Top 3 Tokyo Surprises and Delights
Now that the nitty gritty of navigation and budgeting are out of the way, let’s talk fun stuff! What surprised and delighted us about Tokyo?
Let me start by saying, we did not expect to like Tokyo very much. We had to see it, of course, but we assumed we’d enjoy the smaller towns and cities so much more — which is probably why we were so caught off guard by Tokyo’s charm.
1) Cleanliness
The very first thing we noticed about Tokyo — the most populated city in the world — was how clean it was!
I thought Tokyo would be somewhat like NYC (but bigger): loud, overwhelming, hectic, dirty. No. None of those. With the exception of certain “party” neighborhoods, Tokyo is actually quiet and clean.
It doesn’t make sense.
Example #1: dog owners carry empty vessels around for when their dog needs to pee. We literally stopped and stared the first time we saw a man unscrew a jar so his Boxer could go potty in it. (If they don’t have a cup, locals at least wash the pee away with a water bottle so it doesn’t smell.)
Example #2: there are no public trash cans. Zero. (Apparently, there was an incident with a bomb in a trash can awhile back, so the city just decided to ban all trash cans.)
If you find yourself with trash, you can…
A) throw it out at a 7/11
B) throw it out in a public restroom
C) carry it around with you all day.
There’s no garbage on the ground anywhere either. It’s wiiiiiiild.
The rest of Japan wasn’t quite as proper/uptight about cleanliness as Tokyo, but still wildly cleaner than most other places we’ve been around the world. Very impressive.
Example #3: few cars on the road. Most of the population uses public transportation (underground), which cuts down on both noise and pollution. It’s great.
2. Hospitality
Hospitality tends to be hit or miss when you travel. Some cultures value it a lot, others only a little. We had some of the worst service of life in New Zealand, for example. Gorgeous country, super nice people, but they don’t value hospitality (shrug).
Japan, on the other hand — incredible! Especially considering we don’t speak Japanese.
Example #1: if we were confused about something on a menu or at the train station, locals would go out of their way to help us. They’d even pull out Google translate to communicate.
Example #2: after we checked out of one of our hotels, an employee came running after us — multiple blocks — to return a water bottle Gabe had accidentally left behind. Like, what? So kind!
3. Coziness
As I mentioned before, despite how ginormous Tokyo is, it doesn't always feel that huge. One reason is that most of the restaurants are small. Some are so small you have to queue for a while to get a seat. This small-business vibe creates cozy pockets all over. Plus, if it’s a more traditional restaurant you might take your shoes off and sit on the floor, which adds an extra layer of intimacy.
Of course, lots of Tokyo neighborhoods are absolutely PACKED with people (i.e. Shibuya Crossing, Harajuku for shopping, Shinjuku for nightlife, Tsukiji Market), but there are also plenty of quiet, calm corners — like, our walk to breakfast in Asakusa (pictured above).
BONUS #1: The City Under the City
We’ve experienced some impressive underground systems — The London Underground being one. But I think the Tokyo Metro is extra special! It has EVERYTHING. Restaurants, pharmacies, daycares, bakeries, entire malls, anything you can think of, really. And, again, it stands out on the world-scene for how incredibly CLEAN and QUIET it is.
I mentioned this in my Navigation post, but the Tokyo Metro was also surprisingly straightforward to navigate. I thought we might get confused or lost, but nope. It’s not as intimidating as one might think.
BONUS #2: Smart Toilets
Yes, the toilets are THAT impressive. And they’re not just in your hotel, they’re in all the restaurants, tea houses, public restrooms — EVERYWHERE. And they’re SO CLEAN!
I really can’t over-hype this.
Of course, you know about the bidet aspect of the Japanese toilets, but did you know about the privacy sounds? That at the press of a button you can turn your stall into a rainforest? Did you know all the seats are heated and some of them are self-cleaning? Did you know some of them are motion activated so that when you walk into the stall, the lid lifts to greet you? Did you know some of them have a drying feature?
IT’S. A. WHOLE. THING.
The buttons are very self explanatory too (I was a little worried about that). The most important — “flush” — is always clearly marked.
Honestly, the best part is just how clean they are. It was quite jarring to come back to the states. (The Japanese must think the rest of the world is NASTY.)
