In many ways Tokyo is exactly how I imagined it: full of art, beautiful gardens, clean streets, respectful people, and bursting with amazing food. But I didn’t expect beer to be cheaper than tea! That’s just one of the random things I’ve found in Tokyo…

Things I’ve seen in Tokyo:
– the most beautifully dressed & groomed people. They take beauty and cleanliness very seriously. I even checked out an onsen one day… it’s a public bathing facility. It’s an experience…
– very old people walking hunched over with a cane, who are about 3′ tall. Many Japanese live very long lives, and the sterotypical elder looks like a cartoon character – so sweet.
– an iPhone5 in four out of five hands. Don’t let anyone see you have an iPhone4, cause that is so 2012. You can’t even buy accessories for it.
– women in Kimonos, even on the subway.
– women acting like dolls: pigtails, short frilly dress, and a super high-pitched voice. They’re “cosplay” girls.
– Men with large purses, cause small purses are for women.
– Men in suits sleeping anywhere. The first night I arrived I saw a man in a nice suit curled up on the ground outside a Karaoke bar. Yesterday a man fell asleep standing on the subway. Both hands were clutched to handles above him as he swayed side to side, back and forth with the train. The lady sitting under him looked frightened but politely allowed him to sway over her. Today a man at the mall was sleeping with his laptop open, both hands on the keyboard, mouth gaping, and head cocked straight back on the couch.
– vending machines everywhere. They sell mostly drinks and cigarettes, and sometimes you order ramen (noodle soup) with them.

Things I haven’t seen in Tokyo:
– a speck of dirt
– a traffic jam. Because over 6 million people are in the metro every day (wikipedia).
– garbage bins. I can never find one when I need one, but there’s never any litter on the streets either.

…And that’s just Tokyo!

This adventure’s pictures are on Flickr:
Amyleajacobs’ Tokyo Photos on Flickr