Japan has turned out to be a very easy place to travel in. Most signs are also written in English so transportation is no problem. Tokyo is an interesting place. I don?t feel overwhelmed by it at all. There are a lot of people, but I?ve seen worse. Even the process when conductors pushed people onto the metro so they could fit behind the closing doors was entirely polite. The politeness and cleanliness is actually a bit unsettling. The metro is always silent and everyone faces toward the doors. Even the school kids in their uniforms are completely well-behaved. No one talks on their cellphones and no one eats or drinks.
The only real problem I?ve had is the food. I just don?t like Japanese food. Ramen is okay, but other than that everything tastes a bit fishy.
I started out slow the first day, visiting the Imperial Palace gardens and walking around the shopping district of Ginza. It had all of the upscale shops like Prada as well as the Sony building where I played with gadgets that haven?t been released in America.
The next day I dove headfirst into what most people think of Tokyo–Shibuya and Shinjuku. These are the areas with huge television screens, lights running along every building and people as far as the eye can see. I don?t understand the advertising ao much, at some point you stop seeing anything because there?s just so much. I almost think a large white billboard would be more effective.
I also visited the Edo-Tokyo museum where life-size displays of daily life have been created. The way in which Tokyo was all of a sudden bombed by the U.S. was pretty funny.
I’ve taken a lot of pictures with my new digital camera. I’ve posted some of them in the Gallery section.
Overall I am surprised at how few Western tourists I?ve seen in Tokyo. Even in hostels I?ve mostly met Germans, not the typical English or Australian backpacker. There is a large number of Japanese tourists however and a lot of the tourist facilities are geared toward them. I think Tokyo was a good way to ease myself into travelling again, I?m glad I started here first.
2 responses to “Tokyo”
Hey Megan,
Your pictures are fantastic. I check everyday to see if you have written and what you have seen and done. Tokyo seems really interesting. Thanks for let me live vicariously through you!
Betty
Ah, the vicarious thrill of living through the traveller. It is a joy. My fave photo (because there should always be a fave…even though all your photos are fab) is of the uniformed school-children at the palace/temple. It’s haunting and almost seems posed. Like a painting.