Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tokyo, Chapter 1: Tokyo
Tokyo is big. Really, really big. You can't believe how truly big it is. I mean, you might think "it's a long way to the supermarket from here" but that's peanuts compared to Tokyo!
OK, I stole most of that from Douglas Adams but it's a fair description of Earth's Largest City. As someone born in New York City, America's Largest (and therefore Greatest) City, I have always been more excited to spend time in major urban centers as opposed to the suburbs or, worst yet, the doldrums of a rural isolated village. I've never truly experienced the reality of the latter, but I grew up in the suburbs and I was sick of that lifestyle before I even finished high school. Logic tells me if I didn't enjoy living in a small town connected to a bustling metropolis, I sure as hell wouldn't go for a small town that's connected to absolutely nothing.
Back on topic: given my predisposition towards big cities, I find it surprising just how uncomfortable all my Tokyo experiences have been to date. I've only been there five times, ignoring time spent in the decidedly mellow neighboring prefecture of Chiba, and on each occasion I have been positively overwhelmed by the size, scale, and magnitude of it all. New York City certainly has more verticality, but the grid of Manhattan, the massive landmarks of Central Park and two rivers running through the center, and the skyscraper-free outer boroughs make everything feel manageable. Tokyo is a gridless, sprawling behemoth of a city, so large it is officially regarded as a "metropolis" with a governor rather than a mayor as it contains numerous smaller "cities" within its borders.
However, I can slowly feel myself warming up to Tokyo despite its largess. I credit this turnaround, oddly enough, to my time spent in Osaka. The truth is I don't "know" Osaka as a city that much more than I "know" Tokyo. Sure, I've spent a few years in this area and I've visited it countless times, but there are plenty of places and neighborhoods in Osaka that I've never seen. I've simply grown comfortable with a cross-section of the city and that provides me with a frame of reference to build upon when exploring elsewhere. This weekend was the first time that I found myself able to use my extremely limited Tokyo knowledge towards building a frame of reference to understand that city a little better. It wasn't much, but yesterday afternoon I actually considered what kind of (purely theoretical) life in Tokyo I might be able to have. Prior to that, I could only imagine Tokyo as some kind of commuter's dystopia, a place where everyone is always moving because there's no place to stand still. In my mind it was a city of sharks forced to constantly filter water through their gills else they die from inactivity.
All that changed when I finally had an opportunity to see the people of Tokyo actually relax in Yoyogi Park. I had gone to Harajuku in the hopes of checking out a few unusual shops, but when one turned out to be overpriced and the other turned out to be closed (as it "new tenants wanted"), I just decided to head for the giant green area I saw on my map. My friend Richard, who had let me crash at his place for the weekend, went off to hit a concert but I ended up walking with two friends of his (whom I had previously met). They had the afternoon free and they were down to explore with me.
As seen in this picture I posted, Yoyogi Park is very much like New York's Central Park, just without the "central" location or quite that level of recreational ambition. The grass is patchy in a lot of areas and is no doubt not maintained as meticulously as the New York Parks Dept. handles things. There's no free Shakespeare or skating rinks to be found, but there's plenty of shade and a ton of people eager to just be outdoors for the fun of it. Up until I saw it, I only knew Tokyo for the insane crowds of Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ginza. The massive relaxation I witnessed yesterday afternoon was shocking. Not only that, but there were scores of non-Japanese people in the park too. Musicians, picnickers, families...I couldn't believe it. It's hard to feel isolated and "different" in Tokyo when you see such a variety of faces.
I know nobody wants to hear a white guy complain about being a minority, but being an outsider in Japan (physically, culturally, you name it) is a serious adjustment that I'm still dealing with. When I visit Osaka or Kobe, it's an easier pill to swallow because I see lots of different people - not just tourists, but obvious residents who, like me, came to Japan and found life here rewarding. I knew Tokyo has the largest non-Japanese population around, but actually seeing all those people together (in some cases, playing music together even) it was a big deal.
Well, it's past midnight so let's wrap up this up. I know it's an oddball strategy to begin your story of a weekend dominated by video games by discussing the major revelation you had just before heading to the station to go home, but I've got to go with what moves me the most. This weekend was ostensibly about leisure technology and unwinding with friends, and I've got things to say about that, but after writing Tokyo off as an uninhabitable din, the idea that I might potentially find it charming was a major eye-opener.
OK, I stole most of that from Douglas Adams but it's a fair description of Earth's Largest City. As someone born in New York City, America's Largest (and therefore Greatest) City, I have always been more excited to spend time in major urban centers as opposed to the suburbs or, worst yet, the doldrums of a rural isolated village. I've never truly experienced the reality of the latter, but I grew up in the suburbs and I was sick of that lifestyle before I even finished high school. Logic tells me if I didn't enjoy living in a small town connected to a bustling metropolis, I sure as hell wouldn't go for a small town that's connected to absolutely nothing.
