Japan 2018 - Tokyo

Tokyo

It's not an easy task to describe Tokyo in a few words... Realistically it's impossible. Tokyo is deep, overwhelming and amazing.

But, I'll try. So, here are some bullet points. Sure, many of those are obvious for well-travelled person, but I'm not that person 😀

• "Hello Kitty" is a thing
• People are glued to their phones in the subway
• First reminder that you're in the megalopolis (megapolis), is the view from the Tokyo Skytree. It is something special indeed, at least in the dark (I hope I come back to someday, to compare the view in daylight, if nothing else 😀). For the person who isn't used to the skyscrapers with red lights on top... I can't describe it properly, pictures I've taken also aren't good and don't do it justice. But...  if you've seen "Lost in translation" you should kind of understand what I'm trying to say here.
• Second reminder that you're in huge city indeed - is the amount of people in rush hour, especially in subway
• At daytime, river banks (promenades) were almost empty, streets also didn't seem crowded
• Foreigners are not uncommon, but there aren't that much of them compared to the number of locals
• (Kitchen) knife shops - that's something I haven't seen before
  
• Also a whole block of shops dedicated to kitchen / restaurant-related stuff  (including plasticky "demo food")
• You can even find Justin Bieber records in some random the book shop I encountered😀
  
• Some "weird" desserts in the convenience stores (you understand that it's a dessert, judging by the shelf it's located at, but you can't exactly figure out what it is even if there's a picture). Bought some, interesting taste (some green stuff, can't exactly describe)
• Heated mirror in the hotel's bathroom. Definitely a good idea if you ask me.
• They'll provide you with a chopsticks at the checkout if you buy a meal (sushi / noodles / ...) from the convenience store. Also, generally they can reheat your meal if needed (haven't tried though)
• Shinkasen trains (aka bullet trains) are something special, for sure
• Platforms are numbered in accordance with train car numbers, so you're in the right place in advance
• Shinjuku district is kind of uncomfortable, some shady-looking people around
• Shibuya. The infamous Shibuya crossing - it exists, and it's impressive.
• A ton of "capsule" wending machines (machines that sell stuff packaged in capsules)
• Insanely great shopping malls, especially Yodobashi. I almost got sensory overload from all the sounds and blinking lights 😀 Also lot of sophisticated toy / hobby stuff (like trains, glue models etc)
• "introvert friendly seats" at food places.. I mean, Japan overall is an introvert-friendly country, and food places aren't exception
• Newer subway trains have LCD screens with route / direction / transfer information, also show on which side the doors will open
• "sideways" light switches in the hotel
• just a single option of Japanese beer available in place called "Wold beer museum", kinda strange (I'm sort of beer aficionado)
  
• It seemed like Tokyo never sleeps, like with some planning you could find a meal in the middle of the night
  

As usual, I often felt stupid for not being aware / not adjusting to the situations quickly. 

Had some minor "customer service" issues, like item was billed twice in the shop (and I discovered it only after leaving the shop), and public transport ticket (Suica) wasn't working after returning from Kyoto. But both issues were resolved, even if it took a bit of time and the other person didn't understand me well (and for sure I didn't know any Japanese either)

Bottom line is - from what I've seen and experienced, Tokyo it is a great city indeed, would gladly visit again (and I did, in 2023).


Photos here - Tokyo album