TAYLOR SWIFT THROUGH TOKYO'S LENS: LONG LIVE THE TIME OF MY LIFE
TL;DR Eras Tour e yokōso!
U.I. PROLOGUE
My heart hammers in my chest. A mishmash of emotions triggers intense overwhelm. Crowds of people gather in costumes. Multiple languages echo around Tokyo Dome. Long queues outside the gates hours before the show even begins.
The thirteen-year-old me remains in constant shock at this unimaginable reality. "The girl I heard singing Tim McGraw and Teardrops On My Guitar on the radio is here." "I get to meet the princess from the Love Story music video tonight."
These thoughts permeate my mind as I struggle to hold casual conversations and welcome interactions with strangers. Joy, laughter, and bracelets traded around. Everyone exudes the same excitement and anticipation for what is about to come. I remain dumbfounded, I can't believe it's happening.
My partner checks in for the nth time, "How are you feeling?" I respond with something incomprehensible. My familiarity with Taylor Swift's artistry dates back to my teenage years before she took over the music industry and became a brand.
Never in my wildest dreams have I even thought of seeing her in real life. To me as a simple ordinary human, it was almost impossible. The feeling is unlike any other.
U.I. CHAPTER I: LOVER ERA
Lights out, the crowd roars. Bright colors of Lover pop. Taylor emerges a few minutes later with MAATHBP. She's there. Right before my eyes, she's there. Her voice reverberates around the stadium. The contained acoustics make it deeply clear as she performs songs I've only ever heard on record. The moment is nothing short of magical.
We scream to Cruel Summer, jam to The Man, bop to YNTCD, admire The Archer, and sway to Lover. She talks to us in between, flaunting her adorable Japanese greetings, welcoming us into her world.
Likewise, in between, it dawns that I'm living every Swiftie's dream. I take a moment to grasp pure serendipity—we won tickets for when she comes to perform on my birthday.
The best night of my life at 31, a wonderful happenstance only fate has control of.
U.I. CHAPTER II: FEARLESS ERA
Bright yellow, gold. The first note hits. A tune to an uber-familiar intro brings my youth back to life. She takes us head first, fearless, into an era so nostalgic. Standing on bleachers in sneakers and t-shirts, looking through as others got what we wanted.
It's a beautiful love story, watching the princess on the screen many years ago and now watching her with my own two eyes. Her build-up to the bridge intensifies all senses, and then we chant, "Marry me, Juliet. You never have to be alone."
It's loud. It's intoxicating. It's everyone knowing the words to a song that sparks memories from our journeys that led us all to this very night. It's genuine admiration—from me and each one immersed in the moment—to her who has been writing the soundtrack of our lives for as long as we can remember.
U.I. CHAPTER III: EVERMORE ERA
It turns to a gentle quiet. Looming in the background, a guitar riff I recognize by heart. 'Tis the damn season to stir memories of dark yesteryears long gone.
A spectacle of its own—Willow. An alluring witchery of a performance. Pitch black, a hint of orange, a streak of red. Dark green cloak. The lights around our wrists flash to the beat.
Her first piano song, the playful Champagne Problems prelude. Distinct storytelling takes me on yet another ride. The words reveal such songwriting prowess I have adored ever since.
With lit-up phones held up, we honor Marjorie. With another fervent bridge, I scream-sing to Tolerate It. The temple, the mural, the sky—everything that makes up these tales in Evermore. Intricately and beautifully celebrated in their own right, down to the footnotes of their narratives.
U.I. CHAPTER IV: SPEAK NOW ERA
Almost like magic, the air shifts to something beyond mystical. Enchanted is fitting as she owns the stage in a beautiful glistening, sparkly gown.
Purple-themed lights and gleaming production, she floats down the middle with the beat of an acoustic guitar that makes her voice stand out. Altogether we witness her in awe. Truly wonderstruck, I smile, close to tears.
Long live this night, the time of my life, a dream come true. Our hands shake, the crowd is wild. She will forever be remembered as the lone artist who speaks to the depths of my soul.
U.I. CHAPTER V: RED ERA
Beyond every twenty-two-year-old's anthem, the type of trouble you never want back (ever)—is ten minutes of confessional storytelling at its peak.
Forgotten scarf, first snowfall, the crippling love affair. She paints a vivid picture of a love once extraordinary, ending in tears. I plunge into a realm I know well enough. Remembering the thrill of falling, the sting of suffering, the bittersweet in-betweens.
I glance at my partner; how time flew. No longer paralyzed, I find more than my old self in her. She's here. It's rare. I love her so, the one real thing I've ever known. Tonight, I'll surely remember for eternity, all too well.
U.I. CHAPTER VI: FOLKLORE ERA
The 1 and only prologue to Folklore's wilderness. A melody that provokes emotions so ambivalent. I discreetly wipe my tears. In the earthy cabin lies the very collection of odes that offered comfort in my once bleak world. I welcome the memories flooding in.
TLGAD, Betty, and August's youthful tranquility balances Illicit Affairs and MTR's ferocity. The rendition of the latter pieces appeals perfectly unusual for my liking. A darker vibe, a firmer voice, all of it conveys agony and anguish.
Lingering like a tattoo kiss, haunting all of my what-ifs, no more. Stars around my scars that no longer bleed. Years in the making, the epiphany I dreamt of. This time, my kingdom comes alive. Here and now, I am at peace.
U.I. CHAPTER VII: REPUTATION ERA
This clamorous energy. The ominous dark stage. An exhibit of smoky flashing lights. I'm not ready for it, an exhilarating trip of my life. I get high, too delicate for its intensity. The blaring adrenaline rush leaves me dazed.
Heels clacking, snakes hissing, phones ringing. Her vocals, stunning. Such confidence takes everything up a notch. The guitar cries an impressive solo, the whole place amplified. I scream at the top of my lungs.
What an electrifying experience this era is.
U.I. CHAPTER VIII: 1989 ERA
The vibrant transition calls to mind her prominent shift from country to pop long ago. Magic, madness, heaven, sin welcome you to 1989.
Cherry lips, crystal skies, stolen kisses, and pretty lies—never going down in flames, they will never go out of style.
We can't stop moving, the music in our minds keeps us going. Lightning on our feet, never missing a beat.
Each one truly alive, grooving to a track ingrained in our system, like a deep cut that seeps blood so bad.
U.I. CHAPTER IX: ACOUSTIC SET
From colorful sets to theatrical performances, I brace myself for this silence. The stripped-down elegance of its simplicity highlights Taylor's natural flare at its core.
I stand up, I waited ages for this. She sings, she came this far to surprise us. A divine experience as her voice soars in the dim stillness.
The wind, the sky, the tears, every window left open. Pages turned, bridges burned, no longer am I alone. I take the moment and taste it. Living this dream is surreal.
U.I. CHAPTER X: MIDNIGHTS ERA
The signature hazy 1950s vibe. A well-awaited steamy chair dance. Midnights wraps up the three-hour show. I best believe am not ready to see her leave just yet.
Another round of emotions takes over. The gloomy reality—it's coming to an end. Forcing myself to take mental pictures, I tell my partner I don't want this to be over.
For the last time, I scream, jam, bop, and sway to the songs. Grateful for the gods, the weekend breeze, and every step we took from town to town to reach this summit.
Behind my somber smile hides a relaxing thought. Once upon a time, when the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned, I breathed in this fantasy.
U.I. EPILOGUE
Thank you, Taylor Swift, for this wonderful start to a brand new era. I had the time of my life with you 🫶
Talk to you next week,
Jopaz