Tokyo was certainly not on the proverbial bucket list. It has only been recently that it came on the radar. I think it was mostly due to the travel event that we attended recently. Seeing the presentations from the different countries in Asia spurred our interest.
The post about our destination wish list for the new year included Japan and Maldives. Thanks to crazy airfare deals, we were able to cross the Maldives off the list and now, Japan as well. Our 12-day trip in Tokyo was absolutely fantastic, and jarring as well. Here are some very surprising impressions of the capital city of Japan.
First Impressions of Tokyo :
Tokyo, Japan: A little history
Tokyo is the capital of Japan and happens to be the world’s most populous metropolis. Before 1868, Tokyo was known as Edo, a small castle town. Prior to castles, fortresses were the norm for protection.
The need for castles emerged as the states fought each other constantly. These castles were usually built on top of the mountains. As the towns spread, they were later built on small hills or high plains. They were used as administrative offices and military headquarters.
There were three circles of defense in each castle, with the lords residing at the more fortified circle. The samurai lived in the town surrounding the castle. The higher their rank, the closer they lived to the castle.
The temple would be located on the outskirts of the city. This really makes me want to watch old Akira Kurosawa movies again 🙂 . As the town grew into one of the most populated places in the world, the then Emperor moved the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo, and was then renamed Tokyo (Eastern Capital).
Surprising first impressions of Tokyo:
Tokyo is overwhelmingly beautiful:
The city is well-designed, well maintained, and well-presented. There are so many prefectures in the greater Tokyo area, all with their own distinct personality. It would have been impossible to see all of them over the 9 nights we were there.
The other 3 nights, we spent in Kyoto. While the streets were beautiful during the day, they were even more so during the night. If you’ve seen Las Vegas at night, you have some idea. It’s that, and then some. Everywhere!
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Tokyo, Japan – a sense of order and calmness:
Let me just get that out-of-the-way 🙂 . Tokyo reminds me of New York , but without the chaos. The city has a population of 13.5 million people versus the 8.5 million in the greater New York area.
In NYC however, people are always rushing about, generally stressed and mostly unfriendly. Granted l haven’t been to New York in over 15 years, but l did visit it a lot when l lived in Boston. I doubt if the attitude has changed much.
In Tokyo, it almost seems like people are moving in slow motion, yet accomplishing the same thing in the same amount of time, but without the attitude. No one ever seems to be anxious or mad. Everyone lines up for the train, bus etc, no fuss..no muss. “Shikata ga nai” is a famous Japanese saying meaning “It can’t be helped“.
I think that is such a zen way of looking at things. While as a culture, there is a high rate of suicide, it is very hard to notice from the way they carry themselves. I try to practice that when things go awry. I just focus on solving the problem rather than dwelling on it.
Tokyo, Japan men – well dressed and carry handbags
It jarred me the first time l saw a Japanese man with a handbag on the train. I thought it was a man bag, and l was just mistaken. Then l saw it again and again. They are full-on handbags, not man purses or whatnot. All sizes, all shapes, all colors. Carried by both younger and older Japanese men.
I am still not sure how l feel about that :-), but l suppose they have stuff to carry as well. It just looks weird to me. I mention it as l only observed this in Tokyo, not sure if it is a common thing in all of Japan :-).
Japanese toilets are the bomb!
It’s just as well that we don’t live there. I would spend half my life there 🙂 . These Toto toilets are heated and come with a whole bunch of doodads. You can control the temperature, water jets, l swear one looked like a massage button.
Not sure because they were all in Japanese characters and l was afraid of messing up the settings. In the department stores, they even have music (for privacy) buttons and air freshener spray. What’s not to like? 🙂 ;-).
People in Japan are in great shape and are very friendly:
In the whole time that we were in Japan, we only saw two overweight people. One man who was obviously, at least to me, a Sumo wrestler or student. He had the look and the hairstyle. The other was a girl on the train, but she wasn’t even that big. My theory is that pretty much everyone takes the metro to get places.
