylist.

In Metro, Osaka, Japan

Short subway ride from home to hairdresser.

Mayu comes out with her hair still wet, unworthy of a new kimono, which, in turn, clashes with the futuristic look of the subway and the passengers we come across.

We felt following a temporal misunderstanding and, Mayu, uncomfortable as I hadn't anticipated, as we photographed her along the switchable path.

We enter a labyrinth of arcades and, soon, the establishment he goes to every day. The young stylists greet her, install her in a chair, and hand her a laminated catalog of hairstyles, which she deftly examines.

Hairdressers and Hairstyles

"Do you like this one?" and show us the corresponding image. We say yes. "OK, so it's decided."

Hairstyles, Osaka, Japan

Hairdresser shows Mayu a hairstyle catalog

In three stages, the hairdressers dry your hair and put on the necessary rollers. While her hair acquires the desired volume, Mayu takes the opportunity to put on make-up.

Then another stylist designs the chosen headdress that ends with a good dose of spray lacquer which Mayu protects her face with a transparent face shield.

At the hairdresser, Osaka, Japan

Mayu holds a mask while the hairdresser performs her new hairstyle.

The visual for the coming night is ready. The client withdraws 2000 yen, signs a note and says goodbye. Already abroad, it gives us a curious commercial explanation. “The normal price for this styling what I did are about 8.000 yen but as I come here every day I have a nice discount. I only pay 2000. Also, not everyone does these hairstyles every day, right?”.

the last night of Couchsurfing from Osaka, with Mayu

We go together to a central area and stroll through the streets lined with small bars and restaurants. The time has come for us to part ways and she tells us that from there she was going alone. We were left with the idea that to keep the place where he worked secret.

Next to drinks machine, Osaka, Japan

A break before work for a refreshing drink.

That night, we returned from the Portugália restaurant (a pioneering business of our compatriot Eduardo Mira Batista, who has lived in Japan for 30 years).

We walked the streets on the way home when we recognized the area where the Japanese hostess left us. We wonder if we would not find it when we are confronted by the apparatus of some relief operation that combines firefighters and police.

Hundreds of workers and customers of the establishments, like residents of the upper floors, go out into the street scared and hinder the movement of emergency vehicles and agents.

Despite the frenzy, they finally arrive at the bar behind closed doors where the alarm had gone off and find some smoke inside but nothing too complicated. The smoke is extinguished, agents turn off the alarm, record the occurrence and charge the corresponding fine to the owners.

Once the confusion is over, the crowd disbands. The Osaka neighborhood returns to its intense mizu shobai.

Skyline, Osaka, Japan

The tallest buildings in the administrative and business center of the city, one of the largest megalopolises in Japan

It's already Sunday. Mayu returns home later than ever.

The next morning, she tells us that a new customer had liked her more than usual. we moved to Hiroshima not really knowing what that would have implied. We still have to understand it today.

Kyoto, Japan

Survival: The Last Geisha Art

There have been almost 100 but times have changed and geishas are on the brink of extinction. Today, the few that remain are forced to give in to Japan's less subtle and elegant modernity.
Tokyo, Japan

A Matchmaking Sanctuary

Tokyo's Meiji Temple was erected to honor the deified spirits of one of the most influential couples in Japanese history. Over time, it specialized in celebrating traditional weddings.
Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo's Hypno-Passengers

Japan is served by millions of executives slaughtered with infernal work rates and sparse vacations. Every minute of respite on the way to work or home serves them for their inemuri, napping in public.
Tokyo, Japan

Disposable Purrs

Tokyo is the largest of the metropolises but, in its tiny apartments, there is no place for pets. Japanese entrepreneurs detected the gap and launched "catteries" in which the feline affections are paid by the hour.
Tokyo, Japan

The Endless Night of the Rising Sun Capital

Say that Tokyo do not sleep is an understatement. In one of the largest and most sophisticated cities on the face of the Earth, twilight marks only the renewal of the frenetic daily life. And there are millions of souls that either find no place in the sun, or make more sense in the “dark” and obscure turns that follow.
Japan

The Beverage Machines Empire

There are more than 5 million ultra-tech light boxes spread across the country and many more exuberant cans and bottles of appealing drinks. The Japanese have long since stopped resisting them.
Mount Koya, Japan

Halfway to Nirvana

According to some doctrines of Buddhism, it takes several lifetimes to attain enlightenment. The shingon branch claims that you can do it in one. From Mount Koya, it can be even easier.
Magome-Tsumago, Japan

