Found Poetry Amid Akihabara Brutality

The absurdity and sadness of random murder, and the inconsolable grief of the beloved of the dead and injured, is the story--and it's not a story, per se, but a reality. As of this writing, seven people are dead, and 10 injured, for no reason other than being in Akihabara, Tokyo's mecca of electronics and pop culture, at midday on Sunday.

The man who caused this sadness, Tomohiro Kato, is not a nobody, though he apparently felt that way, at least on Sunday morning.

What follows is a translation of Kato's account of the hours and minutes leading up to his acts of violence. It breaks off approximately twenty minutes before his Sunday attack (o:20)--and it reads like a bit of untreated found poetry, a narrative of the mundane and the obscene, with lines that speak of other lines, other sensibilities, not unlike a serious poem.
(Thanks to blogger Patrick Macias for the post.)

am 5:21 I'm going to kill people in Akihabara. I'll crash into them by
car, and when the car is down, I'll use my knife. Goodbye everybody
am 5:21 sleepy
am 5:34 I still have headache
am 5:35 weather man says it's a rainy day. Worst.
am 5:44 The worst case is that I'll get caught during(the killing spree)
am 6:00 I'm not being cheated, maybe I am the one who cheats
am 6:02 I'm used to play a good guy. Everybody believe it so easily.
am 6:03 Adults liked me, since I am "a good kid".
am 6:03 Couldn't make any friends
am 6:04 still, there were few who got along with me
am 6:05 Some of them kept me in their mailing list, that makes me feel
good a bit
am 6:10 The road I was to take is sealed. Everything is against me
am 6:31 It's time. Let's go
am 6:39 I have to fight my headache
am 6:49 and the rain
am 6:50 and the time
am 7:30 I did my homework perfectly and look at this rain
am 9:41 I hope the weather gets better
am 9:48 Now I'm in Kanagawa. resting. Everything is fine so far
am 10:53 Heavy trafic jam. Dunno if I get there on time
am 11:07 Shibuya sucks
am 11:17 It is sunny around here
am 11:45 arrived on Akihabara
am 11:45 Hokoten (pedestrian day) today, isn't it?
pm 0:10 Now it's the time

Popular posts from this blog

Video: Interview for Hype Magazine

Image
I was recently interviewed in Tokyo by Darren Paltrowitz of Hype Magazine . He was in New York City, my former hometown.  We talked about my gig hosting the Japan Cats doc, but also a lot of stuff I hadn't planned to discuss, like pandemic work, my forthcoming Blade Runner book, the novel, the other books, my Who T-shirt and interviews with Pete Townshend, the shows "Better Call Saul," "Westworld" and "Barry"—and my cat.  Darren's opening gambit disarmed me.  Vid's up at YouTube:
Read more

Shinji Aramaki and the Appleseed Ex Machina Opening

Image
Got blogged down, I guess, but a few notes here from New York: I was privileged recently to spend some time conversing with veteran designer and Appleseed director Shinji Aramaki in Tokyo. Aramaki is among the most candid and clear-headed of the folks I've met in the anime industry in Japan; he's also an ambitious and committed artist, one who retains faith in the future of his art form, even as he offers suggestions for its survival. Portions of our conversation were published in The Daily Yomiuri on the eve of the Japan nationwide theatrical release of Appleseed: Ex Machina , the latest and most visually stunning film in the Appleseed series. The film will be released in the US in the form of a DVD disc set in 2008. On the same day (Oct. 20, US-time), Kinokuniya will open its largest overseas bookstore in midtown Manhattan. The three-floor outlet will overlook Bryan Park in the very center of the city. Look for expanded offerings of manga, anime, and all books related to th
Read more