27 December 2024
It’s Madeleine day.
I started last year update by saying that I thought 2022 was the year of Madeleine...but a lot happened in 2023...
But as always, Madeleine keeps surprising me and this year too incredible things happen.
This year the whole Experience was just different... so here’s a recap:
Madeleine, 2024.
I decided to go to Taiwan for new year’s eve.
I like traveling alone.
From the second I step off the station a series of incredible events happen to me...but that’s another story.
I think that when you travel alone your interactions are different from the interactions you have when you travel with friends, and subconsciously you attract people to you...
Anyway, all of this to say that my experience in Taiwan was something I'll never forget...
On the following days I meet up with a friend, she lives in the south of Taiwan, and we hang out for a few days... We went to eat nice foods, see some famous places.... You know, the typical things you do when you meet a friend.
One moment I particularly enjoyed was when we rented bikes and rode around at night, then we entered in a very nice cafe, laid on some pillows in the balcony of the café and had some sandwiches...
The whole experience was perfect.
We left the cafe and started walking around the area. It was a busy area, with many shops and restaurants. I step down a curb and there’s a Madeleine arrow, right there, with written "MH3"
January 3rd 2024
It’s 21:51
I froze.
My friend asked me what’s happening.
I say that I need to check something real quick and I'll be back in a second.
I started walking fast in the direction the arrow was pointing to... I knew 100% that was a Madeleine arrow, no doubt about it, but just to make sure I wanted to find an arrow with the two lines crossing as a confirmation. And after a few meters, it was there.
I said this so many times due to Madeleine that it lost its meaning....but I couldn’t believe it.
At that moment it was already decided.
That night I will have a Madeleine adventure in Taiwan.
So that night, after my friend went back to her hotel I rented a bike and went back to the spot where I found the arrow.
On the way there I was extremely excited. Even though I joke about it a couple of times, I never thought I will have a Madeleine adventure in another country other than Japan.
And to be honest, the idea scared me a little bit....Even though I honestly think Taiwan is the safest country you can have a Madeleine adventure other than Japan, it still a foreign country where I don’t know the language, I don’t know where dangerous areas are, and I don’t even know what types of dangers there could be....and even if there are no dangers whatsoever, try to imagine the thing from their perspective...there’s a foreign guy sneaking in a narrow path between two houses in the middle of the night. That alone can generate all sorts of troubles.
But that danger is also part of what makes this adventure so interesting.
My intuition and common sense will value on the spot the hazards of the situation.
I can’t let this opportunity pass me by....
....and also, who’s more qualified than me for such adventure? :)
So i reached the place where I found the arrow, took a few pictures, and decided to start my adventure.
I started following the first few arrows and I notice a pile of chalk next to one of the arrows. I thought the Baker dropped it or tried to delete a pervious arrow. I kept following the trail.
I’m still in the crowded area, so i'm walking with the bike.
Taipei has a lot of covered walkways at the first floor of the buildings, and the arrows went through those walkways, so I couldn’t ride the bike at first...
Within a couple of minutes the trail led me in front of a big government building, something like a city hall. The building had a daunting aura and in front of it there was a small empty square.
And right there, on the sidewalk there was written in very big letters "ON IN", and there was a cute drawing of a dragon with written "happy new year 2024".
I started yelling in excitement "Oh my god! The ON IN!!! This is the Gathering Park!!!"
And that was also the confirmation that it was indeed Madeleine.
I took a video of the ON IN, and started riding the bike from there.
I started following the arrows and I quickly realized that quite often there was a pile or a line of chalk on the ground next to the arrows, and I figured that the baker didn’t make mistakes or dropped some chalk on the ground, but instead he had some chalk powder with him, and sometimes was throwing it on the ground to signal the direction to take, instead of drawing the arrows. It was the style of this Madeleine adventure, and I liked it.
The trail quickly moved away from the crowded area, the atmosphere quickly changed, it became silent...but it was a different type of silence from the silence of the small streets of Tokyo that I'm used to...
It really felt I was going away form the safe area, and I remember saying to myself "okay, this is going to be the time that Madeleine gets me killed".