Magome to Tsumago: The Overcrowded Path to the Medieval Japan

In 1603, the Tokugawa shogun dictated the renovation of an ancient road system. Today, the most famous stretch of the road that linked Edo to Kyoto is covered by a mob eager to escape.
Ogimashi, Japan

A Village Faithful to the A

Ogimashi reveals a fascinating heritage of Japanese adaptability. Located in one of the most snowy places on Earth, this village has perfected houses with real anti-collapse structures.
Takayama, Japan

From the Ancient Japan to the Medieval Hida

In three of its streets, Takayama retains traditional wooden architecture and concentrates old shops and sake producers. Around it, it approaches 100.000 inhabitants and surrenders to modernity.
Nikko, Japan

The Tokugawa Shogun Final Procession

In 1600, Ieyasu Tokugawa inaugurated a shogunate that united Japan for 250 years. In her honor, Nikko re-enacts the general's medieval relocation to Toshogu's grandiose mausoleum every year.
Nara, Japan

The Colossal Cradle of the Japanese Buddhism

Nara has long since ceased to be the capital and its Todai-ji temple has been demoted. But the Great Hall remains the largest ancient wooden building in the world. And it houses the greatest bronze Vairocana Buddha.
Lion, Elephants, PN Hwange, Zimbabwe
Safari
PN Hwange, Zimbabwe

The Legacy of the Late Cecil Lion

On July 1, 2015, Walter Palmer, a dentist and trophy hunter from Minnesota killed Cecil, Zimbabwe's most famous lion. The slaughter generated a viral wave of outrage. As we saw in PN Hwange, nearly two years later, Cecil's descendants thrive.
Yak Kharka to Thorong Phedi, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Yaks
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit 11th: yak karkha a Thorong Phedi, Nepal

Arrival to the Foot of the Canyon

In just over 6km, we climbed from 4018m to 4450m, at the base of Thorong La canyon. Along the way, we questioned if what we felt were the first problems of Altitude Evil. It was never more than a false alarm.
Sirocco, Arabia, Helsinki
Architecture & Design
Helsinki, Finland

The Design that Came from the Cold

With much of the territory above the Arctic Circle, Finns respond to the climate with efficient solutions and an obsession with art, aesthetics and modernism inspired by neighboring Scandinavia.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Adventure
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Jumping forward, Pentecost Naghol, Bungee Jumping, Vanuatu
Ceremonies and Festivities
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Pentecost Naghol: Bungee Jumping for Real Men

In 1995, the people of Pentecostes threatened to sue extreme sports companies for stealing the Naghol ritual. In terms of audacity, the elastic imitation falls far short of the original.
Whale Hunting with Bubbles, Juneau the Little Capital of Great Alaska
Cities
Juneau, Alaska

The Little Capital of Greater Alaska

From June to August, Juneau disappears behind cruise ships that dock at its dockside. Even so, it is in this small capital that the fate of the 49th American state is decided.
young saleswoman, nation, bread, uzbekistan
Meal
Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, The Nation That Does Not Lack Bread

Few countries employ cereals like Uzbekistan. In this republic of Central Asia, bread plays a vital and social role. The Uzbeks produce it and consume it with devotion and in abundance.
Newar celebration, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Culture
Bhaktapur, Nepal

The Nepalese Masks of Life

The Newar Indigenous People of the Kathmandu Valley attach great importance to the Hindu and Buddhist religiosity that unites them with each other and with the Earth. Accordingly, he blesses their rites of passage with newar dances of men masked as deities. Even if repeated long ago from birth to reincarnation, these ancestral dances do not elude modernity and begin to see an end.
4th of July Fireworks-Seward, Alaska, United States
Sport
Seward, Alaska

The Longest 4th of July

The independence of the United States is celebrated, in Seward, Alaska, in a modest way. Even so, the 4th of July and its celebration seem to have no end.
Herd in Manang, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Traveling
Annapurna Circuit: 8th Manang, Nepal

Manang: the Last Acclimatization in Civilization

Six days after leaving Besisahar we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). Located at the foot of the Annapurna III and Gangapurna Mountains, Manang is the civilization that pampers and prepares hikers for the ever-dreaded crossing of Thorong La Gorge (5416 m).
Ethnic
Pueblos del Sur, Venezuela

The Pueblos del Sur Locainas, Their Dances and Co.

