Journey with Space Club Girls Part 1

Space club girls' mind and body problems

[First, sushi declaration]
　 I'm sorry to hear this so suddenly, but Joe likes sushi. I think I'm in the minority, but octopus is my favorite. It's not bad to pair it with sushi, but I don't particularly like boiled octopus. For Joe, it's a moment of bliss when he pairs a dish called sakura-ni (stewed octopus with daikon radish) with beer or sake. It's a shame that not all sushi restaurants always have the octopus simmered in cherry blossoms, perhaps because it takes so much effort but doesn't command a high price.
　Joe loves octopuses, so when he found ``The Mind-Body Problems of Octopuses'' (written by Peter Codfrey-Smith, published by Misuzu Shobo) at a bookstore, it was natural for him to buy it immediately. By the way, this book was the best one in last year's Joe ranking (I don't think anyone would want to know that, though).
　I gained a lot of knowledge from this book (which made me love octopuses even more), but the first thing that surprised me was that the author is not a biologist or oceanographer, but a philosopher. And is philosophy eternal? The theme seems to be "spirit (mind) and matter (body)." The author, who has often encountered octopuses underwater through his hobby of diving, seems to be a philosopher because of this experience? I tried to apply this theme to the octopus. In other words, the question is, ``Do octopuses have a mind (consciousness)?''
　According to the author, octopuses "are definitely conscious (although different from humans)." Octopuses are classified as cephalopods and have relatively large brains, complex nervous systems, and are highly inquisitive. Generally speaking, they rarely act in groups, preferring to act alone, and sometimes approach humans without considering the danger, for example, and try to mess with them. The author has encountered curious octopuses underwater many times and enjoyed communicating with them. However, that curiosity rarely lasts; in modern terms, octopuses are quite ``tsundere'', and as a result, the author became increasingly fascinated by them.
　As mentioned above, octopuses have large brains and eight legs considering their weight. However, the brain, which has advanced functions compared to other living things, does not control all bodily functions. Surprisingly, the upper arm part of the leg (or arm?) also has a brain-like function, and it also controls other parts of the leg. The movement commonly referred to as the octopus dance proves that the brain does not control all bodily functions. The author speculates that octopuses have minds not only in their brains, but also in their feet. In other words, one living creature has two different minds. This is just the author's speculation (his co-researcher is an oceanographer, so he probably has a certain amount of scientific persuasive power), but I thought it was an interesting speculation, regardless of whether it was right or wrong.

[Theory that girls are octopuses]
　After reading this book, Joe, who is easily influenced, began to think that if he writes without fear of misunderstanding, ``Maybe the Space Club Girls are also octopuses.'' I'm not making fun of it in any way. Based on Joe's modest experience, there are many scenes in which it can be assumed that the Space Club Girls also have two hearts, just like octopuses. And that is also their charm. Many girls are curious, but I think the fact that they are tsundere (maybe just Joe?) is something they have in common with octopuses.
　Space Club Girls often have different brain and body movements. For example, even if she was muttering in her mind, ``This old man is disgusting,'' she would violently shake her hips and tighten her genitals, attracting the old man. For many years, Joe has sometimes suffered from an inverse relationship between his mind and his body, but he has come to believe that this can be explained by thinking that the Space Club Girls each have two hearts, like an octopus. It may seem a bit sudden, but this time I would like to examine the mental and physical problems faced by the Space Club girls during their travels from the perspective of Joe, a man.

[Traveling is hard to avoid because it is built into our DNA]
 Why travel? First, let me write about that point.
 When Joe finds a girl he likes, he wants to invite her on a trip, but there are probably a certain percentage of the men at the Space Club who invite girls on a trip. One of the best parts of traveling is the extraordinary nature, and adults strongly desire that. However, Joe imagines that various non-comedy stories are being played out due to the behavior of the old man on his journey. This is because Joe has often made mistakes in his behavior while traveling.
　Once again, why travel? That's a philosophical proposition for Joe. Therefore, I would like to answer this proposition by first showing off Joe's modest history with women.