I reached an area where every shop was already closed and there was none around. I saw the light of a small izakaya/restaurant that seemed to still being open.
I wanted to pass in front of it and have a look inside to see what type of people there were in it...that would have give me an idea of the people in the area and I could tell if it was a sketchy area or not.
But as I was approaching the place, right in front of the entrance I notice there was a full map and explanation of what the arrows are, written with chalk in the floor.
Remember the explanation I found in Season 7 in Ginza, with all the types of arrows and pizza graphs and symbols you can find on the trail....? This was a similar. It had all the arrows and symbols (even new ones I've never seen) and it also had a written explanation of what the whole thing is.
It was written in Chinese, but I could understand some of the kanji and I could figured out what it was.
So yeah, that was the moment were I found out of what the original events of Madeleine were.
....and as you can imagine, I'm not going to tell you.
It was a strange way to discover it, like that, following a trail of arrows in another country. But also, the best way.
Also, that meant that that restaurant that was still open was were the P mark was leading.
I’m going to tell you only one thing, that quite surprised me, on the explanation written on the floor there was a serial number. #813
I wanted to continue following the arrows in that direction but I couldn’t find any other. So I went back to the first one I found in the crowded area, and started follow the trail backwards.
It led me to a near by station, where I imagine the people that gather for the event would have come from.
Knowing that Madeleine it’s a loop, I started to look around to see if I could find some other arrows coming from different directions pointing towards the station to complete the loop of the trail. And sure I found some, and started following them backwards.
I covered some big distance while following the arrows. It led me to big and empty streets, to small pathways between houses, and parks...
What at first was a feeling of been uncomfortable with the unknown surroundings and personality of the city, soon turned into a very welcoming and pleasant atmosphere, something completely different from all the other Madeleine adventures I had. But also, I was surprised and excepted about how quickly I could adapt to this experience at the point that I could often predict the locations of the arrows and where they were leading to.
Getting lost it’s a beautiful part of Madeleine, but this time the feeling of getting lost was different...was more...real.
In Tokyo, doesn’t matter how much I get lost during a Madeleine adventure, I know that eventually I'll get to an area I recognize, or end up to a street I know. But here, everything was unknown to me. And instead of feeling scary of daunting, it gave me peace of mind. I didn’t need to worry about "oh, I need to go all the way back there" because I would know where I am anyway.
At some point I got to a big big park, and at the end of it there was a huge concrete wall with a concrete round staircase that went up.
It felt like the concrete wall was a barrier to the bank of a river in the other side. That’s the feeling I got, in the other side there’s a river.
The arrows were pointing upstairs. So I park the bike and decided to first go all the way to the top and see what I could see from there.
It was really fun to run upstairs in excitement wanting to discover what’s in the other side of the wall. In the middle of the night. Alone. In another country.
That moment was the highlight of this adventure.
I reached the top of the stairs and it connected to a sidewalk that went parallel to a big highway that went across the river. Yes, there was river. And when from the top I saw the river... I felt scared.
It was huge. For comparison, was at lest 5 times larger than the Arakawa river. No lights, I couldn’t see the water, just darkness. Far in the distance I could see the city continued. But it was really far. And the sidewalk next to the Highway was swallowed into the darkness.
I had a really bad feeling. I wasn’t afraid of the dark or anything like that... but it was as if I understood that was the moment when I should have prevented something bad from happening.
For the first time, I felt like if instead of inviting me to follow the arrows, Madeleine was telling me to stop.
So I just stared at the dark for a little, knowing that my adventure was ending there.
But I wasn’t disappointed. On the contrary, I couldn’t believe I just had such experience, and I couldn’t believe I found Madeleine in another country.
I ran back downstairs.
Walked around the bike looking at all the elements around me....I was truly happy.
I took a picture of the staircase and the bike. I like that picture.
I started riding the bike following a big road that I imagined will bring me back to an area I could recognize, and from there get back to my hotel.
It was a slow and quiet ride. I kept thinking about how incredible that experience was. I found Madeleine in another country and just had an amazing night adventure.