Those metro stations are like cities down there with multiple exits and lines. It is not unusual to walk a mile from one line to the other, all underground. Who needs gyms? We also found the people super helpful.
Many times, we were lost, only to be approached by locals offering to help us find our accommodations. Police men who walked us part of the way to our destination just to make sure we didn’t get more lost. Amazing!
Related Reading: Shibuya District
Tokyo Japan is an extremely clean city:
Between Federico and l, we have been to a lot of countries. We both agree that Tokyo, and surely the whole of Japan is the cleanest country ever. We did not see a single piece of trash on the floor. Despite the fact that it is really hard to find a trash can.
We, and apparently everyone else held on to their trash till they could properly dispose of it. Hint: They are usually next to the vending machines which are everywhere, selling everything from cigarettes to water to ice coffee.
Japanese people love Pachinko and gambling in general: Big part of Japan Tourism
We saw a ton of pachinko parlors in the city of Tokyo. We also saw a lot of people patronizing them. Federico didn’t know what they were 🙂 . They are basically gambling houses with slot machines. At any hour off the day, we saw businessmen, kids, and women in them.
I later read that it is a 185 billion dollar industry!!!! That is a crap load of money!! In an effort to combat the declining numbers, they are now adding anime characters to entice the younger people 🙁 .
These are just some of the things that we observed right off the bat about Tokyo, Japan. In the upcoming posts, l will share some of the temples we visited, the neighborhoods and of course the food. Tokyo is a vibrant and very exciting city. I am so glad we got to visit. It is not the cheapest of places, but still cheaper than say.. London.
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Have you ever been to Tokyo or anywhere else in Japan? If so, what do you think of our takeaway? Anything to add that we might have missed? If not, does Tokyo sound like a place you might like to visit? To answer the question.. “should l visit Japan?”. The answer would be a resounding yep!!!!
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wow! you got some really awesome pics. Looks like a wonderful time! Thank you for sharing!
It certainly was a good time 🙂 . Thank you!
Beautiful pics. The city shots look busy and exciting like New York. And what a fancy toilet! WOW!
It is very comparable to New York in a lot of ways. Yep! We loved the toilets!! Loved it 🙂
Great facts about Tokyo! You debunked alot of my assumptions regarding Tokyo. Large population doesn’t have to mean crowded streets or disorganization.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and l was very pleasantly surprised. I think in my mind, l pictured it like China. Glad l was wrong 🙂
wow, so beautiful! now i want to visit. THANKS for sharing.
It really is beautiful. I hope you get a chance to visit. It is a very cool place! 🙂
Great to hear Kemkem, as you know we are planning to go later in the year.
I was worried that Tokyo might be CRAZY, good to hear it’s not. Although I hear the attendants in Metro stations sometimes have to push people in to make room for others. I guess the trick is to avoid peak hours.
And the toilets are pretty cool.Now if they could only include a mini-bar in there then there would be no reason to ever leave.
And no fatties? Good to know, they’re always ruining my photos (just kidding).
Look forward to seeing more on Japan Kemkem,
Frank (bbqboy)
You know, l have seen a few of those videos where the attendants push people in, but l can’t remember if it was Japan or China. I do know it gets wicked crazy at peak times. We were in the stations a couple of times during those hours. We just waited for the next train since they come every like 5 minutes, maybe even less..they were slightly less packed..you felt more like a sardine than a stuffed sausage..haha! It wasn’t that bad. Oh, if they put a mini-bar in those toilets, it would become my office, along with my laptop 🙂 . The time flew by so fast 🙁 . My only regret. I would have loved to see more.
It sounds like Tokyo is a very futuristic city, I know the Japanese love their gadgets. How lovely that you got to meet up with your niece. I would be interested on a budget post. What was the accomodation like?