[My first girlfriend was Machiko (real name) ← lol]
　The first time I found a woman I could call my girlfriend was in the fall of my second year of high school. Her name is Machiko. She attended an all-girls school near the school Joe attended. We are both student council presidents, is this a common story? However, they met at a school festival and started dating.
　The girls' school that Machiko attended was regarded by the public as a school for young ladies, but in reality, it was the ideal girls' school for us students at the all-boys school, who were light-headed and light-hearted. Machiko is one of the typical girls at the school. After many twists and turns, Machiko's first words were, ``My ex-boyfriend is over 30 years old.''
　Nowadays, you would think that he would have had all kinds of delusions and that he would have been trained in various ways (in fact, he was), but at the time, he was a self-proclaimed hard-nosed student council president, so I thought, ``Huh, he was much older than me, right?'' I would reply casually, without thinking about the tragedy (or comedy?) that would follow.
　My relationship with Machiko somehow continued until I reached the third year of high school. This is the time when sex hormones are at their peak, so of course Joe spends his days in agony. Shortly after they started dating, she kissed him at Arisugawa Palace Park, but she didn't go any further. Her crotch was bulging, and she was comforting herself as she muttered, "To be or not to be. That is the question." Even so, the conclusion that Joe, a fake hardliner, came to was, ``It would be bad if high school students had sex after all.Where would they do it in the first place?''
　Machiko must have been numb to Joe and asked, ``How many times a week do you masturbate?What do you do when it accumulates?''A straight-forward question, something that a normal high school girl would never do? Ask Joe questions (probably). She was eating iced azuki beans, which are only available in the summer, at a taiyaki shop in Azabu-Juban, and the question was so direct that she choked on the shiratama dumplings she had added as a topping. She hurriedly drank barley tea and was relieved, but Joe's tendency to be at the mercy of girls began at this time. Even now, more than 40 years have passed since then, it is pathetic that we are still being toyed with.
　Still, just in case? He was a student taking entrance exams, and many of his classmates were aspiring to be Akamon students, so even Joe, who was an inferior student, tried to at least pretend to study. But the result is not good. When I took the mock exams, all of them were graded E, and in the comment section, it was politely written that I needed to change the school of my choice, which made me lose more and more confidence.
 At times like this, it's all about escaping reality. Joe was much more of a literary boy back then than he is now. Was he inspired by Kita Morio's essay, which he loved to read, for a change of pace? One day during summer vacation, he invited Machiko on a trip to his beloved Kamikochi. It might not even be called a trip. Because it was a day trip. Moreover, it was over 40 years ago, so there are many things I can't remember. However, because the story took place 40 years ago, it has been remade to suit Joe's convenience and beautifully, and has been input into Joe's brain along with sepia-toned images.
　Let's start the video. I met Machiko in Shinjuku early in the morning. She heads for Matsumoto on the first train, Azusa (not No. 2). It seems like she bought a lunch box in Shinjuku and ate it in the car, but that scene is not shown in the sepia-toned footage.
　From Matsumoto Station, take a bus bound for Kamikochi. Even back then, Kamikochi was crowded with people in the summer. A crowd of people had formed at Kappa Bridge. However, once we passed there, the crowd of people diminished significantly, and we walked along the Azusa River while looking up at the Northern Alps mountains. The view is as sparkling as the essay describes. The summer sunlight pouring into the two of them was tinged with heat, but with the cool air of the river and the sound of the murmur, they didn't feel the heat at all. Then, like Kita Morio did, if they go down to the riverside and dip their hands in the Azusa River, they both immediately withdraw their hands from the coldness. My favorite Machiko cheers, but only this scene has audio. It's not like I did anything in particular. I simply walked to Myojin Pond, went back to the bus stop, and took Azusa from Matsumoto Station back to Shinjuku. Then, after eating curry at the Keio Plaza Hotel's Jurin (which is still open today, it was open 24 hours a day), the end mark of the video was shown.
　Yes, I have to mention a scene that should not be forgotten. I left the forest and hurried to Shinjuku Station (the last train was approaching). Machiko said as they parted ways at the ticket gate. "◯◯You don't have the courage. Courage is the most important thing for a man."
　Although Joe is generally incomprehensible, he is able to understand Machiko's true intentions. But Joe, who was more concerned about the last train, ran onto the last Chuo Line thinking, ``This is a line from Sanshiro.'' Being a literary youth is a problem.
　
 Space Club girls are often asked this question.
"Why do you want to travel?"
　Unfortunately, it often has a critical tone. There are probably all sorts of emotions running through the heads of the club girls.
・Even if it is a boyfriend, it is physically impossible.
・It's impossible to call him an old man in the first place.
・The location is not possible.・It is not possible unless the allowance is increased.
　There could be many other reasons. However, Joe's answer was fixed. ``It's in our DNA that we want to go on a trip with the people we love.'' It's a shame that no one agrees.
　There seem to be various theories, but the most likely one is that modern humans were born in Africa. For various reasons and circumstances, they traveled around the world over tens of thousands of years. Little is known about the unit of movement (travel), but is it a group that includes people you like? He must have gone on a journey. That's right, the spirit of traveling is hard to resist because it's in our DNA. So this column is also Joe's confessional record about his travels. Please read carefully.

