As I know how little I enjoy reading long posts I am breaking Tokyo into a couple of short posts. It is a neat city and deserves the attention. Tokyo is our longest stop on our Japan adventure. We ended up extending it by a couple of days just so we could attend the Grand Sumo Tournament, good choice. But there is much more to Tokyo than sumo.
The most noticeable thing about Tokyo, to me, is people. Lots of people. Which the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, Shibuya Scramble, demonstrates.
Tokyo is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. However that has to be qualified with the fact that their public transit system is beyond incredible. I read a comment on line that was critical of the fact that more people in Tokyo don’t have their own vehicles. This is when you know you are dealing with someone who has probably never left their mom’s basement. With the amount of people in Tokyo you simply could not have the degree of privately owned vehicles that we have in North America. Once you wrap your head around the number of choices to get from one place to another in the same or less time than it would take with a car you realize how incredible the system is.
Having said that, it is also one of the most organized, clean, and quiet cities we have ever been to. They make a point of trying to educate tourists when they arrive so as to preserve what they have. There are an abundance of signs explaining that your cell phone should be on silent mode on all trains and buses. And if you wish to talk on your phone you are required to leave the train car and stand in the space between the cars. I love it, none of this obnoxious FaceTiming on speaker.One of our first activities was doing a walking tour. The guide, Gray, was an interesting fellow and did a wonderful job of explaining some of the unique aspects of life here.One of those items is the abundance of Love Hotels. They tend to post their rates on signs outside. 2 hours for a “rest” or you can stay for a longer period. As the guide explained, Japan wasn’t cursed with an Abrahamic religion so they don’t have issues with this type of arrangement. Their homes tend to be very small with thin walls and sometimes multiple generations under the same roof. If a couple wants some romantic alone time the hotels are the perfect answer. And they are very reasonably priced. Apparently the rooms are quite large as well which is a definite bonus here.We also got a chance to see some of the more interesting outfits that are not at all unusual here.This is however counterbalanced by live classical performances just a couple of blocks away. The variety and contrasts here are non-stop.On the subject of contrasts. We went down some small streets that are made up of tiny bars (picture seating for 6 to 12). These would be where white collar workers (salary men) would go after work til well into the evening to wash their woes away. Very old school.And literally around the corner you find high tech digital performances by digital billboards that cause your jaw to drop. If you are curious check out this on YouTube, https://youtu.be/_tEu9hWGQWQ
I am in awe of Tokyo, It is not my favourite city in the world but it surpasses anything you would encounter in North America on pretty well every category. Keep an eye out for part 2.
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