Futuristic! That’s the word that eluded me 🙂 . It was great seeing my niece after 3 years. I just happened to mention to my sister that we were on our way and she told us. Prior to Tokyo, her placement was in New York, and we had actually been thinking of going there to see her..haha! Glad we hadn’t bought the tickets yet. I will do a budget post then as soon as l gather the receipts. I am going to do a post on our AirBnB rental that we absolutely loved and would recommend. Thanks for weighing in. 🙂
The toilets look amazing! Heated seats?? Yes!
I’m telling you, at the stores..with the music and the room was a dark shade of purple, it was so cozy. You feel like you want to live in there :-).
Wow, this really left me speechless. What a beautiful city and how nice to hear about their helpfulness and cleanliness and mentality. Add to that the toilets that look like very advanced computers and you have all the reasons to love Tokyo and Japan even more!
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was really impressed with the whole place. No dog poop, not even a gum wrapper on the floor, no cigarette butts..nothing. The only “messy” thing we saw was these stands. People buy cheap plastic umbrellas when it rains. As soon as it stops, they dump them into these stands, l guess for recycling. We saw a couple of them stuffed to the gills with umbrellas. I guess they are good because if it rains, and you are near one, you have a free umbrella to use. We loved the toilets…loved it :-). I kept wondering how to get one here..haha! It would be too costly. I wish we had been there longer..but of course..the money adds up really quickly.
Ooh! Love this post Kemkem! I must say I turn green with envy when I hear that someone has visited Japan..you can’t imagine how high it is on my ‘to-go-to’ list! I like the futuristic feel described as well as the abundance of gadgets, and neon lights! I feel that I’d love the country..though I’m mostly sure that I may not be able to see the whole country unless I worked there, due to how expensive it is!
Glad you loved it :-). I had truthfully never thought of Japan as a destination till recently. Boy, what an idiot l was.. had l known, l would have found a way to visit earlier than now. The neon lights are incredible. That’s what l meant by Vegas and then some. It wasn’t just the regular lights, but the neon that makes it spectacular. I’m sure you would love the country. I did not feel out of place at all. Everyone was so helpful. Amazing place 🙂 .
I am cracking up at the fact that you included the men’s fashion/handbags! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that! I’m so glad we got to get together during your visit.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
It was too hard to ignore. Like l was telling you guys..once l could ignore..but 2nd time..3rd time etc..it was impossible not to notice 🙂 . I can’t get used to it either. It was a lovely evening with you guys. Enjoy the rest of your time there :-).
I would have never guessed the city would be “peaceful” but I have heard it’s very orderly and clean, and there are strange things around every corner like the vending machines. I always forget how oversight the rest of the world is compared to what I see kind of daily and then I go back to Michigan and it’s pretty shocking. In France everyone was skinny even though they were eating whole fat cheese, yogurt and milk. Of course they smoked…but they walked everywhere too.
I know right. Here in Spain, there aren’t as many big people here either, not like the U.S. Probably because things are kind of fresh, and not many people have their own cars, so walking is the norm. Yeah..l was surprised that the city was so calm, with that many people too. Respect for others goes a long way. You know, l also noticed that there were not a lot of children either, we saw maybe 15 kids and 2 pregnant women the whole 12 days!!!! Weird huh?
Looks AMAZING! I want to go somewhere different with my husband and this is definitely on my bucket list! Looks amazing!!
This would be an amazing, and for sure different trip. I hope you can make it happen. I am putting it back on my bucket list, as l wouldn’t mind going back at all 🙂 .
I’ve always wanted to visit Japan, love the pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you 🙂 . It’s worthy of a visit. We wouldn’t mind going back either. There is so much to see and do!
Super fascinating! Still say it all looks and sounds alien to me – no trash anywhere! Friendly locals! How strange & alien compared to UK 😉
Those toilets are cool- we need heated loo’s over here.
