Geisha Girls
Whats it like to live in Tokyo?
As living in every city, depending on where you live determines the lifestyle, facilities, night life and community of your area. Lucky for me living in Tokyo, i live in Roppongi Hills in an incredible apartment very close to things i need including the train line, shops, crossfit and cafes.
Travelling around Tokyo is incredibly easy, there are subway or train stations within 10 minutes walk everywhere within the city that are always on time and never a hassle. As i am a big fan of walking from my house i can easily walk to a cute Japanese park, The Palace, the famous Harajuku and multiple shrines and temples.
Shinkansen AKA Bullet Train
Walking is a way of life here. Everyone walk everywhere! (probably why there isn’t much pollution) There are pedestrian walkways on every street and to walk 15 minutes to a grocery store is normal! This does also make it great for me to run around the streets!
Yes, Tokyo is a very quirky city. With a buzzing population of over 13 million. Every where you go there is always something going including fashion and music shows, street marching (demonstrations), markets and food stalls.
Unlike many Asian cities, Tokyo is very clean. The streets are clean and even the pollution is minimal (for a city this size). The Japanese respect their city and i have not seen anyone spitting, throwing rubbish on the floor or graffiting a wall.
On the outside, Japanese people are very polite, welcoming and nothing seems a hassle to them. They often bow when greeting or saying goodbye to people and when shopping your money is placed in a plastic tray as well as your change. They love their pets. You will often see people pushing their dogs in a push-chair and they spend lots of money on grooming and looking after their pets!
Shopping is amazing; you can find everything. Harajuku is the most famous and also my local shopping area where you can find everything between Nike and Louis Vuitton to little nik nak and Japanese fashion shops. The stereotypical little boo peeps, goths and twins can also be found amongst the crowds as this is where they come to show off their unique style with pride.
The interior design and architecture is out of this world. You can find everything between into the future designs to themed cafes and shops. There is so much thought and initiative into every design that it all works so well.
Even though this is a country some may argue is well ahead of the rest of the world it is still very traditional. There are many areas with traditional architecture, restaurants, shops and parks. It is not all big concrete blocks, there are many trees and hidden shrines amongst the buildings.
Japanese Gardens
If a crazy night life is what tickles your fancy, Tokyo definitely has it. Karaoke is a popular past time as well as nightclubs and bar. Very close to my is Roppongi, which is famous for ‘girly bars’ and crazy nights out. Drinking is a big culture in Tokyo, you can buy alcohol from most shops at a relatively cheap price, however a favourite amongst the locals is Sake; a very strong traditional drink.
Sake
The Japanese are fairly health conscious. In many supermarkets you can find superfoods as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. In Azabu-Juban (my local area) there are 2 organic shops as well as National in Hiroo that sells organic produce and gyms everywhere!
Most Japanese don’t actually speak English, or they speak very little. This does make it hard to communicate but i am in their country so iv’e been trying to speak Japanese to be respectful to them but hand signals also go a long way!
There are many earthquakes! Over 1000 a year in fact. Most of these you do not feel, and i’m lucky enough to live in an earthquake stable apartment. But for many you do have the chance of being woken up at 4am by an earthquake!
Another thing i have noticed is that the Japanese work crazy hours. Sometimes from 7am till midnight. The economy is tough, but it seems to me like many of them live to work not work to live. This means they are never at home with their families because then they get stressed and go out drinking!
An hours drive from the city center and your away in the countryside. Japan is mainly mountains and islands. There are many quaint villages for an escape or for some adventure within close reach! You can read about trekking the mountains of Hakuba < Here >.
Kelissa Brockett 