03. “Shibuya was like a stroke”
What it Is:
Hitotoki is an online literary project collecting stories of singular experiences tied to locations in cities worldwide. Established in Tokyo, it is launched in/on Shanghai now. Aiming to build a narrative map of the world, Hitotoki encourages the inhabitants of cities - currently Tokyo, New York, Washington DC & London - to share a personal story, focused on a single moment, and tied to a specific place.
Why it's cool:
In the guidebook-accessible world of travel, Hitotoki is a fresh perspective on concrete locations. A new way of experiencing the world about us (for the locals), or the world to possibly come (the non). It has a delicately enlightening way of illuminating the places we merely pass or associate with our own stories, through the experiences of others. Hitotoki opens to us another’s poignant and personal world of shared emotions, experiences and their associations with the solid physical locations already surrounding us.
Science of the Time’s interpretation:
So cool: http://www.hitotoki.org is making the city alive in a new, innovative and collaborative manner. We all are in the process of becoming inhabitants of a big floating planet in the first place. Therefore, specific, intimate stories about personal particular places strike a chord more than ever before. They provide soil under our feet. They link us together. They bind. They construct meaningful places.