[About Mari]
　Before joining the Space Club, Joe was dating Mari. When I first met her, Mari had just graduated from college. Although she worked for a different company, we were in the same industry and saw each other twice a week. We sometimes had meals together, but she was often accompanied by other employees, and for a while we had no personal contact.
 as you know? Joe is a person who cannot be said to be baptized both on the outside and on the inside. Whenever he orders Shiratama Ice Azuki, he always ends up choking the Shiratama in his throat. Therefore, it is still a mystery why Mari accepted Joe's favor. However, she wants to believe that Joe is a fun-loving person who is good at planning and executing crazy things, which is why Mari liked him. It was a fun and enjoyable seven years for everyone.
　Mari and I work in the same industry, so we had to be careful when dealing with him. That's why we rarely went out on dates openly, and the two of us only met once a month. I, and probably Mari, had no idea that I was her mistress, so I didn't even give her a basic allowance. Although she didn't just ask him to do it, Mari was going to school to acquire her qualifications and Joe once paid for her tuition to look cool. She didn't feel bad because it wasn't that big of a deal and she got Mari to thank her more than she should have. She never asked Mari for money except when they broke up. She didn't think she had to pay in the first place. Looking back, I think Joe was quite arrogant. Because he was stealing the time of a young, attractive woman and didn't realize it. The only saving grace was that when they broke up, Mari asked her for a considerable amount of money, which she paid. However, at the time, she wasn't willing to pay, and the amount was her annual salary, so she cursed and said, ``After all, you're just trying to make money,'' and broke up with him.
　 Joe is basically a person who has no regrets or remorse, but from the bottom of his heart he wants to take back what he said to Mari at that time. It is no use crying over split milk. Although there is a difference between "water" and "milk," it seems that the expression of liquid is common in both East and West.
　
　Although there were many restrictions on our relationship, we were friends with the president of the company where Mari worked, so we went on a company trip together once a year, in the name of training. Since it was a company trip, she couldn't do anything completely different, but for example, on the last night of the trip, I secretly invited Mari to my room (I feel like she was found out) and enjoyed In & Out. One night I distinctly remember was in New York. She stood and backed up with Mari's hands pressed against the window while looking out at the city's skyscrapers. At that time, there was no need for doping, and I was filled with emotion, thinking, ``I'm so excited.''
  HoweverMy favorite memory with Mari is a trip to Thailand. At that time, Joe was on a business trip to Thailand for about two months. When he found a job for her, he invited Mari to Thailand. At her girlfriend Jo's request, Mari took a five-day vacation and came to Bangkok. She was so happy with her enthusiasm that she booked a hotel in one of Thailand's most luxurious hotels. The junior suite is extraordinarily spacious, measuring over 2 square meters. There are also connecting rooms, so you can enjoy In & Out while changing your mood. I feel like her scream was an octave higher than usual. Although she feels like it.
　Mari arrived in Bangkok on an early morning flight, so she enjoyed hotel life on the first day. After she had breakfast, which also served as lunch, she headed to the poolside to eat her fill. After she took a dip, she went straight to the beauty room. The spa and beauty salon at this hotel is said to be the best in Bangkok, and Mari is very satisfied with it. "She looks like a princess," she recalls, as she walked back into the room with a big smile on her face. And she is back in Exciting Time (aka In & Out). She had a fibre (dead word?) in a place like that or a place like this.
　At night, leave the hotel and wander around the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Joe's personal opinion is that one of the charms of Bangkok is its hustle and bustle. And now I think that Mari was a really valuable person because she was able to enjoy such obscene moments in Bangkok with me.
