4 ms·

I love the "messy" style of Tokyo. Seeing a small temple between two high rise buildings, an old run down restaurant next to a sleek modern shop, small passagew

by GuB-42 5y ago

I love the "messy" style of Tokyo. Seeing a small temple between two high rise buildings, an old run down restaurant next to a sleek modern shop, small passageways and large parks. It looks like anything can pop out of anywhere, it is a city that I enjoy walking aimlessly. And because it is so safe, you can do it without fear. Ugly is subjective, and I understand why people may think Tokyo is ugly, but it is everything but boring. What is boring for me is the stereotypical American suburbs: plenty of little houses, all the same, all with a well tended lawn. There are some really nice historical cities that are much more "beautiful" than Tokyo (ex: Prague), but they lack the diversity and sense of discovery that Tokyo has. On my first trip to Japan, I spent 3 weeks in Tokyo, and nowhere else, and I didn't feel like I even scratched the surface, there is no other city that gave me that feeling, including Paris, New-York, Hong-Kong and Seoul. Of course, all of these cities are incredibly rich and you could spend months not doing the same thing twice, but for me Tokyo is unmatched. I went back several times and it doesn't get old. Side note: As much as I love Tokyo, I wouldn't want to live there, sounds too exhausting. And like all of Japan, it is a wonderful place to be as a tourist, but like many westerners I don't think I am a good fit for the Japanese culture. Edit: There is a part of Tokyo that is not like the others: Odaiba. Unlike the rest of the city, it is sleek, futuristic, and well planned. I recommend visiting it, but for me, it is one of the most "boring" parts. Edit2: I always refer to Tokyo as a city, but it is actually a prefecture made of several small cities/wards stuck together, and they all have their own downtown. Tokyo "downtown" is the Emperor palace, which is mostly empty and inaccessible. So when you are visiting Tokyo, you are actually visiting several cities.

ImaCake 5y ago
In defence of suburbs - they are not all boring, although many certainly are. I live near the city centre of a small east coast Australian city and find the inner suburbs with their brick houses and well developed gardens and street trees really interesting to explore. But this contrasts with the newer suburbs further out which definitely lack that depth and character. I wonder if some of those new suburbs will improve as they age? It would be unsurprising to me if old suburbs were boring when they were new.
m4rtink 5y ago
I definitely recommend also visiting smaller cities and the countryside - it's yet something else and definitely not boring! :) IMHO only then one can say they glimpsed Japan in some form of its entirety. :)

by GuB-42 5y ago

ImaCake 5y ago

In defence of suburbs - they are not all boring, although many certainly are. I live near the city centre of a small east coast Australian city and find the inner suburbs with their brick houses and well developed gardens and street trees really interesting to explore. But this contrasts with the newer suburbs further out which definitely lack that depth and character. I wonder if some of those new suburbs will improve as they age? It would be unsurprising to me if old suburbs were boring when they were new.

m4rtink 5y ago

I definitely recommend also visiting smaller cities and the countryside - it's yet something else and definitely not boring! :) IMHO only then one can say they glimpsed Japan in some form of its entirety. :)