Back on topic: given my predisposition towards big cities, I find it surprising just how uncomfortable all my Tokyo experiences have been to date. I've only been there five times, ignoring time spent in the decidedly mellow neighboring prefecture of Chiba, and on each occasion I have been positively overwhelmed by the size, scale, and magnitude of it all. New York City certainly has more verticality, but the grid of Manhattan, the massive landmarks of Central Park and two rivers running through the center, and the skyscraper-free outer boroughs make everything feel manageable. Tokyo is a gridless, sprawling behemoth of a city, so large it is officially regarded as a "metropolis" with a governor rather than a mayor as it contains numerous smaller "cities" within its borders.
However, I can slowly feel myself warming up to Tokyo despite its largess. I credit this turnaround, oddly enough, to my time spent in Osaka. The truth is I don't "know" Osaka as a city that much more than I "know" Tokyo. Sure, I've spent a few years in this area and I've visited it countless times, but there are plenty of places and neighborhoods in Osaka that I've never seen. I've simply grown comfortable with a cross-section of the city and that provides me with a frame of reference to build upon when exploring elsewhere. This weekend was the first time that I found myself able to use my extremely limited Tokyo knowledge towards building a frame of reference to understand that city a little better. It wasn't much, but yesterday afternoon I actually considered what kind of (purely theoretical) life in Tokyo I might be able to have. Prior to that, I could only imagine Tokyo as some kind of commuter's dystopia, a place where everyone is always moving because there's no place to stand still. In my mind it was a city of sharks forced to constantly filter water through their gills else they die from inactivity.
All that changed when I finally had an opportunity to see the people of Tokyo actually relax in Yoyogi Park. I had gone to Harajuku in the hopes of checking out a few unusual shops, but when one turned out to be overpriced and the other turned out to be closed (as it "new tenants wanted"), I just decided to head for the giant green area I saw on my map. My friend Richard, who had let me crash at his place for the weekend, went off to hit a concert but I ended up walking with two friends of his (whom I had previously met). They had the afternoon free and they were down to explore with me.
As seen in this picture I posted, Yoyogi Park is very much like New York's Central Park, just without the "central" location or quite that level of recreational ambition. The grass is patchy in a lot of areas and is no doubt not maintained as meticulously as the New York Parks Dept. handles things. There's no free Shakespeare or skating rinks to be found, but there's plenty of shade and a ton of people eager to just be outdoors for the fun of it. Up until I saw it, I only knew Tokyo for the insane crowds of Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ginza. The massive relaxation I witnessed yesterday afternoon was shocking. Not only that, but there were scores of non-Japanese people in the park too. Musicians, picnickers, families...I couldn't believe it. It's hard to feel isolated and "different" in Tokyo when you see such a variety of faces.
I know nobody wants to hear a white guy complain about being a minority, but being an outsider in Japan (physically, culturally, you name it) is a serious adjustment that I'm still dealing with. When I visit Osaka or Kobe, it's an easier pill to swallow because I see lots of different people - not just tourists, but obvious residents who, like me, came to Japan and found life here rewarding. I knew Tokyo has the largest non-Japanese population around, but actually seeing all those people together (in some cases, playing music together even) it was a big deal.
Well, it's past midnight so let's wrap up this up. I know it's an oddball strategy to begin your story of a weekend dominated by video games by discussing the major revelation you had just before heading to the station to go home, but I've got to go with what moves me the most. This weekend was ostensibly about leisure technology and unwinding with friends, and I've got things to say about that, but after writing Tokyo off as an uninhabitable din, the idea that I might potentially find it charming was a major eye-opener.
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Hey, I enjoy hearing a white guy talk about being a minority. And I look forward to the next chapters in this tokyo saga.
# posted by 
: 15 October, 2008 13:07
: 15 October, 2008 13:07
Hello,nice to meet you.
Your blog is nice.
Anyway My site is introducing Hot Spot Tokyo.
Are you intersting with Tokyo,Japan?
If you are interesting with Tokyo,or write blog about Japan,I wanna introduce your blog on my site.
I am looking forward to hearing .
http://tabigo.jp
info@tabigo.jp
Chikashi Munakata
コメントがあります？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.Your blog is nice.
Anyway My site is introducing Hot Spot Tokyo.
Are you intersting with Tokyo,Japan?
If you are interesting with Tokyo,or write blog about Japan,I wanna introduce your blog on my site.
I am looking forward to hearing .
http://tabigo.jp
info@tabigo.jp
Chikashi Munakata
When leaving comments, please don't remain Anonymous. Click on "Other" and pick a name!
Be sociable! No sign-up is required!
unpaid advertising...I'm no sell out!
