The weeks following my return to the UK have been a little bit blurred (the first couple of days were blighted by the inevitable jet lag and family-related stuffs have cropped up too) so trying to get my final thoughts on my stay in order took longer than hoped. It’s a bit tricky trying to be objective when this has been my first proper trip abroad – I’ve never been exposed to anything other than a North-European climate for instance, and strongly believe that mastering the language would’ve made things easier. You can get by in Japan if you only speak English but it’s a lot more straightforward – and rewarding in some ways – to converse with people in the language they’re more fluent in.
Culture shock is a funny thing; in this case it was doubly shocking in that, for all the things that took me off-balance, there was quite a lot that I found to be pretty intuitive and easy to adjust to. If you’re too lazy to read what follows after the jump, I found that the society is very different from the one I grew up in but in terms of individual people there aren’t many differences at all. I also didn’t want to come home…as in, apart from seeing my family and friends again, I really didn’t look forward to coming back.
I can’t wait for my as-yet unplanned second trip because I want to see how representative Tokyo is of the country as a whole. I wasn’t surprised that certain things were more expensive and the population density is insane because, well, it’s a capital city. London seems to be a law unto itself when I’ve visited there too.
The Common Asakusa Cyclist is the most deadly entity known to humankind. Ignore them at your own risk
Tokyo is a notoriously hectic and built-up place but strangely it’s organised chaos – everyone apart from the tourists knows where there’re going and are perfectly comfortable with the bustle that surrounds them. The thing is, everything is so clean, efficient and organised; the only way I can describe it is the precision overdrive of an overclocked computer. Things move at a pace and accuracy that doesn’t seem sustainable…and yet the streets are clean, businesses run and people live with what I assume is relative comfort and it shows no sign of running itself into the ground, at least not yet.
As in London, I find this energy inspiring and infectious but I suspect it could wear me down in the long term. A fortnight isn’t a long time, and I was after all on holiday. Could I live there? I honestly don’t know. The conformism, where everyone and everything has their place, sounds like an environment I’d be comfortable in, although I daresay many people would find such a life constrictive and would feel the same way about the hierarchical corporate structures and so on.
Included for the benefit of those who have also seen the Read or Die OAV
I didn’t see that side of things, but I do have a vague awareness of how pressured people are in terms of careers and social expectations. There’s certainly an emphasis on presentation: shopkeepers and office workers dress smartly and they even add little touches such as bus drivers wearing hats. It’s funny how the little details stay with you. There’s a sense of going that extra mile and showing pride in your work that isn’t nearly as pronounced back home – the advertising and retail industry could learn a lot from this place because the BUY NAO mentality is quite something.
As an outsider who is just visiting rather than someone wanting to integrate and work there, I felt very welcome. The stereotypical Japanese politeness which contributed to this is, again, something you may or may not take to but personally I didn’t mind it. Even if it’s a forced courtesy – insincerity? – the mere idea of someone making a show of politeness is better than nothing. The locals were eager to offer directions and so on, despite the language barrier.
AUTO SHOESER shoeses you
On a related note most areas we visited, whatever time of day, felt safe too. The police presence is high (and invariably courteous too of course) so I very rarely felt the fear of becoming a crime statistic. The only time I felt even vaguely uncomfortable was when we strayed out of Shinjuki and into Roppongi, but I’d already been warned about the nightclubs and red-light district areas. I think I stand a higher chance of getting mugged on my way home from work than I ever did when walking around Tokyo, honestly.
After spending time with a couple of guys from Machida I quickly realised that as puzzling as the culture can be at times, relating to people as individuals isn’t hard at all. They still go to work, have drinks and trade jokes with their friends, even though the society they live in works very differently from the one I grew up in. The pressures are different but people are people and all that. Many of the things that stand out as different are probably adaptations to things like scarce living space, a slightly warmer climate and the threat of earthquakes.
Incidentally I was really looking forward to seeing one of those Japanese level crossings in action
Refuse recycling is more popular, probably because you can’t chuck stuff onto landfillbecause in terms of land, there isn’t any; there are vending machines for drinks and snacks every-bloody-where, which is convenient but necessary since the weather’s hot and the pace of life means you can’t stop for long; there are a lot of affordable eateries, which I’m told is due to the fact that Tokyo-dwellers don’t have the time to cook for themselves…and I suspect their kitchens are probably cramped anyway (cooking in my pokey kitchen is bad enough, but Tokyo apartments are probably smaller still).
What about the notorious Gaijin Smash? Well, a clueless European oaf stands out like a sore thumb but whatever mistakes you make, chances are people probably are too polite to make a fuss about it. I honestly don’t know if or when I insulted someone because the gomen nasais and sumima-sens are so frequent they sound like a reflex. Actually, they probably are: you’ll find yourself nodding and apologising to people for days after you leave. I know I did. A more personal reason for feeling at ease there was the fact that, while in the UK I’m a short-arse, I’m average height over there. No kidding.
What can I say, I love Shinjuku
I certainly miss the novelty of walking into a clothes shop and finding stuff in my size. I miss being able to get a can of coffee, Mountain Dew, CC Lemon or Asahi Super Dry out of a vending machine in the street. I miss people being polite to me when I’m being a clueless idiot. I miss tonkatsu, cheap ramen and Freshness Burger. I miss the reliable public transport. I miss that wonderful contrast between high-tech convenience and quaint tradition that sit side by side. I miss wandering around Shinjuku, even when getting lost in the station drove me nuts. I’m not naïve enough to think it’s some flawless utopia where everything’s perfect but I think it’s a great place to go if you get the chance. If you have been already, what are your favourite (and least favourite!) memories?