From the beginning of the XNUMXth century, with Hispanic settlers and, more recently, with Portuguese emigrants, customs and traditions well known in the Iberian Peninsula and, in particular, in northern Portugal, were consolidated in the Pueblos del Sur.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio

days like so many others

Bagu, Kingdom of Pegu, Syriao
History
berry, Myanmar

A Journey to Bago. And to the Portuguese Kingdom of Pegu

Determined and opportunistic, two Portuguese adventurers became kings of Pegu's kingdom. His dynasty only lasted from 1600 to 1613. It has gone down in history.
Surf Lesson, Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
Islands
Waikiki, OahuHawaii

The Japanese Invasion of Hawaii

Decades after the attack on Pearl Harbor and from the capitulation in World War II, the Japanese returned to Hawaii armed with millions of dollars. Waikiki, his favorite target, insists on surrendering.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Winter White
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
On the Crime and Punishment trail, St. Petersburg, Russia, Vladimirskaya
Literature
Saint Petersburg, Russia

On the Trail of "Crime and Punishment"

In St. Petersburg, we cannot resist investigating the inspiration for the base characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's most famous novel: his own pities and the miseries of certain fellow citizens.
Magnificent Atlantic Days
Nature
Morro de São Paulo, Brazil

A Divine Seaside of Bahia

Three decades ago, it was just a remote and humble fishing village. Until some post-hippie communities revealed the Morro's retreat to the world and promoted it to a kind of bathing sanctuary.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Eruption, Tsunami, A Televisioned Apocalypse
Natural Parks
La Palma, Canary IslandsSpain (España)

The Most Mediatic of the Cataclysms to Happen

The BBC reported that the collapse of a volcanic slope on the island of La Palma could generate a mega-tsunami. Whenever the area's volcanic activity increases, the media take the opportunity to scare the world.
On hold, Mauna Kea volcano in space, Big Island, Hawaii
UNESCO World Heritage
Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Mauna Kea: the Volcano with an Eye out in Space

The roof of Hawaii was off-limits to natives because it housed benevolent deities. But since 1968, several nations sacrificed the peace of the gods and built the greatest astronomical station on the face of the Earth.
aggie gray, Samoa, South Pacific, Marlon Brando Fale
Characters
Apia, Western Samoa

The Host of the South Pacific

She sold burguês to GI's in World War II and opened a hotel that hosted Marlon Brando and Gary Cooper. Aggie Gray passed away in 2. Her legacy lives on in the South Pacific.
Bay Watch cabin, Miami beach, beach, Florida, United States,
Beaches
Miami beach, USA

The Beach of All Vanities

Few coastlines concentrate, at the same time, so much heat and displays of fame, wealth and glory. Located in the far southeast of the USA, Miami Beach is accessed by six bridges that connect it to the rest of Florida. It is manifestly meager for the number of souls who desire it.
Police intervention, ultra-Orthodox Jews, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel
Religion
Jaffa, Israel

Unorthodox protests

A building in Jaffa, Tel Aviv, threatened to desecrate what ultra-Orthodox Jews thought were remnants of their ancestors. And even the revelation that they were pagan tombs did not deter them from the contestation.
The Toy Train story
On Rails
Siliguri a Darjeeling, India

The Himalayan Toy Train Still Running

Neither the steep slope of some stretches nor the modernity stop it. From Siliguri, in the tropical foothills of the great Asian mountain range, the Darjeeling, with its peaks in sight, the most famous of the Indian Toy Trains has ensured for 117 years, day after day, an arduous dream journey. Traveling through the area, we climb aboard and let ourselves be enchanted.
Saphire Cabin, Purikura, Tokyo, Japan
Society
Tokyo, Japan

Japanese Style Passaport-Type Photography

In the late 80s, two Japanese multinationals already saw conventional photo booths as museum pieces. They turned them into revolutionary machines and Japan surrendered to the Purikura phenomenon.
Casario, uptown, Fianarantsoa, ​​Madagascar
Daily life
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
Serengeti, Great Savannah Migration, Tanzania, wildebeest on river
Wildlife
Serengeti NP, Tanzania

The Great Migration of the Endless Savanna

In these prairies that the Masai people say syringet (run forever), millions of wildebeests and other herbivores chase the rains. For predators, their arrival and that of the monsoon are the same salvation.
Full Dog Mushing
Scenic Flights
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.
PT EN ES FR DE IT