Haha! Compared to the U.K, it is alien..no trash 🙂 . Yep..friendly. We went to the wrong building in search of our AirBnB and was fidgeting with the combo lock with these two older women looking and wondering. I’m thinking..oh they’re gonna call the cops haha! Desperately, l pulled out the laptop and showed it to one of them..they talked for a minute..and led us outside and we walked the street together till we saw the right building (thankfully the owner had a picture of the outside since the addresses were all in Japanese) and we all had a good laugh!!! Loved the toilets! 🙂
I went here a few summers ago and used the toilet when I arrived at the airport, and my first thought was “I’m going to LOVE this country!!!!” Haha, the toilets are TOO cool, America really needs to get on board! It shocked me how, even in the craziest train stations, everyone was walking in the “correct” direction. Here in NYC, the subway stations can be madness, and nobody stays to the right/left like they do in Tokyo. I thought this was so polite, and another custom we should adopt!
Haha! Amazing how a toilet can make you love a country!!! 🙂 . I so wish we could have that here too. Oh.. I remember the subway stations in Boston and New York especially..total madness. I would be right upfront, and still miss the train as l was shoved all the way back.. 🙂 . It was such a breath of fresh air. I really hope we get to visit again.
I have never been! Like you it had never been super high on my list compared to other Asian countries. But I have imagined going to see the cherry blossoms and eating sushi. Interesting about the high suicide rate. Did you find out why? And watch what you say about my city-New York City-lol. I was just there a few weeks ago and it is a lot of what you mentioned but I find it exciting and exhilarating.
Ooh.. okay.. I won’t slag your precious NYC 🙂 . No.. I like the city, l have great memories of shows and food etc.. but you gotta admit the subway system is crazy! Even more so than Boston, and l thought that was already much, especially in the peak hours. I think a lot of Japanese men are stressed because of the jobs. They work really long hours, and everything gets bottled up inside. Breaking down is seen as weakness, l think they just implode rather than explode. I happen to think one of the reasons the geishas and maikos are popular is that they talk to the men, its not really sexual l don’t think. It’s just to talk about their stressful lives. Just my take.
Your first impressions and gorgeous photos have me very interested in your in-depth reports and further posts about your adventures in Japan. The city looks amazing and I’m so impressed that the people are so polite and helpful. I’ve been trying to get my husband to buy a nice looking messenger bag for year’s to gather all of his stuff into (wallet, keys, camera, water bottle) and I think the Japanese bags looks really nice and much more polished than a backpack. I’ll have to start looking! P.S. And the toilets would have captured my interest too! 🙂
Thanks Anita 🙂 . It was such a great experience, l just wish it had been longer..haha! The city really is impressive. You could just give him one of your bags..because that is basically what most of them were. We were window shopping and saw them in the men’s section, but the still look like women’s bags to me. I totally see the need for it though, l wish l could get Federico to carry one. His cameras weigh a bit, especially with the lenses, and l usually carry it, but now that l picked up a little baby one in Japan…(The pictures are with my new baby and lenses), l am not carrying both 🙂 A man bag, but he won’t carry it 🙂 .
Toyko is one of the places on my must see list. I am fascinated by the culture and the mix of traditional and new when it comes to architecture and lifestyle.
I’m the first to admit it was not on my must see. Glad l changed my mind. It is on my must see again list now 🙂 . It is a fascinating mix for sure. Hope it happens soon for you 🙂
Your traveling posts are simply what dreams are made of, I Love Them! Tokyo looks stunning and I hope to get a first hand look someday! Thanks for sharing!
Awwh..thank you 🙂 . I hope you get to see it first hand too. It is an amazing place, it really is.
Loved Tokyo and Kyoto as well. Japan is just an amazing country. Very keen observations in this post and nice photos as well.
Thank you Kyle. I agree that it is an amazing country. Truthfully, if l had known we would like it as much as we did, l would have planned for longer than 12 days. Gives us a reason to go back then :-). We will have to find away to go drift away back there 🙂 . Thanks for the comment.
Wow, Japan is GORGEOUS! I have heard a lot of about their toilets too lol. I look forward to my visit sometime in the future.
It’s safe to say that the toilet is a big hit with everyone.. haha! :-). It is absolutely gorgeous. I hope you get to visit soon. So worth it.
