Left Tokyo today after spending a week there (and the week prior in Fukuoka). I already wrote this article praising Japan shortly after arriving, and now I’ll give another recap 11 days later upon leaving.
Tokyo is now what I consider to be the best city in the world. I’ll caveat this by saying that I am not saying that this is necessarily the city or country I want to live in - Japan is pretty homogenous so it’s not necessarily my home. But objectively speaking, I consider it the best megacity in the world. Even if one doesn’t come to the same conclusion, it is a fascinating country and the world can learn a lot from Japan.
My favorite thing about Japan is how well everything works, the food - especially on the budget end (best convenience stores in the world), the politeness of the people, dedication to excellence, and technological forwardness.
Here’s a list in no particular order of random memorable things from the country:
Best service in the world, bar none. Even at the lowest cheapest fast food chain, you get 5 star service (I’ll caveat this though by saying that this definitely applies less in Tokyo vs. other cities, but even then my statement still stands). Traffic controllers say thank you to you as they motion for you to cross. One gets 5 star service everywhere, but actually go to a 5 star establishment (eg. 5 star hotel or a luxury fashion store) and the service you’ll get there will be unreal.
Best budget healthy food in the world - especially in the convenience stores which are the best in the world. For $1-5 you can get quality, healthy food from any convenience store, 24/7. Fukuoka is now my favorite food city in the world, for reasons I wrote about in my last article. In the U.S, all you’re getting for that price range is processed junk food (no wonder the obesity rate in the U.S is approaching 50%). When I arrived to Tokyo and was at a subway stop layover, I passed by this food court like area selling small portions of various foods for dirt cheap, and couldn’t help myself to try all kinds of different foods. In the end I spent less than $5, and was thinking yea this country is amazing.
Most polite people in the world, as reflected in the service. Now that I think about it, I don’t recall a single instance of someone in public doomswiping TikTok or Instagram with the volume on - something that constantly annoys the hell out of me in the west where there’s always some idiot forcing others on public transportation to listen to themselves dumbing down their brain, like digital second-hand smoke.
Everything works incredibly efficiently. In Japan trains leave exactly on time, not a minute later. Ordering at fast food restaurants is often done on tablets or vending machines. Hotel elevators have keycard locks where upon scanning your card, your floor is automatically selected, and check-out is often just putting your card in a machine.
Deep bathtubs in every hotel/apartment. Even the smallest hotel rooms have a deep bathtub. Japanese take bathing very seriously.
Bidet toilets. Why this is not the standard outside Japan makes no sense to me. If you tripped on the sidewalk and your hand landed in dogsht, would you wipe your hand with a dry tissue and consider yourself clean? Then why does the rest of the world do that with then they sht?
Pedestrian-centered walkable streets and great public transportation
Vending machines everywhere. I used these all the time to buy water
Public bathrooms everywhere
Solid work cafes. I like to work in cafes, and Japan has some solid work cafes with power outlets.
Fun. Cute animals everywhere on random signs, hilarious commercials, that random hilarious muscle boy street performance I saw in Fukuoka, etc. Japan has a sense of humor.
No woke culture
Overall, I absolutely love Japan, and although I think national pride is a stupid thing, I couldn’t help but appreciate that this is technically my motherland.
Tokyo vs Fukuoka, and my Tokyo experience
I actually preferred the vibe in Fukuoka - street ramen stalls on the canals, small and intimate countertop restaurants, way less foreigners and English proficiency. Felt more authentically Japanese.
When I initially arrived to Shinjuku in Tokyo I was actually a bit disappointed going to a udon place only to be surrounded by other foreign customers and inferior service, seeing all the plastic surgery and host/hostess clubs, and just seeing way more foreigners than I remembered. Fukuoka just felt way more wholesome (to be fair, Shinjuku is a red light district, and also I’d stayed there before so it felt played out to me. I just wanted to spend a night at the same style of capsule hotel with a bathhouse that I enjoyed before). But the next morning I left to stay near Akihabara and actually enjoyed that area a lot more as it was more chill, less shady (well…more on that later), and new to me.
Initially I stayed at a APA hotel, a low budget hotel chain in Japan that’s great value, but with super tiny rooms. But then I was bored and was recommended a hostel nearby so got a private room there. The hostel had a nice trendy cafe/bar/restaurant in the basement which was cool and many were working there on their laptops, which was a great vibe. I didn’t realize after I checked into my room that the room didn’t come with a private bathroom, but it didn’t turn out to be a big deal. Overall I enjoyed my stay there - minus the lack of private bathroom and the desk height being too close to the chair. I wasn’t very social there and mostly was out, but the atmosphere was definitely warmer than the hotels I was in. (side note: why do all the foreign women at these Japanese hostels look like lesbians?)