As I said a million times during many Madeleine adventures...I couldn’t believe it.
The ride back to the hotel took a long time....and I enjoyed every second of it.
The song that was playing in my head was "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd.
I would have never expected something like that to happen.
Thank you Madeleine.
Credits.
10th of January 2024
I’m going back to work after the new years eve holiday. And on my lunch break I find some arrows in front of my office in Ichigaya.
I follow them a little bit and then follow them again that evening after work.
The gathering park was behind Yotsuya station, and on the ground, next to the ON IN there was written "This is the start......" with the explanation of what the original event was, in English.
I had the confirmation that want I tried to read in Taiwan was correct and I discovered back then what the original event was.
Two things to note.
1- Next to the gathering park there was a Beer Near sign, that was crossed and replaced with Chuhai Near.
2- On the bridge that goes across the river in Ichigaya station there was a sign in a corner with two arrows, one that pointed forward and another one that pointed at the river. With written "ON2...or SWIM!"
Even the original event Madeleines are becoming playful. Maybe they’re aware of our Madeleines and adding some element of gameplay to their event.
27th of January 2024
I find some Arrows in Omotesando.
I decide not to follow them.
A few months go by, there are a lot of news in my life...and every once in a while I keep having dreams where I find the arrows.
I forgot most of them, but I remember a specific one where I found some arrows in the 商店街 in 高円寺.
My Madeleine dreams follow a pattern now.
Either I’m somewhere with someone, I find some arrows, and I have to make up some excuses to leave and go follow the arrows. Or, I’m following the arrows but I have a limited time before something erased them.
Anyway. I’m happy every time a dream about Madeleine.
22 March 2024
After work, me and a colleague decided to walk from Ichigaya till Korakuen. Just right after Iidabashi, under the highway I spotted an arrow with written ON2. I took a picture, my colleague looked at me and we just kept walking.
2 April 2024
I found Madeleine..... somewhere....
Every time I do a Madeleine update I start writing this at the beginning of the month. And since every time I find some arrows I take a picture of them, right now, while writing, I'm looking at the pictures on my phone to see if I missed something. And there’s a picture of an arrow with written F3H3. But I don’t remember where it was and can’t recognize the area.
Only based of my Geoguessr skills alone, I'd say it’s Nishinippori.
Speaking of Nishinippori. A few days later I wanted to see sakura trees in bloom and I went to the Yanaka Cemetery at night. That’s a great spot for sakura. If you want to look for me that’s where you might find me. Once there I decided to go back to that small graveyard from Season 2 of Madeleine. The one with christmas lights and my favorite sakura tree. I spoke with some perople who were having a small party at the temple. I sat down under the tree, and a lot of memories from Season 2 came back.
That place have something magical and somehow healing.
Once you’re there nothing else matters.
19 April 2024
It’s my last day in Ichigaya. My company decided to move to a different location in Tokyo. And that was really sad for me. Because I loved Ichigaya. I had so many good memories there and I had some of my favorites Madeleine adventures in Ichigaya.
It’s a very important place for me because I had some very special things happening to me there.
So it was a very sad day for me.
(I think it’s cool that on the Madeleine updates you can read that I got this job, and started working in Ichigaya etc, and a few updates later you can read that I stopped working in Ichigaya)
To celebrate the end of an area I went with some colleagues to eat in a place where we used to go after work. The mood was different form always cause we knew it was the last time.
On the train back home melancholy kicked in, cause I realized that was also the last time I will do that route by train... And I had good memories of that too. It was because I had to change trains in Komagome that I found those arrows of Season 11.
I arrived back in Tabata.
It’s 22:45
And there’s a Madeline trail waiting for me right there. As a celebration for the end of an era.
I followed it.
It went so some of the places of the first Madeleine. The P Mark was in Gusto at the station (or the izakaya in front).
And the last Pizza Graph was in the same exact location of the one I saw in Season 9, the one I dreamed about.
For the rest, this Madeleine was nothing special...
