Tokyo is all-consuming and feels like it is pushing the other end of the spectrum in terms of amplitude. Coming from the remoteness in Siberia where nature dominates daily life, it is impressive to see how every bit and piece of Tokyo is created and controlled in such a way to best suit the people that live here. By way of comparison: one van ride and flight away I was on Olkhon island, which wasn’t even connected to the electricity grid before 2005. That set against the abundance of lights, sounds, scents and people in Tokyo is not anything other than overwhelming. It is also everything I imagined Tokyo would be like, and more… as a welcoming spring breeze is ever so comfortable and the admired cherry blossoms are a soothing sight.
I am staying at an apartment in the Shinjuku area. A great starting point when visiting Tokyo for the first time. There are many metro lines close by, the streets are filled with shops and izakayas (=small bars with a limited amount of seats where you can have delicious reasonably priced meals) and it is pretty centrally located from a geographical perspective.
Tokyo; a living manual
Before I arrived well and truly in Japan, I already received a glimpse of the structure and convenience that would await me. The apartment I booked sent a PDF file of 15 pages with detailed instructions on how to get there. And when I say detailed, I mean as fool proof as it gets, like a life-jacket instruction board in planes. It does not only contain a step by step guide how to get to the place, but it is also full of pictures of every step and translations of almost every ‘landmark’ (=shop) on the way. The document nearly drains my data bundle, but hey I guess one can never go wrong in overdoing it here in Japan! One of the conveniences in renting apartments is that you can find the key in a lockbox at the doorknob. The passcode is -of course- written down in the introduction PDF booklet, minimising human contact to the absolute minimum. Many apartments are also equipped with a pocket Wi-Fi, which you can take with you when walking through the city. Very convenient, again!
In the apartment everything is explained through stickers . It starts with how to use the amenities such as the airco, internet, et cetera , but also goes on about basic life objectives as how to sit on the toilet (= not facing the toilet, uhm.. duh?!) flush, how to wash hands and how to make a bed (= ‘please make bed perfect’)… ok thanks.
Japan; the perfect society?
Over the past few years I have always attempted to reach perfection in and gaining control over everything I did. Although it was especially useful in my line of work, it also took over my private life. When going on a trip I always thoroughly read into the destination, made an extensive Word file with daily plans and came up with an exhaustive travel programme to ensure I made the most out of the journey. When going to a restaurant, I took pleasure in looking for the menu beforehand to be certain of what I can expect. The way I saw it was that time is limited and thus it is best to control as much as possible to ensure that it is time spent wisely. It turns out that all this aiming and controlling actually had quite the opposite effect and is now one of the reasons that I currently find myself alone on the other side of the world, trying to ground again.
Walking through Tokyo I suddenly realise that this city is in a certain way the embodiment of everything I tried to achieve. It is so well organised, everything you see has been well-thought out and has a certain purpose. All this perfection however is not as soothing as I might have thought it would be. Being confronted with this makes me wonder, what is the sacrifice of this? What is the part that you do not see if you look at the perfectly dressed women, salary men in suits with smart briefcases, the perfect fruit in shops, the impeccably timed trains et cetera? What does it cost to maintain a society like this? Is there a place for the men and women who do not fit in or are (temporarily) less ‘perfect’? And more practically, what about the food waste? All the fruits that you see are so perfect and shiny. Either they must have trees with the most perfect DNA or a lot of misfits do not find their way to the consumer.
IN MY EYES JAPANESE WEDDINGS ARE A GOOD EXAMPLE OF EVENTS THAT ARE DOMINATED BY TRADITION AND KEEPING UP APPEARANCES. WE WERE LUCKY TO WITNESS A FEW IN TOKYO AND I WAS IMPRESSED BY ALL THE FORMALITIES AND RITUALS THAT TOOK PLACE. ALTHOUGH THE WHOLE EVENT WAS QUITE SERIOUS, YOU CAN SEE THE JOY ON THE BRIDE AND GROOM’S FACES IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY.
Meeting people
So far, it has been really hard to get to the core of this to be honest. One of the reasons that I wanted to travel alone is the ability to meet locals easily. Compared to Tokyo, it was much easier to meet people in Russia. I sometimes met whole families in trying to arrange for a place to sleep and made friends of all ages, from a 10 year old aspiring model Katya to a 65 year old army corporal Aleksiy. Sometimes it took some conversation to get through the ‘tougher’ appearance, but the vast majority of the people that I met were sincerely kind. I do not yet know how I feel about this in Japan. Maybe it is part of their national cultural, maybe it is very typical for Tokyo but I would describe the Japanese I met so far as very polite. I do not yet know if they are also sincerely kind. People are so much to themselves in Tokyo that it is really hard to actually connect or even get a confirmation of existence by a sign so small as mere eye contact on the streets.
Misjudged kindness or mere politeness?
So far I am getting more New York vibes where most of the people you meet enthusiastically shout: “Heyyyy, how are you?!!” but could not care less about the response if it is anything other than “Great”. Which is perfect to a certain level, especially if you are visiting for a short period like a holiday. I wonder how it must be to live here, especially if you grew up outside Japan and were not raised with the thousands of gestures, sounds and sayings of politeness that the Japanese seem to possess.
I also wonder how this culture of perfection and working your ass off coincides with the Japanese art of finding peace in little things, such as perfectly landscaped gardens. Across the street of my apartment is a children’s day-care centre. One night I saw a guy picking up his child at 11:30pm. Sure Tokyo has everything one can dream off, I read that the economy of the city of Tokyo alone is bigger than the whole of Canada, the city is technologically advanced, there is plenty of entertainment and you can find the world’s best food here. But is it worth the cost of having to pick your kid up just before midnight? Fortunately, I have plenty of time left in Japan to explore other parts as well. I am curious to learn whether my initial feelings will be confirmed or whether this will shed some new light on things. Surely Japan has more to offer than just a work-hard appear-perfect culture. Looking forward to it!