I need some of their zen like behaviors in my everyday life. That toilet is all kinds of dope, I need one of those. hahaha Our Cherry Blossoms have come and gone in the DC area. We didn’t even participate in any of the events this year.
Dudes with handbags, my mind probably couldn’t even process what my eyes saw.
Mimi, we all need one or two of those toilets. I would spend too much time there. Imagine they probably take it for granted at this point 🙂 ! I bet the cherry blossoms must have been so pretty there as well. I need to plan better and see them next year somewhere cool! It was jarring to see the handbags. I just wonder at what point the men actually started shopping at the women’s stores? 🙂
Men with purses has to be a cultural thing. I have a friend who sings over there and she said that same thing. Tokyo is on my bucket list of places to visit. Amazing photos as always
Thanks Mimi. It was easy..the place is just so beautiful 🙂 . Glad we were not the only ones who noticed..haha! Quite expensive ones too, most of the handbags. Hope you get to visit Tokyo soon 🙂 .
I was born in Japan actually (my parents were stationed there with the military) but we moved back to the US when I was 1 so I don’t remember it. My parents really liked living there and even learned some Japanese. For some reason it hasn’t been on my bucket list, but I don’t really like big cities (I hated NYC) so I think I imagined Tokyo to be a lot like that. From this post it seems like Tokyo might turn out to be a place I’d enjoy visiting, and it would be cool to see where I was born. 🙂
Oh how cool is that? I would be all like “I’m Japanese American” 🙂 . There is something so special about it. I figured it would be chaotic like NYC which requires a different mindset. It certainly wasn’t on my list either, but l think you would be pleasantly surprised. We loved it. It certainly would be nice to see your birth place 🙂 .
Japan is at the top of my Asia wish list although the high costs have delayed us getting there. I’ve wanted to visit for all of the reasons you mentioned – even the toilets. Years ago, I almost bought a townhouse with one of those toilets in the master bathroom. The owner who was Ethiopian, had spent a lot of time in Japan and insisted on having one installed in his home when he returned to the States. 🙂 Looking forward to more of your Japan posts.
I have to admit that it is more expensive to visit there. Needless to say, we didn’t do any clothes shopping. I carried the converter app on my phone so we wouldn’t have a rude awakening. I did buy a smaller Nikon DSLR and lens for me at a great price, but that was pretty much it save for some football gear l got for my brother and a tee shirt :-). I would have bought the condo just for the toilet..hahah!!!
Tokyo or Japan as a whole has never really been somewhere I’ve thought of going but a couple of people have said how amazing it is so maybe I’ll have to add it to my bucketlist!
I think you should add it to the list. We probably wouldn’t have gone had it not been for the great fare. I am so glad we did though, it’s making me consider other parts of Asia.
I’ve always been attracted to Japan but I’ve only visited the airport as I flew through. Like you I find the toilets in different countries to be somewhat intriguing but the ones there in japan are more like the ones you’ll find on the space shuttle. lol Nice read and great pics!!
Thanks Jim 🙂 . I know, the toilets are pretty futuristic. I so wish l could afford to have a personal one, but l am positive l would spend way too much time there, so maybe not! I am so glad we got to visit.
Tokoyo isn’t on the top of my travel list, but seeing it through your eyes has given me new insights that make me go “hmmm…maybe.”
Glad l gave you a pause for thought 🙂 . It wasn’t on my list either and l fully admit that, but it was worth it. I would love to go back. 12 days barely scratched the surface 🙂 .
I don’t think I would have put Japan on my list. But you made me like it. I like clean and orderly accompanied by beauty. I do wonder about the disconnect between the suicide rate and the psychology you sensed. I’m sure there’s something out there on that if I had time to read it.
Terri
It was easy to like. I didn’t expect to like it either 🙂 . Oh, l think there is something to it definitely. A lifetime of keeping it all inside has to at some point wear you out. They may see no other choice than to end it all sadly. I would definitely go back to Japan, which totally surprises me 🙂 .
japan is definitely a unique place, tokyo is incredibly and the sense of order is astounding. cleanest pro-smoking country i’ve seen in asia, they all have a vibe that just runs like clockwork. certainly, tokyo has a bit of the darker corners like all cities but overall, i’m glad you had a great time!