I did it out of melancholy for the end of an era. But I didn’t really want to. Cause I knew that nothing can really match the Taiwan Adventure I had.......
Oh! I’m gonna tell you something funny!
I went to Hong Kong in May....and before going I remember thinking "I'm going to be very disappointed if I'm going to another country and I’m not going to find any Madeleine arrows now".
lol, like now I expected by default that every time I go to a country Madeleine it’s going to be there for me.
That was funny.
Oh yeah! That wasn’t the funny thing I wanted to tell you.
The funny thing is, that when I went to Hong Kong I did actually find Madeleine. Twice.
Fuck yeah!!
I knew it will happen! I just knew it.
I joked about it before going, like now I expect Madeleine to happen in every country I go....but it did actually happen.
Let me tell you about my expectations of Hong Kong.
I’m the type of person that if I’m interested in something, I don’t want to know anything about it until I experienced it myself. The little I know the better. (you might have figured this out by now)
Not only I like the unknown, but I also think that one important element in my formula for pure happiness is to have no expectations about something and see where that’s bringing you...
I do that with movies too.
If there’s a movie I’m interested in I don’t want to know much about it. I don’t watch movie trailers because they spoil so much of what’s happening in the movie, and it’s going to be predictable...
I want an experience to surprise me.
That’s why I love finding Madeleine.
So, before going to Hong Kong the image I had of it mostly came from 3 things:
1- Old Hong Hongnese Kung Fu movies.
2- The illustrations from the 60s of M. Sasek of the book "This Is Hong Kong".
3- The Walled City of Kowloon.
If you don’t know what あなたのウェアハウス was, let me tell you that I'm really sorry you won’t be able to experience that place...
And if you have experienced that place, then you should feel lucky of been one of those who could see that place before it closed forever.
あなたのウェアハウスused to be a very unique game center in 川崎. Was build based on the Walled City of Kowloon. Not really a replica (of corse) but neither a themed park.
It was inside a multi floor building and basically was like experiencing walking inside the legendary walls of Kowloon. That place was so interesting... especially for me that I've always been fascinated by the pictures I saw of the Walled City of Kowloon.
(if you don’t know what I'm talking about, just google "Walled City of Kowloon" first, and "あなたのウェアハウス" later).
Unfortunately the placed in Kawasaki closed permanently a few years ago.
I went to that game center twice. And I remember thinking "one day I will go to Hong Kong and I will go to explore the Walled City".
So this year I finally decided to go to Hong Kong.
Remember a few paragraphs ago where I said that if there’s something I’m interested in I don’t want to know anything about it because I want to experience with no expectations and being surprised by it.....?
The surprise was that only once I was in Hong Kong I discovered that the Walled City of Kawloon no longer exists. Was demolished back in 1993.
Maybe sometimes it’s better to do a little research first.
So that was a bit of a shock for me, and I was a bit disappointed....but since Hong Kong's architecture it’s truly unique I though I could find some other "nightmare architecture" to go explore.
After a brief search I found a complex building called モンスターマンション. It’s one of those places that unfortunately became famous due to social media...but the structure itself looked interesting so I decided to go see it.
I arrived at the station and walked in the direction of the building. I could see it far away.
Wile walking on the sidewalk I notice an arrow written with chalk on a lamp post. The arrow had an "S" across it. Just like the "go across the street" arrows, but instead of having two lines crossing it, it had a "S".
Even though it was not on the ground but on a pole, and it had an S, I knew immediately it was Madeleine.
I took a picture immediately.
Few meters later, on a wall, there was two arrows. A normal one, and another S arrow. Both pointing straight. Under one there was written "bucket" and under the other there was written RS2H3.
It’s the 10 of May 2024.
12:41
I found Madeleine in another country for the second time.
But this time I reacted like "haha! Yeah of course!"
I followed it a bit. Found other arrows on the ground too, every arrow had the S crossing the arrow.
I guess it’s just the style of Hong Kong Madeleine.
They led to what I think was the gathering park. A small playground for children. It had a "A" mark at the entrance, and a "OUT" mark near by with an arrow that pointed at the beginning of the trail.
