Less than a week ago, I came back from a trip to Tokyo! I was there for about two weeks. There are already tons of places to find out about what tastes good and what is pretty in Tokyo, so I’ll steer away from those topics. Instead I’ll focus on observations of stuff that is out of any normal guide book’s scope of coverage.
Uso! (“LIE!”)
Here are some things I was told about Tokyo that turned out to be false.
People are silent on the subway.
Lots of people were talking on the subway. Chatting wasn’t predominantly in non-Japanese languages (e.g. English, Mandarin…) either.
I see WiFi
Nobody wears shorts.
Maybe shorts are a recent trend and are in fashion now (my friends that told me that people don’t really wear shorts in Tokyo said that what they said was at least true of a few years ago).
While there weren’t business people running around wearing shorts, many Japanese people on their days off and weekends were sporting shorts.
Shorts
Everyone is on their phones.
Many Japanese people spend a lot of time on their phones, but there are also many (visible) people that read books, hold conversations, or otherwise act pre-21st century. People also spend time together with other humans and their phones doing things like taking pictures or playing games together. Just like you can walk your dog and talk to your loved ones at the same time, so phones and people may coexist with attention craving non-humans! Japan certainly has its share of social ills, but I think that the techno-dystopian side of things sometimes gets exaggerated in a “return to the mythical age of tea ceremonies and Samurai” ethos.
Not too many people staring at their phones
Japanese language matters
I have had a long-running interest in Japan, and have spent at least the past four or five years studying Japanese everyday, though at varying level of intensity. I’m not fluent in Japanese (in the sense that I feel as comfortable using Japanese as I do using my native tongue (English); also I make many mistakes). Nevertheless, I have enough language knowledge to get around town and say what I want to say most of the time, which can include making remarks about relatively obscure topics like Bitcoins, Esperanto, and text editors. Also, I am able to look up words in Japanese, which can be a non-trivial task.
Confucius is watching you study
Coming into Tokyo like this I was put into a relatively unusual position for visitors to Japan. I had a fair command of Japanese but lacked much familiarity with much of the physical workings of Tokyo. So while the rail network, cars driving on the left side of the road, and convenience store offerings were all new to me, the language around me wasn’t terribly daunting. Many seasoned travellers, I imagine, have a somewhat opposite experience to this, where they know very well how logistical stuff works but don’t take so much time to prepare learning the local languages of every place they visit (e.g. backpacking through Europe with English and a bit of French).
While I think it is safe to say that much of Tokyo is accessible in English (and maybe even Chinese and Korean as of late), bringing some Japanese to the table does make for a very different experience. People will speak your language to take your money, but to talk about other things it is not just my impression that many people appreciate visitors going out of their way to learn the language of the land.
Additionally, Tokyo is a very literate society, so any reading skills are helpful for understanding the flood of print media and advertisements all around. Walking down the street, riding the metro, etc. are language learning opportunities in Japan, just like looking at the Spanish written alongside many signs in English in California can teach you many Spanish words without ever having to crack open a book. By just reading Japanese signs telling me how to be civilized in a Japanese way (マナーを守る manâ wo mamoru) I think I was able to fall into line adequately well.
On a slightly related note I was really impressed by the content and quality in Japanese bookstores. In one Kinokuniya (a large bookstore chain in Japan), there was a prominently featured display featuring all sorts of books on consciousness, by both Japanese and Western authors. This included prominent authors in the continental philosophy tradition like Hegel and Heidegger. I was surprised to find such an “academic” reading selection featured prominently like this.
Philosophy reads
On the subway, I saw a lots of people reading books (not just on their phones reading things). I wonder if this is partially an artifact of Japanese typesetting being relatively difficult (lots of characters going in lots of directions, characters with very small details, etc.) such that the experience of reading a book still feels much better than reading from an electronic device.
Some other observations
For your sake
Japan is known for having lots of alcohol. You can buy all sorts of (legal) drugs like caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol from vending machines. Japan also has lots of alcohol alternative or alcohol like but not alcoholic drinks for people interested in the social aspects of drinking without drinking. I tried a handful of these.
Beer that isn't beer
Cats
They weren’t running around everywhere in Tokyo. When I was with certain people more cats appeared. This lends to the idea of the 猫係数 neko-kêsû “cat coefficient”; certain individuals tend to attract and/or notice more cats than others. Amazing!
A synthetic cat
Bitcoins and new-ish consumer electronics
There is at least one place, Bic Camera, a large electronics store chain, where you can use Bitcoin. Tokyo seems to be a place that is open to experimentation with new-ish ideas like this. On the other hand, Tokyo (and Japan generally, I imagine) seems to live up to its reputation as a place with strict rules.
Instructions I don't understand
Makes sense
Avocados are trending
They’re everywhere.
A Synthetic Avocado
Labels: culture, Japanese, travel