I love the fact that you describe it as astounding. Very fitting as it describes it to a T. 🙂 .We didn’t get to the dark corners, but heard about them. Maybe next time as l wouldn’t mind visiting again. We had a great time :-). Thanks for the comment.
Great pictures! Japan sounds much better to me after reading this post. 1 more country on the bucket list! 🙂
Glad to hear it. Funny how the bucket list keeps growing and growing isn’t it? Thanks for the comment 🙂
We went to Tokyo for our Honeymoon a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. We can’t wait to go back and explore more places as the city is huge and filled with hidden gems!
Oh how nice it must have been 🙂 . We had no expectations as we had not really planned on ever going there. What a pleasant surprise. I hope we get a chance to go back as well to discover those hidden gems as you so eloquently put it 🙂 . Thanks for the comment.
Great post!! I love, loved my time in Tokyo. I am heading back to Japan in a couple days — this time to Fukuoka. I don’t know what I will do when I am no longer so close — I currently live in Korea.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Thank you. You are so lucky to be so near. We were both surprised by how much we liked it. Enjoy your time there while you can, and take lots of pictures to get you through after you leave Korea 🙂 . I hope we get to back one day too. Thanks for the comment.
Japan is on my bucket list and I am looking for inspiration all over the net at. Great I found your post. t gives good first impressions and the images are fantastic! 🙂
Thank you Matthias. Glad it inspires you. It just amazes me how it was different from what l pictured. It has now opened my mind to other parts of Asia that l really didn’t consider, no matter how nice people said they were. I am looking at you Thailand.. 🙂 . Thank you so much for the compliment.
Very beautiful photos! I would totally love to visit Japan soon! there seems to be so much to do in Japan!
We barely scratched the surface over 12 days. I hope someday we get to go back and see some more. Thank you for the compliment 🙂 .
I absolutely love this post!
I would love to go to Japan and I’m extremely pleased to hear how nice & friendly people were.
I’ve only been to Hong Kong in that part of the world and had such an amazing time, but I’ve been reading really negative ugly posts about Japan, Korea & Taiwan annoys me a little. 🙁
Ha! Ha! I’ve seen one of those Japanese toilets. In our fancy hotel in Budapest and I can confirm that the toilets are heated and there is indeed, a massage function, a hot air dryer, adjustment seat9ing, strength of water, etc. It was rather nice!
People don’t tend to realize that a lot of research should go into planning. My oldest sister visited Tokyo 33 years ago and she said the same thing. The people were really sweet and she had a great time and everything was so nice and clean. If you go somewhere new expecting “home”, then you’re in for a rude awakening. They don’t bend to you, you need to adjust to their way. Oh..l wish l had been adventurous enough to push buttons on those fancy toilets. A massage would have been nice and new 🙂 haha!
Hi Kemkem,
I want to visit Japan after reading your review! I would love to see how it is to be in a big city like Tokyo and still feel calm. Great photos and experience, thank you for sharing!
Zaria
Thank you Zaria for the comment and compliment. It was the best way l knew to describe the feeling of being peaceful in such a gigantic place. I hope you get to visit Japan. It is a wonderful country and we would definitely love to go back at some point. Thanks again 🙂
Wow KemKem , Japan has been one of those places. After reading your post, I am definitely bumping it up to on my trip sheet! Isn’t it so interesting that what is considered ultra masculine in one culture can be unisex is another? This is why exploring cultures is so crucial it forces to see a different way of life. Cant wait to see your next adventure.
Japan definitely deserves to be on the list. I put it right back on ours even after visiting. There is still so much to see and enjoy. I was definitely impressed and surprised by the handbag thing. Completely unisex and so common. Hey, they have stuff to carry too :-). Yes, travel definitely opens your eyes to the world . Love it and l hope you keep enjoying our travels :-). Thanks for reading.