I followed it for a little. It went through the モンスターマンション, then I lost it.... and I decided that just finding it was more than enough for that experience.
I didn’t feel to force an adventure that night.
Daylight Madeleine in Hong Kong near the Monster Mansion... I enjoy the experience and the surprise.
Maybe after all I didn’t need to to do a little research first ;)
11 of May 2024.
I was real life Geoguessing the location on a building I saw on a picture, so I went to a specific area that was pretty far.
After getting out of the station I could see the building I was looking for in the distance.
I started walking in that direction. And literally 10 seconds later found another Madeleine trail.
This one had classic Madeleine arrows, no S, and there were only written on the floor.
The style was different too, so it was a different Baker. (Apparently Hong Kong is famous for its bakeries..... I’m sorry for that joke).
At first I thought it was part of the same madeleine trail I found the day before, but the area was way too far from that, and the style was different too so there was no doubt it was another Madeleine.
I didn’t follow it.
I found two Madeleines in a row in another country. The bar is raising too high now, will be impossible to beat that.
31 of May 2024
I got out of work. I don’t like the new location. It’s cold and corporate.
Shinagawa it’s not a Madeleine area.
It was a friday night and I wanted to walk around for a bit before going home.
I like the area between Oosaki and Gotanda station, next to the river, while I was walking I thought "oh, this could be a really good Madeleine area". And just a few moments later I found two arrows under a small bridge.
Right before the bridge there was a small park I thought it could have been the gathering park, so I went back and check. Nothing. No other arrows. I think those two survived because they were under the bridge and the rain couldn’t erase them.
12 July 2024
I went with a friend from work to eat something after work. We went to Gotanda. We were waiting to across the street and there was an arrow right there. I took a picture.
Also, literally that night, I decided on the spot that I wanted to go to Okinawa. For hours later I was at the airport.
I really enjoyed Okinawa. I like traveling alone. And Okinawa was great. I did a lot of things. And a lot of people talked to me.
And every once in a while I was like "wait, how come I didn’t find Madeleine yet?" lol
No Madeleine for me in Okinawa.
(I went to explore a lot of small streets, parks etc. and I really think Naha it’s an amazing location for a Madeleine adventure.... maybe one day I will make one there)
*I will break the chronological order of the updates to write this:
Today (as I write this) is the 16 December 2024.
I woke up early to go to work... I got to Gotanda station early in the morning.
I got out of the station and I’m about to climb the stairs to go across the intersection to go wait for the bus. And boom! Suddenly I spot a yellow Madeleine arrow pointing upstairs.
I move away from the crowd and went to take a picture. Madeleine in the early morning. (Did that happened before?)
I climb the stairs and see other two arrows, but they were pointing in another direction.
I went on my way to wait for the bus.
It was a nice way to start the day.
Around 4pm me and a coworker went outside the office to go get something to eat.
And the moment we step outside, literally in front of the company there’s a "go across the street" arrow just next to the traffic light.
I notice it immediately and thought "wow! The trail I saw in the morning comes till here!" but I kept a poker face and didn’t react.
Once we were waiting for the traffic light my coworker notice the arrow and Immediately turns at me for no reason and says "You wrote this, right?".
I made a confused face and said no.
But then I was thinking what could have generated that though in my coworker’s mind? I wasn’t even looking at the arrow...
I wonder if she perceives something in my personality that made it plausible to assume something like that.
And of course, I didn’t tell anyone about Madeleine. Ever. Sさん was involved in it so she knows some of it. But that’s it. None else.
Once we went back to the company there was an actual madeleine sweet on my desk. But that was just an interesting coincidence, since it was an omiyage from another coworker.
Later I realized it was the second time there’s a Madeleine happening in front of a company where I work...
This time I really wish I would have follow it, because the best coincidence is that yesterday night I wrote that chapter where I said that the area between Oosaki and Gotanda station, next to the river, would have been a good Madeleine area...and as I was writing that I wished I could have had a Madeleine adventure there...and literally today there’s a trail there.