I got in a nice productive routine where I would start my day with a nice, healthy breakfast at one of the gyudon chains - a gyudon, salad, miso soup set with raw egg that cost about 800 yen or $5.50 - then go work outside at a Starbucks, and then go to this very nice cafe that was just as good as any co-working space. Afterwards I’d wander around that Akihabara area fascinated by the craziness and weirdness of all these game, anime, and toy stores, along with the maid cafes who’s maids literally line the streets trying to lure in customers. The whole concept of a maid cafe is ridiculous to me, but I’d like to try one at some point out of curiosity. Maybe next time.
In the evening I’d return to my room, and because I found the desk height too short I didn’t open my laptop - instead spending my first night building this Gundam I bought in a toy machine (that I got an unexpected amount of joy from - I really enjoyed the building process). But I think this turned out to be for the best as I ended up sleeping earlier, and I can see now how setting a work cutoff time can likely help foster greater work efficiency and prevent burnout.
The biggest struggle with the nomad life is community and social life. I didn’t know anyone in Japan, and I didn’t make any effort to. I was focused on work but admittedly started feeling lonely at one point (hence why I moved to the hostel). One day this man approached me in a work cafe and invited me to this blindfolded blind dating debate event idea he had, and we ended up chatting for what must’ve been 20-30 minutes about all kinds of topics. He was a physics PhD student and a good conversationalist. Spoke about everything ranging from my projects to AI to the cancer that is wokeness culture in the U.S. He mentioned that in his experience Americans tended to get offended more easily particularly over this one business idea he had that they often dismissed negatively as “sexualization”. I suppose another thing I appreciate about Japan is that they haven’t succumbed to this wokeism idiocy.
Anyways I left the conversation feeling energized and legitimately slept and dreamt better that night. This really made me realize the importance of stimulating conversation. It’s clear to me that even just a simple one-off stimulating conversation can have enormous mental health benefits. It’s been said that we have an epidemic of loneliness, and perhaps a service could be constructed around this. I think right now online meetup services tend to devolve into either clout-chasing “networkers” trying to leech off each other, or desperate people trying to get laid. But I honestly think at this point I value a stimulating and thought-provoking conversation with a smart person more than a hot date with some bimbo without any substance.
Downsides of Japan
As much as I love Japan, Japan definitely has its issues. I always like to talk about the cons in order to present a more unbalanced perspective.
For one, people wait at red pedestrian stoplights even when the street is empty (same in Germany and Scandinavia).
Ok more seriously, otaku culture is very much real. My first day in Akihabara (otaku capital of the world), there was some livestream event going on where a giant crowd had gathered and were wayyyyyy too into these anime girls + livestreamers (who weren’t even physically there). At first I thought it was funny until I saw how into it they were - singing along with all the songs and everything - and then I realized that this is sad, and that anime girlfriends are probably already a reality here. The maid cafes are maybe fun as a one-off thing, but it’s sad if lonely dudes are using this as a substitute for real world relationships, or opting for parasocial relationships with idols.
Outside of otaku culture - host/hostess clubs are a big thing (basically paid companionship), and rent-a-girlfriend type services are a real thing here - though I’m not sure how popular that stuff actually is. In any case, in Japan it seems there’s a paid service for all kinds of human interaction - paying to get your ears waxed by someone in a maid outfit, to sleep in the same bed with someone (without intercourse), etc. It’s not necessarily a bad thing that these services exist, but perhaps a sign that something is off if there’s a market for this stuff.
Although Japan has a lot of people, it can feel like an isolating place. The fast food restaurants are perfectly designed for solo diners and packed with them, but super quiet other than the couples and friends coming in groups. Sometimes the restaurants even go as far as putting panels between seats so you can’t see the person next to you. I suppose this can make the socially anxious feel more comfortable dining alone, but comes off anti-social to me.
Japan isn’t really a culture where people spontaneously talk to strangers, and this definitely seemed to be more the case in Tokyo than Fukuoka. That being said, the dude approaching me in a cafe shows that there are sociable people everywhere - especially in a city of 38 million like Tokyo. Ultimately we all create our own destinies.
Although service at restaurants and such is the best, sometimes it can come off soulless and robotic - and I felt this a bit more in Tokyo. There’s actually more warmth in countries like Thailand, and I was reminded of this when the last hotel I checked into had a Thai receptionist who greeted me with a warm smile - unlike the other polite, but often robotic workers.
Work culture in Japan is maybe the worst in the world next to Korea. Long hours, authoritarian, not being allowed to leave before your boss, etc. I probably wouldn’t last a day in a traditional Japanese company. That being said, at least you will never get fired unless you truly screwed up.
Anyways I love Japan. Tokyo is what I consider to be the greatest city on the planet. I probably wouldn’t personally live in Japan long-term just because culturally it’s not my home, but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the idea. If I were fully Japanese, I certainly would need a compelling reason to leave and face the negative culture shock that would likely ensue. I used to wonder why there aren’t more Japanese abroad, but now I understand why. When going to any other country is a downgrade, why leave?
https://jsavage.xyz/2023/06/30/tokyo-trip-reflections-the-nicest-city/