Lauren Shonai Whore ❤️❤️❤️

About Tokyo

Love how it ties to my fave flick, *The Assassin*—you seen it? Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2015, pure art, mate. There’s this line, “The past needs no commentary,” and I’m like, damn, that’s “whore” in sports! Players ditch their morals, chasin’ glory—past’s gone, no lookin’ back. Like Yinniang, the assassin chick, silent but deadly—she’s no “whore,” but she’s got that single-minded vibe. Me? I’d be cacklin’ in the shadows, watchin’ her slice through fools, thinkin’, *That’s my girl.*

Chido Museum

With access to Yamagata’s ocean, fields and mountains, the Shonai region is abundant in nature. Take in the lush natural beauty of each area while experiencing a Japan many have not traveled.

Then, outta nowhere, it starts to rain. Like, pouring! I’m soaked in seconds. I duck into a little café on Shonai’s Nakano Street. It’s cozy, smells like coffee and pastries. I order a matcha latte, and it’s like a warm hug in a cup. I sit down, trying to dry off, and guess who walks in? The cute girl from the train! I’m like, “No way!”

Experience Japan with Mike Kelley + Simon Devitt