It’s the evening now, as I write this. And even though I live in a completely different area of Tokyo, I’m still in time to go and have an adventure....
.....but I'm not going to...
Wow Madeleineさん, you changed... you used to leave whatever you were doing to follow a trail whenever you find some arrows! Regardless of how far the place was or how late it was...
What happened to you?
Well...a part of me really wants to go now and do it.
But another part of me wants to live it like it is.
(you might probably not believe me, but I stopped writing the previous sentence 3 times and I started preparing to go follow the trail. And then gave up. Fuck I'm so conflicted now...should I go?)
Anyway, this afternoon on the way to grab some food with my coworker I saw other arrows on the way, and many of them had some writing in English.... I noticed something that really blew my mind...
The Bakers now start to call the elements of Madeleine the same way I call them in the updates!!!
They use names like "Pizza Graph" instead of Checkpoint (?), "The Loop" instead of The Trail, and "Gathering Park" instead of ON IN.
And I think it’s AMAZING.
*Ok, now back at the chronological order of the updates
17 Jul 2024
There’s another trail in Tabata station.
I just came back from Okinawa, went to work, and on my way home, when I get out of Tabata station, there’s an arrow right there saying TLH3.
I decided to follow this trail.
It’s 20:13
It was really nothing special. No doubt about the fact that this was the worst Madeleine...and not because I’m comparing it with the incredible experiences I had in Taiwan and Hong Kong... But because it just felt....lazy.
The loop was very short and it didn’t have any of the Madeleine elements. It always stayed in main roads... and maybe because I know the area but I didn’t feel like I was exploring.
Only two things worth to mention:
1- The trail passed literally in front of my house :)
2- The P mark brought me back to the same indian place of the second Madeleine in Tabata. Season 9. (you see, nothing new in this adventure) and this time there was no gathering park. The gathering park and the P mark place were the same thing.
Outside of the restaurant there was written ON IN and ON OUT.... But one interesting thing was that this time too there was written a serial number. #2128
Summer went by quite fast this year, I had a lot of things on my mind... One good thing that happen is that I met an old friend.
That friend is the main character of the bus stop story I told in Season 1...
And as I was walking with him in the Shibuya crossing with the corner of the eye I saw a yellow arrow.
It’s 6 September 2024.
21:52
I want back later that night and follow the trail starting from the arrow I saw. As it is tradition.
This was definitely a new Baker. The arrow were inconsistent and there were so many missed opportunities to explore cool streets...it was an alright Madeleine after all. Some of the places were cool, some other areas were lusty and miserable...but overall it was a pleasant experience.
I found the BEER NEAR and after a few steps the "gathering park" this time too was in a restaurant.
This was also the first time I saw an arrow with written "WELCOME".
9 October 2024
There’s another Madeleine in Tabata.
Same pattern, I came back from work, and just outside of the station I found an arrow with written TLH3.
It’s 18:52
I immediately decided not to follow this trail.
I’m walking on my way home and I wondering if the gathering park it's going to be the same as Season 1, and as I'm getting closer to the park I spot some more arrows heading in that direction.
And once I got to the gathering park I saw them... The Baker and his disciples.
It was interesting.
But I'm not going to tell you anything about that...
A few days later on my way to the station I could still see arrows on the ground here and there...
And after a while, I notice that it seems there were more arrows that I remembered....or at least more than I could see the other night....and I started wondering if there has been another Madeleine in the same area few days later, and I didn’t notice because I thought the arrows I kept seeing around were from the Madeleine I saw the other night...
A few more days went by, and there were even more arrows around the same area....and this time I was sure I didn’t see them before, so they must have been new.
I followed some of them a little, and just around the elevator that brings to the station I saw a bunch of arrows of different colors all drawn on top of each other, and on top there was a blue arrow with written TH3, and all the other arrows were crossed with blue chalk.
I imagined it meant that the baker who got there found an already existing trail and decided to cross all the other arrows to signal that his was the one to follow.
Also, all the different arrows lead to the same gathering park. And in it I could see another trail written with white chalk.
