The air raid siren yawned its way into a scream as I passed by the Starbucks. It echoed into the Franciscan Gardens.

A group of Asian tourists closed their circle and looked at each other. Locals sat on the benches eating lunches of summery salads and boxes packed with Udon. Around the corner, two homeless men lay draped over each other, snoring.

The church bells chimed into the competition. I fiddled with the noise cancellation on my headphones.