I think I’m turning Japanese….

So for the month of September I was in Japan. Now, to give context, since I was maybe fourteen, I wanted to go to Japan. I was into anime, J-RPGs, and I always heard JPOP/JROCK as my sister played it. Japanese culture was just something that fascinated me moreso than European or African cultures. Maybe it’s because it was different than what I was exposed to in schools or maybe because I didn’t fit in, but I always liked it.

Finally, I got to go to Japan. Let’s start with Tokyo. I arrive at Narita International Airport, feeling like a kid in a candy store. Nothing interesting happened in the airport except this is the first time I have been stopped by customs while traveling. They just were confused as I was one guy with two suitcases. I explained that I am just jumping country to country for several months so I overpacked.

I make my way to Roppogni where my AirBnB is. This place was really lively. I would compare it to Itaewon in Seoul as it is has a lot of foreigners and foreign cuisine though I would say it is a notch livelier. There were so many things different about the city. People drove on the left side of the road, cash rules, and everything was more expensive than in Seoul. It was also the largest city I have ever been to (well I mean it’s the largest Metropolitan Area in the world).

Tokyo was kind of just me dipping my toe into the water. I took my initial exposure to Japan to an 11. Tokyo is cool, don’t get me wrong but it isn’t really Japan. It is just such a huge city that it may as well be New York City but with a Japanese flavor. That being said, it was fascinating.

At this point, I have been to Shanghai, Beijing, New York City, and Seoul. These are some of the largest cities in the world. People are rude and fast paced in these cities. Don’t slow down on the roads, hurry up and order, don’t hold up the line, etc. In most of these cities, if you lag on getting onto the bus or subway, you will be shoved in or left behind.

Tokyo was soooo different. Ya, everyone is trying to get to work but no one is shoving and if they do, they turn around and apologize. It is almost mechanical how they all get onto the subway in order.

The fashion was different too. Everyone was dressed conservatively. It may be because of the Japanese work culture having people always being dressed for work but even when I was out and about, people dressed toned down. The women had a tendency to wear darker toned clothing and for the most part were covered up. Men wore suits, collared shirts, often button downs. This was true during the day, night, weekday, weekend.

The major culture shock to me was the amount of politeness. I kind of wish I understood more of the historical context that resulted in this culture. Japanese people were just so polite. In most cities, if I walk around with a befuddled look on my face, I am left alone until I say “excuse me, can you tell me how to get ….” In Japan, if you look lost, someone will approach you to ask if you need help. On one ocassion, someone walked me to my destination. They weren’t even heading in that direction!

Positives about Tokyo, there is SOOOO much to do there. Just about every night there was a Meetup to meet people and hangout. I was often exhausted so I only hit up a few but each time, I met friendly people. One thing I noticed about Japan is that there wasn’t a desire to learn English like I saw in other countries, or at least that was my impression as I met a ton of younger Japanese people who couldn’t speak English which I didn’t experience much in South Korea.

First night in Tokyo I did a video call to my friend to show him Tokyo at night. He too had always wanted to go to Japan so I figured I’d at least share with him what I am seeing. On my final night in Tokyo, I met a lady and we hit up the Tokyo Jazz Festival. It was pretty awesome. We hung out until late and just enjoy each others company and good food and booze.

Now on Sunday, it is time to head to my next city.