Oh, Tokyo! Why is this place highly talked about and always consistently lands as one of the top places to see before you die? There should be a good reason for its visit-worthiness and it is imperative that one gets to experience it at least once.
I’m fortunate for having that chance. One fateful February 2017 morning, I left for Tokyo for full eight days and seven nights stay. It was one of my most highly-anticipated winter vacations!
An hour before landing, the pilot announced, “If you look to your right, you’d see Mt. Fuji.” I was on the right side of the plane so I hurriedly unfastened my seatbelt and went to the other side.
I peeked through the little window of the plane door and there it was, with all of its magnificence. Then it became clear, the plane has not landed and already, Tokyo is already giving me the chills. Finally, the plane landed.
Then the Tokyo experience begins...
Precision
Trains in Tokyo are never late! In rare instances that it does, one can have an access to a message saying why the train was late. This becomes like an excuse letter for coming late to work. I think I committed the easiest mistake first time travelers to Tokyo make- underestimating time schedules.
Right, so I remember my train for Asakusa leaves 10:56am. I was already on the platform waiting for it when a train at 10:54am came.
Thinking that it is the same train, I got onboard. I was wrong. The 10:54am train took me to Ueno station instead. It was cool as Ueno to Asakusa is a good 30-minute walk made even better by the 50-fahrenheit cool temperature.
Genuine smiles
Such ear-to-ear smile most of the time can only be experienced at the swanky fine dining restaurants and establishments, right?
Wrong, not in Tokyo at least. For the entire week of my stay, I had my sustenance at this little 711 across the street.
I went there any given time with different people working the register. They all gave me the smile and heartfelt greeting with a bow as they say, “Arigato gozaimasu.” This is true everywhere I went.
City character
Tokyo is one of the largest cities in The World- both in land area and population.
This makes it easy for Tokyo to have different unique characteristics for every place. Example, my place in Asakusa is its cultural part. Train rides away, there’s Harajuku for the ever famous J-Pop experience. There’s Akihabara which may easily be the world’s Anime capital. Shinjuku more likely has a corporate vibe, while Shibuya is just everything rolled into one.
An hour away by bus, there’s Fujikawaguchiko. Yes, this is one of The Best places to see the full glory of Mt. Fuji as its best! I stayed there for two nights and the place did not disappoint. This Fujikawaguchiko experience deserves a whole article about it.
Technology Hub
This is a given. If you are looking for the most advanced gadget or basically just about anything, you will find it in Tokyo.
This is everywhere, but mostly concentrated in Ginza. Automotive technology, appliances, gadgetry- name it, it's in Tokyo. There is a long list of what this ginormous city can offer. Heck, Japan even wants to put an astronaut on the moon by 2030!
Is it really worth a visit?
There are definitely more reasons. What’s great is that one doesn’t need to be there for an entire week. Just few days is enough to experience Tokyo and its organized chaos, so to speak. I would like to describe it as a city of contrast- where modernity and culture mesh to a perfect balance. Reading about it is boring. Go and experience it!