So for some reason, between the 8 and the 19 October 2024 there were at least 3 Madeleine happening in the same exact area of Tabata.
30 Novembre 2024
I’m going to Kawasaki.
I went to Kawasaki 3 times before, to go to that あなたのウエアハウス place I told you earlier.
I really like Kawasaki, mostly because I have really good memories of the times I’ve been there. Today was the first time I went to Kawasaki during the day. And surprisingly I liked it a lot. You see, most places in Tokyo (or Japan in general) have really different atmospheres if you go at night or during the day. And often places that are cool at night are kind of "boring" during the day....but that wasn’t the case this time. I was so surprised by how pleasant the atmosphere was in the morning that I told myself "I think I should make a Madeleine in Kawasaki".
11:47
I found a trail of arrows :)
I had something important planned for the day, so I didn’t follow it...but I’m sure one day I'll make a Madeleine adventure there. So if you’re ever in that area look out for arrows ;)
And this bring us to my last Madeleine adventure of the year...
16 December 2024
I was writing a chapter of this update and I was struggling to make a decision....and at the end,
I did go to follow that adventure in Gotanda.
And I’m glad I did, because it was AMAZING!
Top 3 best Madeleine adventures.
The first time I walked there I thought that area next to the river was perfect for a Madeleine adventure...and I wished there was one... And now that I have a chance of having an adventure in that exact area I say no to it??
We both knew I was going to leave everything and go :)
20:45
just got to Gotanda station and walked where I found the first arrow and started from there...
I really, really, enjoyed this adventure, It had all the elements of a perfect Madeleine adventure.
Here are some of the highlights:
The gathering park was the same one I imagined where I walked in that area the first time.
And it connected with a park I really like. It’s next to the river and it has some stairs with a dock...There’s a conbini and an area with fake grass and some trees where people gather at night. The atmosphere of that park it’s very cool by itself, but this time all the trees where covered in pink christmas lights due to christmas decorations. It was really cool. I like that park.
The adventure had all the elements of a real Madeleine adventure.
- went through different parks
- mandatory slide (multiple times)
- temple review
- go across the train trucks (multiple times)
- very atmospheric and unique places
- graveyard
- story time
etc.
It went through multiple stations, Gotanda, Osaki, Shinagawa, Kita-shinagawa, and ShinBanba.
Most of the places had hills and slopes with nice views and I enjoined those areas a lot.
The best part of this Madeleine adventure was this:
At some point the arrows led me to the entrance of a very big temple. There was a big 鳥居 with a very big staircase. I started climbing the stairs while looking up...I could see a blue light at the top of the staircase, and as I was going up, the sound of the street below became more silent.
I stopped halfway through the stairs, there was a narrow path made out of rocks on the left side. I look behind me and the view of the city was amazing. There was an elevated train passing right in front of me very slowly in that moment...from the stairs in the dark I could clearly see the passengers inside the train and I wonder if they could see me.
I enjoyed that moment of peace.
Then I turned and I decided I will go first to explore the tiny path made out of rocks on the left side, then come back and keep climbing the stairs until the top to go to the temple.
I started climbing that path and there was like a tiny mountain, and the path went up there. The tiny path became very uneven and narrow, and it was very exposed with no barriers nor handrails...quite dangerous to climb in the dark.
On my way up another train passed very slowly and I stopped again to see the view. In that moment I felt like I was a spirit of the night, something that only appears around holy places and normal people can’t see.
I made it to the top. It was a flat concrete area, and on the other side I could see the actual temple.
I climbed down that dangerous path back to the center of the staircase and started climbing it.
I reach the top and the temple. There are some cars parked there, which meant there was definitely another way to reach the top, and I assumed that if I found that way I will found some arrows and continue to follow the trail.
There were no arrows inside the temple (rightfully so) and I noticed a slope with a street. That is were those cars came from...but I thought it seems a little boring as a trail and there might be a more interesting way to go out in the other side of the temple. So I started to look around for small paths... I found a tiny narrow hallway that led behind the temple, at first I didn’t want to go there became it was very close to the house where the people who take care of the temple live, and I didn’t want to enter in private property...but then I realized that hallway was leading to those storage rooms that temples have, and I kept going... It was pitch dark. I couldn’t see where I was going. I didn’t want to use the light of my phone because I thought that might get someone’s attention, so I just kept walking very slowly and carefully in the dark...
