Three from 2016

In all honesty, 2016 has been a bit of a shitshow. You don't need much knowledge of me to work out why. But maybe the underlying air of depression pervading through the year has made the nicer moments nicer still. Or maybe they didn't need to be as nice to be considered nice. I can't be sure right now, but there were some very bright spots in the year too. With all that happened, it kind of fell to nostalgia and the feeling of Japan to lift the spirits. 3 moments of joy that I can remember from 2016:

Game: Rez Infinite
In 2001 Rez was released. In 2016, it was finally realised.
http://walletsandswords.blogspot.com/2016/10/rez-infinite.html

I spent much of the tail end of 2016 thinking "I should be in Rez right now, not here". A reality that was both virtual and unmistakably of a different world than the one we inhabit. Nothing was close to Rez in the year, nothing at all.

Film: Your Name
Your Name was released quite late in the year which may affect how I feel about it but it is also one of the very few films that I have paid to see at the cinema more than once (I believe the last was Black Swan) which must mean it meant something to me.
http://walletsandswords.blogspot.com/2016/12/your-name-kimi-no-na-wa-2016.html

It is an object lesson in how to bring the texture of Japan to the screen and that was enough for me. A cleaned up, lush version of reality was kind of a nice thing to see.
I guess Victoria was the only other film in contention as it was such an intoxicating mix of the ingredients of Berlin.

Misc: September in Japan
My trip to Japan in September was very much an exercise in nostalgia as I joyously met up with quite a few old friends and it was very nice to do so.  It was pleasant not just because my friends are lovely but it also reminded me of a time when I was a little bit more lovely myself. It was a strangely comfortable trip - a familiarity and comfort that made me feel a little uncomfortable upon landing in Osaka.

The use of a brilliant JR West Rail Pass made it a trip of rediscovering some of my less well-known parts of the country and allowed a lot of train travel which was a constant of joy.

The second was April 14th which now seems like such a long time ago, but I can't forget the unforgettable. The last few moments of the Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund game were sensational in the Kop where I was lucky enough to be. Liverpool may not have won the Europa League that season, but they reminded me of why I fell in love with football and the second half of that game had an atmosphere that I can't put into words. The spine-tingling renditions of YNWA to start and end the game made it even more memorable.