In the bustling malls of Japan, you may have noticed the countless men – standing, sitting, or sprawled outside fashion stores, their fingers dancing over phone screens, eyes scanning news, Facebook, or stock markets. Their gazes void of soul, these men are the reluctant companions of wives and girlfriends on shopping expeditions.
Among them, I always find myself. I assumed today was just another routine day accompanying my girlfriend to the mall. On our way, she handed me a card, small and slim like a train ticket, inscribed with the words “Try-On Coupon”. Below, a line read: “This coupon entitles the bearer to request the girlfriend to try on any one item of clothing.”
“Really? Anything at all?”
My girlfriend’s style is rather monotonous, akin to that of an old, stubborn English teacher. I’ve suggested other options before, like a bright yellow hoodie with a Pikachu hat, only to be met with a chilling, wintry sneer.
Thus, this “Try-On Coupon” felt more precious than winning the lottery.
“Anything,” she affirmed.
“Really? You won’t get angry? Even if it’s Pikachu?”
“Do I strike you as someone who gets angry easily?”
So, I set off in high spirits, hunting for the dream garment. It had to be something bold. A kimono adorned with dragons, tigers, and leopards crossed my mind, reminiscent of a yakuza boss in Kill Bill. But she had already expressed a desire to try a kimono, rendering my coupon unnecessary for that choice. There was a suit resembling those worn by croupiers in Macau, but I’ve never been fond of women in menswear.
If there were a Pikachu… As I pondered, a flash of joyous, innocent, friendly, and loyal bright yellow caught my eye.
“Ah, Pikachu,” she noted.
I squinted, deep in thought. The thing is, my fondness for Pikachu hoodies was such that I had already envisioned her in it countless times. Every movement, expression, even the sound and scent – she and Pikachu had merged into an ancient Greek statue-like ideal in my mind.
But ideals and reality are eternally at odds. The inconvenient truth is that, the moment she wore it, I’d only think, “So, it’s just this. Nothing more.” In other words, disappointment awaited.
“Yeah, Pikachu,” I replied listlessly.
So, we headed home.
“I’m reminded of that wheat allegory – was it Plato, Socrates, or Confucius?” I mused.
“What’s that?”
“Someone sent his disciples into a wheat field to pick the best ear of wheat. The catch was, they can only walk from one end to the other, and couldn’t turn back. In the end, they none of them picked anything, because even though they saw a nice ear of wheat, they always thought something better lay ahead.”
“And the moral?”
“Isn’t it that by always wanting the best, you end up with nothing?”
“Did those philosophers really say that?”
“Everyone says that.”
“That’s an odd thought. They didn’t end up with nothing, did they? Isn’t taking a walk in a wheat field pleasure enough already?”