My Tokyo in review
Tokyo is an overwhelming city but at the same time it reconciles you with the quality of urban living.
That seems even clearer to me in this second visit of the city so many years later, where thanks to google maps, it is easier to move from one neighborhood to the next and you can appreciate the coexistence of crowd and quietness. However crowd and quietness don't have the same flavor than in the West. In fact even in the busiest station in the world with three million commuters every day, it is amazing the absence of chaos or unnecessary noise, and the calmness and politeness of the commuters.
Then, you have those amazing little neighborhoods that have the feel of real villages where the street are narrow, there are no car parked in the street and the houses are small and well kept, and people go around with their bikes. The more extraordinary are the women on bikes carrying regularly two kids one in the back seat and one in the front or on the baby carriage (it doesn't seem safe but it works!).
The very appreciated particularity is the care for details and cleanliness and ultimately respect for others. I defy you finding a dirty toilet, or trash throwing randomly or a bad coffee or bad meal.
Toilets are really worthwhile a separate chapter in Japanese life. There are this very sophisticated toilets that spray water as a bidet, warm up your seat, have a little music to override the unpleasant noise, it is a pleasure to go even to a public restroom. As a foreign you try all the features, it is an intimate luxury and you are not going to miss any of them!
When you observe Japanese population you realize that people eat well and balanced, they are basically all thin, lower obesity rate in the world. As I live in what has been known as fat country I can't escape the consideration that the Japanese are making intelligence choices in their diet and value the quality of what they intake.
There must be for sure some bad parts, or some part I have difficulty understanding because I don't have not only knowledge of the active language but also of the non spoken one. They always smile and are extremely polite but then how do you know when you get on their nerves! There is no rolling the eyes for a stupid question.
I observe people on the subway, especially after working hours, the men are all dressed the same: black pants, white shirt (no tie, good for them) and either they sleep or are plunged on their phones. We are the loudest people on the subway even if we basically whisper.
Our little old lady neighbors they started this long conversation in Japanese and not for one second they stopped to consider that maybe we don't understand a word; however I understood through my traveling that answering with a smile always works.
Their attention for details and perfectionism maybe doesn't leave much space for spontaneity and errors. I have seen one kid crying in a week and the mother totally untouched and kept her cool (clearly a sharp contrast with my experience of parenting). On the subway this tiny child was practicing her characters writing them on a piece of paper over her lunch box, those kids spend countless hours practicing their characters, I am pretty sure this exercise format the brain differently. Imagine to have to produce so much effort to write a word.
While observing another culture you always draw comparaison to your own, there is no judgement just observation and I realize that at times I just want to have a piece of Japan in my life and of course those fancy toilets!
Then, you have those amazing little neighborhoods that have the feel of real villages where the street are narrow, there are no car parked in the street and the houses are small and well kept, and people go around with their bikes. The more extraordinary are the women on bikes carrying regularly two kids one in the back seat and one in the front or on the baby carriage (it doesn't seem safe but it works!).
The very appreciated particularity is the care for details and cleanliness and ultimately respect for others. I defy you finding a dirty toilet, or trash throwing randomly or a bad coffee or bad meal.
Toilets are really worthwhile a separate chapter in Japanese life. There are this very sophisticated toilets that spray water as a bidet, warm up your seat, have a little music to override the unpleasant noise, it is a pleasure to go even to a public restroom. As a foreign you try all the features, it is an intimate luxury and you are not going to miss any of them!
When you observe Japanese population you realize that people eat well and balanced, they are basically all thin, lower obesity rate in the world. As I live in what has been known as fat country I can't escape the consideration that the Japanese are making intelligence choices in their diet and value the quality of what they intake.
There must be for sure some bad parts, or some part I have difficulty understanding because I don't have not only knowledge of the active language but also of the non spoken one. They always smile and are extremely polite but then how do you know when you get on their nerves! There is no rolling the eyes for a stupid question.
I observe people on the subway, especially after working hours, the men are all dressed the same: black pants, white shirt (no tie, good for them) and either they sleep or are plunged on their phones. We are the loudest people on the subway even if we basically whisper.
Our little old lady neighbors they started this long conversation in Japanese and not for one second they stopped to consider that maybe we don't understand a word; however I understood through my traveling that answering with a smile always works.
Their attention for details and perfectionism maybe doesn't leave much space for spontaneity and errors. I have seen one kid crying in a week and the mother totally untouched and kept her cool (clearly a sharp contrast with my experience of parenting). On the subway this tiny child was practicing her characters writing them on a piece of paper over her lunch box, those kids spend countless hours practicing their characters, I am pretty sure this exercise format the brain differently. Imagine to have to produce so much effort to write a word.
While observing another culture you always draw comparaison to your own, there is no judgement just observation and I realize that at times I just want to have a piece of Japan in my life and of course those fancy toilets!
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