In contemporary society, the pace of life continues to accelerate. Experiences are compressed into immediate reactions, and information circulates in fragmented forms. In such an environment, individual perception tends to become superficial, experiences struggle to accumulate, communities lose their foundational structures and gradually disintegrate, and the relationships between individuals—and between individuals and the world—become increasingly tenuous.
Against this backdrop, the act of recording in the form of a “Tokyo Diary” holds particular significance.
First, recording is an active organization of one’s perceptual experience. In a fragmented environment, unprocessed experiences are easily lost. Through recording, individuals structure previously scattered experiences, allowing them to form a continuous memory and thereby maintain a coherent understanding of their own life trajectory.
Second, recording serves as a means of self-confirmation of one’s state of living. Subtle perceptions in daily life, if not captured, are easily overlooked or negated. Through the act of recording, individuals not only preserve the traces of their perception but also continuously affirm their existence—acknowledging their feelings, thoughts, and experiences within a specific time and space.
Third, sharing records offers a renewed exploration of interpersonal connection. In urban environments, relationships are often characterized by transience and superficiality. When individuals share their perceptual experiences in the form of diaries, these experiences may trigger recognition in others, fostering faint yet genuine links between strangers.Such connections differ from direct social interactions; they are indirect associations built through shared experiences and perception.
Finally, recording itself constitutes a practice of contemplation and creation. In an accelerated society, spaces for deep reflection are markedly compressed, and perception often remains at the surface. Through sustained recording, individuals create opportunities for lasting contemplation, while in the processes of organizing, selecting, and articulating experiences, they transform fragmented perceptions into internally coherent narratives. This transformation is, in itself, a creative act. Through such practice, lived experience is not merely preserved but continually reorganized, interpreted, and regenerated.
Thus, the “Tokyo Diary” is not driven by nostalgia or emotional catharsis. Rather, it functions as a concrete practice that helps individuals, within the context of accelerated and fragmented urban life, to maintain the depth of their perception, the continuity of their experience, the possibility of interpersonal connection, and the affirmation of existence alongside the creative renewal of their lived experiences.
