Tokyo, Japan - The Freaked Out, Fast and Fortunate

When some people imagine Japan, they picture a beautiful Japanese woman from Memoirs of a Geisha, written by Arthur Golden. Tokyo’s modern Japan has little resemblance to the traditional geisha world. The Last Samurai has long since perished from this world. Modern Japan has tall buildings (earthquake-secure). Hard-working Japanese businessmen, simply known as “salarymen”. Girls in short school uniforms. And entire parts of the city are dedicated to Anime, which is like stepping into a surreal parallel world of cartoons. Here even the people look like something taken out of a Pokémon movie. However, even though there is quite a lack of resemblance to the traditional Japanese images from old books and movies, modern Japan leaves no less of an impression. After having spent some time in Tokyo, I can claim that it’s been a wonderful experience.

Ueno Park, Tokyo

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo

I would like to share a little story about the best time to visit Tokyo, and Japan in general. Most people swear by the Cherry Blossom season, where the famous pink flowers are all over Japan. If that is not a possibility, November’s end is a fairly good time if you want a good laugh of how odd some of the Japanese traditions seem to ordinary Europeans.
Arriving in Japan my friend took me to a street. At the end of this street, an official-looking building is located. The avenue is full of trees, all in fall-yellow colors.
Half of Tokyo’s population will be experiencing this autumn color change. Millions of people are out and about, experiencing and forever-ing autumn on film and camera with their smartphones… not just one photo of a girl in front of a yellow tree, but 80 pictures of the girl in front of every single one of the fairly similar-looking yellow trees. For the next week, every sight of nature I visited had Japanese people being more interested in taking pictures and posing in front of the autumn colors than the shrines, monasteries, temples, buildings etc.

Autumn Colours, Tokyo

Areas of Tokyo

Tokyo is Japan’s capital and one of the world’s most populous metropolis. Very crowded, active and energetic. I believe there are a million things about Tokyo that will surprise even the most experienced traveler. My favorite part of the city was Akihabara, a district where you can find electronics, computers, games, anime and manga goods. Bright colors and tall figures are made to look like the most popular manga characters – and it can be slightly shocking. You can also enjoy a meal at a “french-maid café”while interacting with girls dressed in costumes. From a European perspective, it is a very fun experience to be entertained in one of these cafes.

Shinjuku is another part of Tokyo that is worth a visit. In Shinjuku one can find Golden Gai, a district filled with more than 200 small bars and restaurants. And when I say small, I mean small. These restaurants can on average serve around 6 customers a time. Important to remember: these bars are for locals, and foreign guests are not always appreciated in the bars because they are designed as a safe-haven for salarymen after work hours.

Another must see in Tokyo is Shibuya. This is where you meet the “pretty dolls” you wish you had as a child. Pretty dolls are Japanese girls with blonde hair, colored lenses, fake eyelashes and dressed in short skirts and hello-Kitty-ears. This is, in every way, not what you think when you have memoirs of geishas in mind. Shibuya is colorful and busy. Packed with shopping malls, dining areas, and nightclubs. On a Saturday afternoon, the place to be is at the Starbucks located just around the corner from the station viewing the Shibuya Crossing. Here an insane amount of people cross the street every-time the light turns green. If you are a fashion-lover, you could be interested in visiting Shibuya 109. This is a fashion center that sets the trends for young women. Fashion is extremely important in Japan.

Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo

Unique Experiences

The Japanese have come up with an interesting idea for lonely people: Neko-cafés (or cat cafés) where people can order meals, but they can also pet cats. It is quite popular in Japan because cats provide a relaxing companionship in what may otherwise be a stressful and lonesome urban life for many men and women.

While being there, I was told that it is actually functioning as a therapeutic environment. The reason behind it is that there is a very high expectancy to succeed in Tokyo. It takes many years for a salaryman, or career woman, to reach that success. Therefore they will have to work very hard, and very long hours for many years. Because of this working schedule, many other things in life such as companionship and social relations are neglected. Having to work all day every day and not being able to form or maintain relationships increases loneliness, anxiety, and depression amongst other things. Neko Cafes were originally created to try to be a patch on this hard life and offer some soothing and unconditional affection in short periods where it was convenient for the guests. They have become widely popular in Japan so maybe they are covering a need for relatedness.

Other Areas to stop by

Tokyo's Ueno market and its park is worth a stroll. Here you can find nice things for a decent price, and a chance to see the traditional Geishas performing a ceremony. Odaiba is another area you can stop by. A big artificial island where you can see the Japanese Statue of Liberty, the rainbow bridge, and the Eiffel tower. A walk on this artificial, clean, fairly empty island is fun and very different from the rest of Tokyo, which is always crowded and stressful.
For fun, one can visit the Mall Venus fort, where the entire bottom floor consists of accessories for pets. Because no pet in the city of Tokyo should have to walk around without their own outfit.

Odaiba, Tokyo

3 dishes to eat

Feed upon Sushi at the giant fish-market. It is super fresh and the tuna is collected and sold next door.
Tempura: a dish in which seafood, fresh vegetables, and other ingredients are dipped in a flour and egg batter and fried in old.
Udon which is a noodle-dish of kneaded wheat flour, and eaten with a sauce made from soy sauce and sugar, similar to soba.