Through the Eyes of the Consul General of Japan in Detroit

 
When I was young, my wife and I traveled together and arrived at Cape Roca in Portugal. There, we found a monument inscribed with the words, "Here, the land ends, and the sea begins." From the edge of a steep cliff, the vast Atlantic Ocean stretched out before us. Cape Roca is the westernmost point of the Eurasian continent. Human ingenuity and struggles end there, and beyond lies only the sea.

"I feel like we could go far," my wife murmured beside me, smiling.

During a city tour with Keizo Nakanishi and his team, who visited Detroit as performers for the JBSD New Year’s event, we were taken to Heidelberg Street. The entire street was a work of art. A two-story house covered in polka dots reminiscent of Yayoi Kusama, abandoned cars repurposed as canvases for graffiti, headless mannequins—everything was quietly wrapped in a blanket of white snow.

Gen-chan, the keyboardist, walked boldly down the street, singing loudly. Hiro, the cameraman, recorded his movements. Keizo, the supposed main performer, watched over the scene with a gentle smile alongside Yuri. Out of nowhere, a stray cat appeared and strutted confidently around us as if it owned the place.

It was a scattered, unstructured moment, yet it felt incredibly peaceful. There was no need to overthink it, no need to try and understand it. The art was simply there. Perhaps, just like Gen-chan, the only right answer was to sing recklessly and without hesitation.

"But even now, this area is too dangerous to walk at night," our JBSD guide explained.

When my transfer from San Francisco to Detroit was confirmed, 80% of my friends said, "I’m sorry." Some even asked with a straight face if I had done something wrong to be demoted.

Indeed, Detroit has a terrible reputation—high crime rates, a declining population, economic stagnation, and rundown houses. None of these factors seem particularly attractive.

However, after a month and a half of living here and walking through the city, I could sense the breath of revival. Mayor Duggan’s steady governance, careful budget execution, the lively restaurants and bars surrounding the major sports stadiums, the absence of homeless people on street corners (perhaps because, unlike San Francisco, it is simply too cold), and the bustling Eastern Market filled with shoppers—Detroit is far more captivating than I had expected.

"I feel like I could go far," I murmured toward my wife, still in Japan, and smiled.