Oranges of Station Memory

With the rising popularity of Anime, Jdrama, and Japanese films, have you ever wondered what it must feel like to be a high school student in Tokyo? From the influence of media, people often associate Japanese high school life with hardcore romance, juicy dramas, wholesome moments, and an endless adventure for the youth. We often hear the saying, "stereotype is far from reality", but what many don't talk about is how closely similar they can also be, from the experience of a sixteen-year-old Aeri, who reluctantly left everything behind to fly alone to Japan to pursue her academic path. It has always been her dream to advance to a good university in the land rich in culture and progressive technology.

Her mission was simple: get into a high school, get that diploma, and go to her dream university in Shinjuku City. What she didn't expect were the several impediments of academic pressure, the conflict of self-discipline, and things especially get hard when she becomes curious of one of her schoolmates, a stoic and mysterious boy, who closely resembled someone she recently lost.

Author's note:
This is a coming-of-age story about the wonder in meeting friends in unlikely places, overcoming struggles, perseverance, retrospecting early childhood, the significance of personal bonds, enjoying the little moments in life, and as what my high school principal last said to me on graduation day, a solid Carpe diem. All in the city of Tokyo.