London

East London’s Aldgate neighborhood, a mix of dull high-rise offices, fried chicken shops, and apartments, isn’t the buzziest part of town. Not until Wednesday afternoon.On the main street, hundreds of people had gathered in a line outside an unassuming store. Teenagers filmed the crowd on their phones, and office workers…

In my early 20s, I moved my life from the bustling metropolis of London to a quiet, scenic town in the mountains of Japan. I had been offered a job as an English teacher in a high school, and I was eager to take advantage of what I imagined would…