Self-professed "Miracle Man of the World" Masahiko Hirota sits me down on his massage table and quickly locates the knot just to the left of my right shoulder blade that has been bugging me for days. Closing my eyes, for an instant I am gratefully transported away as my knot is gradually unraveled by Hirota's magical fingertips.
Suddenly, there's a piercing squeal in my left ear, and I am returned to reality by a group of teenage girls who are walking past with a look of amusement. Then, I remember: I'm getting a back massage in the middle of the main shopping street in Shimokitazawa.
"Wanna give it a shot?" Hirota calls out to one of them. "It really doesn't hurt." Few of the thousands who have been caught in Hirota's entrancing grip would disagree.