I made it out in a graveyard on a hill just behind the temple...
Here we are again...lost in a graveyard at night following arrows...I love it.
At the same hight of the house there was a house with a very big window facing the graveyard. And I could see an old man inside. I looked around but that graveyard didn’t seem to have an exit.... I thought there might have been a super narrow path between two grave stones but once I got there it was too dark to see anything and I couldn’t understand...so I decided to use the light of my phone just for one second to see if there was a way out. I kneeled down, flash the light and exactly where I was standing there was a CB written in yellow chalk.
Epic.
The idea that the Baker went through the same exact thing and had the same though process made me smile with my heart.
Another thing I really liked of this adventure was that every time I was approaching something that looked cool I wished the arrows went that direction so I could go explore it.... and they always did....every single time...they went towards what I wanted to see. Every single time I thought "I wish the arrows turned here now" they actually did.
I think I mentioned this a few times... but in every Madeleine theres a moment when you’re completely lost, and then all of a sudden you recognize the area where you are. And it feels like you suddenly teleported into a familiar spot.
Remember in Season 5 when I suddenly realized I was in front of my company?
Well, this time an extreme version of that happened.
My company moved to a new office in an area I don’t really like. The first day, when we just moved I notice an interesting looking staircase in the other side of the street from my office....and I thought it looked like a Madeleine spot and I wanted to go explore what’s on top of that staircase. But I purposely never did. I thought it will be way more interesting if I would have kept looking at that staircase from my office, wondering what’s on top, and never know the answer.
In this adventure I was looking at a shiny building in the distance while following the arrows, and there were some stairs going down....
Suddenly realizing that I came from the other way and I was on top of that staircase looking at the building where my office is was a big surprise. I loved how Madeleine teleported me there as a treat.
And now,
For the grand finale of this adventure,
I'm going to tell you one thing about this Madeleine adventure that truly blew my mind.
(and I’m sure you will understand why, and what that means)
As I was following the arrows, they gradually got closer and closer to the building where my company moved... until they went behind the building....
....and then...
.....the trail went inside of the private garden of my company.
I want to point out that you can’t enter there unless you have a security card from my company like I have.
Credits.
And that was my last Madeleine experience of the year.
This year Madeleine was incredible.
I still can’t believe the Taiwan and Hong Kong experience really happened.
This is going to be my last update.
I’m sure Madeleine will keep surprising me and there’s going to be plenty more...but I feel like this is the right time to say goodbye.....at least for a while.
I want to thank you for reading this and for being part of my adventure.
I hope you liked my story and I hope you will remember me sometimes.
And I want to tank the randomness of events that snowballed into this amazing experience.
I’m so glad my curiosity pushed me to see where those first arrows were leading to...
If there's one thing you can take away from this, it's this: "Memento audere semper"
I love Madeline
This is Madeleineさん, and this has been Madeleine.
I hid a treasure.
Since the very first Madeleine I understood that this whole experience has so much potential...especially in awakening human's true spirit of adventure...and I started daydreaming....What if one day I discover there’s an actual treasure hidden somewhere, and the Madeleine adventures are nothing but small hints to where that treasure is hidden? Would be amazing if all the Madeleine adventures I had were just pieces of a bigger puzzle.
I would really love for this to be true...
....but if I really want this to be true, I have to be the one making it happen.
I spent the past 2 years organizing strategically how to make Madeleine into something bigger, into a real modern day treasure hunt if you will... and I think I came up with something none would ever expect.
Hidden in all these updates there are several hints that will lead you to the next step of this experience. It’s up to you to decode the hints and start your journey...
I will keep give you hints, little by little by placing physical hints inside of some real Madeleine adventures...so go follow the arrows when you find them.
This is my last digital message to you.
Find my treasure.
Credits.