 Sitting on a rickety chair at a food stall that's far from clean but definitely delicious, I enjoy local food with Thai people while sipping on iced beer (cheap but very weak). At a high-end beauty salon in the middle of the day, Mari's moist skin was sticky from the oil that was splashed during cooking, but Mari stuffed her face with Pat Pack Luam Mitt as if this was no time to worry about it. Mari is curious and always agrees to Joe's suggestions. She was a nice woman.
　After dinner, there was a social studies field trip for adults. Go out to a go-go bar. It depends on the store, but some stores allow female companions. On the stage of the store I entered, there were not only girls but also young boys dancing, showing off their trained bodies wearing only briefs that emphasized their narrow crotches. It seems that both girls and boys can take it home if they nominate it. Most of the customers are Japanese, but there are also quite a few Westerners. There are some couples like Joe. Mari's intention was to just take a look, but some Western women got on stage and started dancing, which sparked Mari's curiosity. Mari takes to the stage and twists her hips in defeat. She has been learning to dance since she was a child, so her dancing is barefoot. The Thai dancers on stage looked somber, but the audience cheered for Yangyang. A customer even shows up to put a tip in Mari's tank top. Looking back, this was the most fun place in Bangkok. Mari got off the stage and while counting the chips she said, ``I made money!'' and continued to cheer on the stage. 
 However, it wasn't the memories in Bangkok that made this trip unforgettable. After enjoying Bangkok for about two days, he moved to Sukhothai. Sukhothai, located in northern Thailand, is a one-hour flight from Bangkok. It is also Thailand's first dynasty, established in the 2th century.
　Bangkok is a fascinating city for tourists, with everything from sightseeing spots to gourmet food, but it's a little too busy for Joe. When I asked a local friend if he had any recommendations for places around the area, he recommended Sukhothai. One of its attractions is the Sukhothai ruins, which are registered as a World Heritage Site. ``I mean, it's a place with nothing but ruins,'' was one of the things that moved Joe. He changed his itinerary and booked a flight and hotel to Sukhothai.
 Arrived at Sukhothai Airport on an early morning flight. It's a small airport. From the airport, take a taxi to a hotel near the ruins. The Sukhothai style is to leave your luggage at the hotel, then rent a bicycle and tour the ruins.
　The rainy season has just ended and the dry season has just begun. Since we are located in the north, the temperature can reach around 10 degrees in the morning at this time of year. However, the temperature often exceeds 30 degrees during the day, so it is important to go in the morning.
　Immediately, Mari and I got on our bikes and toured the ruins. The air was cool when I arrived at the airport, but even though it was still morning, it was already heating up. I wrap a towel around her neck, pack enough water in my backpack, and set out.
   Buy a ticket at the entrance of the historical park and walk around the park, where you will see many ruins from the Sukhothai dynasty. There are many temples and Buddhist statues that have fallen into disrepair, but that's what makes them so beautiful. There are various types of Buddha statues, including standing, seated, and reclining Buddha statues, but the one that stands out is the one with large eyes and a gentle smile. Although it lacks the majesty of Japanese Buddhist statues, it has a sense of familiarity. Although this knowledge is backwards, the Sukhothai Dynasty achieved independence by defeating the rule of the Khmer Dynasty (Angkor Dynasty). Therefore, it is said that it is heavily influenced by Khmer art. The Khmer dynasty at that time believed in the Hindu Sutra, so the Buddhist statues in Sukhothai are reminiscent of the Hindu gods. I had never been to Angkor Wat at this point, so I couldn't make a proper comparison.
　Surprisingly, Mari seemed to enjoy this place. She is a curious girl, but partly because of her age, I didn't think she was interested in ruins or Buddhist statues. However, she was more active than Joe as she strolled around the area, sometimes standing in front of a Buddhist statue, actively taking photos, or lost in thought in front of it. Joe was more concerned about the heat and said, ``Let's go back to the hotel now,'' but Mari said, ``She can go home first.'' I continued touring her ruins.
　Even after the trip, Mari would often say, ``Sukhothai was so nice. I want to go again.'' These words from Mali made our trip to Sukhothai special and unforgettable. She was a happy miscalculation for Joe.

