8 realizations I remembered after returning to Tokyo

Top 8 Perceptions about Tokyo that I remembered after 72 hours

1. Everything is better in Japan. Japan doesn’t have everything. What they do have, however, they have made better. There is incredible thought given to every detail making everything japanese, just a little bit better than its counterpart. From food to waiting in line, everything makes more sense or is better quality. I abhor McDonalds in the United States, but in Japan it tastes rich, fresh and not incredibly greasy and rubbery. Supermarkets sell little cups of Vanilla Ice Cream that is rich enough to make me choose it over a Dairy Queen Blizzard and I grew up on those babies. Waiting in line is a process everyone understands and consequently there is no grouping, butting, or blocking. Escalators have express lanes. If you are going to stand there, you move to the left. People wanting to move quicker pass on the right. Pens, paper, zippers, clothes… it all seems innovated.

2. This is a little bit of a repeat of number one but Japanese food is fantastic and underrated. You don’t see many Japanese joints in the United States, except for sushi bars. However, there is so much more to japanese cuisine than sushi. Ramen, yakiniku, yakitori, tempura, bento boxes, breads, waffles, onoyamiyaki. I love it and I can be a picky eater. I had squid the other night. I usually hate that type of seafood because it can be rubbery and tasteless, but the Japanese do it well. I could live off the convenient store food. They have corndogs to die for. I guess Iron Chef did copy itself off of Japan so in the foodie world they are well aware of Japanese cuisine, but for the regular Joe I promise you the food is worth eating.

3. Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world with millions of people everywhere, all the time, but it continues to be one of the cleanest places I’ve ever been. Everything is clean, from the metro station to the backstreets. Parks, roadsides, train tracks… there is little garbage around. I don’t know if there are mystical garbage sprites that come out and wisp away the trash but the city is clean. I’ve walked many parts of the city and I have yet to find a place that felt or looked dirty.

4. The Japanese people have an incredible work ethic. They are tireless workers that take their jobs very seriously. They provide the best customer service no matter the position they hold. It is an expectation to do this for each other. It would be considered horribly rude not to provide A+ service.

5. As you travel the city of Tokyo, there is a distinct feeling the entire machine is going to break someday. Everything runs too perfectly. Everyone puts in ridiculous hours. Riding the train in Tokyo is riding a train with a load of corpses. Everyone is always falling asleep all around you. The only thing keeping anyone awake are their phones. I wonder if the demand and stress of performing in the workplace is going to lead to a system wide shutdown. I had this eerie daydream that the city would suddenly revolt into a revolution comparitive to the French. Blood would run in the streets as they all begin chopping each other up. Japanese anime is very violent and can also be very dark in many circumstances, but yet there is such a lack of violence and hostility that you wonder why these ideas are integrated into their entertainment.

6. Aesthetic is important. The Japanese value the importance of beauty, reflection, and nature. There is natural quality in making something look its very best. This starts in the design process and is carried out in its execution. Buildings are designed creatively and with the aim to please. Gardens and grounds surrounding buildings are important to upkeep. Furthermore there is abundant access to nature throughout one of the most populated places in the world. Parks and trees are in the hands of continual gardeners. A single tree in a large park will be roped off as men work on it as if protecting a member of a royal family.

7. This is going to come across racist, but it is actually the opposite. I see the same faces in Japanese people that I do in America. I’ve looked at hundreds of faces of Japanese people this week. Naively before visiting Japan I would have made the ignorant statement that they all look the same, but the irony is that the ‘sameness’ can be applied to the similarity between American faces and Japanese faces. I start recognizing facial structures and features of people I know in America, just with the base Japanese settings. It is very interesting to realize and notice.

8. Last but certainly not least in my mind… Anime and manga are king. Anime is an integral piece of Japanese culture. Not only for diehard anime fans, but it has spilled over into the eclectic dress and style of most young people in Japan. When I say young I refer to 40 and younger. Advertisements, shows, packaging, and instructions are produced anime style to appeal to everyone.