On reading the word Tokyo, one may instantly picture brightly lit commercial streets, neon lights, busy crossroads and maybe bullet trains. Believe me, the city has so much more to offer in terms of its cultural elements – from beautiful bonsai gardens to benchmark-worthy customer service experience. Despite it being my first visit to Tokyo, somehow the streets, the air seemed all too familiar and in no time it grew on me. Moreover, having the warm-hearted Rena Chan around added to the familiarity with the place.
As I always say, it’s all about the people. Especially as a solo traveller, one tends to closely interact with the locals and these interactions can either make you fall in love with a city or detest it. I’ve met the most polite and the friendliest people in Japan, especially during my ‘Lost in Translation’ moments, desperately asking for directions.
A few highlights from my weeklong stay in the capital were ~
The world’s busiest pedestrian crossing at Shibuya – never before have I waited for four signals just to watch the sight of people crossing a street. As per records during rush hours, there could be as many as 2500 people crossing the street at the same time!
The Hachiko statue – The Japanese love their dogs. Don’t be too surprised to find dog-themed cafes, stores exclusively selling clothing and accessories for pet dogs and Kimono studios for dogs in Tokyo. Remember the Richard Gere starer movie ‘Hachi– A Dog’s Tale’? Well there’s a statue of the loyal dog Hachi in Shibuya, the dog who is remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, which continued for more than nine years after his owner’s death.
Cultural insight: The Japanese value loyalty very highly as evident from the Samurai culture.
Kabuki – Museums and folklore experience are always a part of my itinerary and the Kabuki (Japanese dance-drama) was a total treat to watch. The elaborate make-up and costumes along with the high-pitched narration in Old Japanese are unique to Kabuki. An interesting observation during the performances was a few members from the audience calling out names and clapping after certain dialogues. Rena later told me that certain Kabuki artists have been performing through generations and it is a moment of pride for their representatives to call out their names in order to be acknowledged.
Tokyo is undoubtedly one of the most vibrant and lively cities I’ve visited – a total treat for any curious traveller!
Things distinct to Tokyo include the ubiquitous vending machines, gaming parlors with blasting music, sushi bars, funky stationary stores (selling everything cute), book lounges/cafes, realistic plastic food displays and (super convenient) public transport system among others.
Rena Chan’s favourite sushi bar in Ginza
…I’d go back in a heartbeat!
Kulture Kaleidoscope 
great post! 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you Jade 🙂
LikeLike