[Instruction for traveling with space club girls]
　My trip with Mari became unforgettable, and since she has the aforementioned travel DNA built into her, after joining the Space Club, we became a little closer and she easily invited me on a trip with her, and she took me on many trips with her. I have repeatedly failed. In the end, we were able to provide Mari with a reasonable amount of money, so it wasn't like she actually had no allowance (because it was taken away), but as I mentioned earlier, she does receive allowances on a daily basis, including when traveling. I never paid for it and never questioned it. So when they broke up, she was surprised to learn that Mari had been feeling ambivalent about money. The blood was rushing to her head at the time, so she didn't have time to think calmly, but I think it was good that she was able to give him a certain amount of money, albeit reluctantly as I mentioned earlier.

When I joined the Space Club, what the person in charge, Princess Keiko, told me was
・Be sure to pay transportation expenses
・Please discuss the allowance and come to an agreement with both parties.
There are two points.
　I thought it was an easy task. But I'm embarrassed to say that Joe didn't have the idea of ​​paying a separate allowance when he went on a trip. It's not an excuse, but it was the same when I was in Mali, and I thought that taking her on a trip would be a substitute for her allowance. Sorry, an unspecified number of girls. I have now deeply reflected on this, and when I invite or receive an invitation from a Space Club girl, I first discuss the allowance. I'm just learning a little bit, even with this.

[About Sawako]
　Sawako was instantly enrolled in Universe, captivated several fans, and then graduated from the club within a few weeks. Joe was the last male member Sawako offered, and thankfully she was able to join him at the bottom. Barely safe.
　Sawako is a large and stylish beauty that Joe likes. Depending on how you look at her, she looks a little thicker than voluptuous, but when she takes off her clothes, her body is exposed, and at the same time, a toned and seductive body is revealed. Her body was more mouth watering than any other woman in the past, and the French underwear Joe had gifted her looked good.
 Sawako was a busy worker and had several other adults around her, so we didn't get to see her very often. We met about once a month at most. But this pace was perfect for Joe, in many ways.
  Sawako was a hard drinker, was very curious and was always up for a conversation. What was especially noteworthy about her was her choice of words.Perhaps because she was fluent in languages, she had a rich vocabulary and a quick wit, so I thoroughly enjoyed conversing with her. rival? Although there were many, she thought it would be best to deepen the relationship at a slow pace. It seemed that Sawako also liked Joe.
　Just as I was thinking that, Sawako started working in Bangkok. Bangkok is only a 5-hour flight from Tokyo, so it's not that far away. However, even Joe, who has a lot of free time, is hesitant to go to Bangkok even though he has nothing else to do. Whether or not Joe was aware of Joe's hesitation, he received a LINE message from Sawako asking, ``Would you like to come visit Bangkok?'' It's probably a simultaneous LINE for all adults. It must have been a great feeling if even one person caught the bait after scattering it.
　Competitive spirit? Although it has a thin jaw, it is a little frustrating that it bites the bait so quickly. So I decided to make a counter offer.
"I'm on a business trip to Ho Chi Minh City, so would you like to come over here for the weekend? It's only an hour's flight from Bangkok."
　Although it was sent without permission, the reply was yes. I think that clearly stating the conditions (allowances) was also effective (although it wasn't particularly expensive). That's why I was able to go on a 3-day, 3-night trip to Ho Chi Minh City and Angkor Wat.

to be continued.