Sakura Beats -- Urban Stream

 

Where would you be at 7:45 am in Tokyo? If it's a weekday, then I know where I wouldn't be...on a rush hour morning subway heading into the megalopolis. During my years living and working in the area, I never dared get onto a train at that time since I valued physics and my life. If I had an early morning lesson, which was the case in the last few years of my time in Japan, I would hop onto the Tozai Line an hour earlier when ribcage-crushing wasn't a common adjective used. Once I got to my destination several minutes to an hour before lesson time, then I would search for a café or a McDonalds to wile away the time. Other than that, I would take any subway after 9:30 am.

Recently, I found this YouTuber by the name of Sakura Beats who is responsible for creating some "...80’s Japanese Lofi jazzy hiphop" to help all of us chill out during our work or study. About a month ago, SB put out an album called "Tokyo 7:45 am" to do just that, and I'm enjoying that first track "Urban Stream" which would describe a typical transportation of millions of commuters into the big city. There are the beats and there is that wonderful snazzy trumpet sounding off. Maybe if you're not one of those commuters on the Tozai who's able to snooze off while standing in a crowded subway, then something like "Urban Stream" can be your tonic while enduring the trip.

There are many things that I greatly miss about my life in Japan's largest city but the rush hour is definitely not one of them.