Tokyo has a bad rap. Tokyo and its inhabitants are a blackhole of human sensitivity and interaction.

Yes, it’s over the top and overly simplified but it isn’t exactly miles from the kind of descriptions you often hear from both foreigners and fellow countrymen alike. Even fellow commentator Spartancus made the comparison between Niigata and Tokyo. Whilst I’d never say that Tokyo is going to be the launching pad for the next ‘hippyfest free-love uprising’, in my experience Tokyo has copped a raw deal.

Let’s face it, you are going to encounter at least a few knuckleheads wherever you go (a few extra if you go to my hometown), so by the simple law of averages Tokyo will of course have more than its fair share. However, it isn’t this type of person you should be concerning yourself with; it is the person that makes your experience richer and more enjoyable for the meeting. Tokyo has got them in abundance.

When a friend of mine from Australia came to visit, he didn’t want me to come get him from the airport. He wanted to ‘experience’ being a first-time traveller to Japan. So prior to his departure, I sent him an email with directions to my apartment. The ‘directions’ I gave him was the name of my local train station (written in kanji) and my phone number as a backup. To my surprise, he arrived in good time and relatively sober. To my immense amusement, the journey from Narita involved giggling schoolgirls almost pushing him off the train at the correct transfer point only to find further assistance from a salaryman that literally took him by the arm to the correct platform and pushed him onto the train, leaving my friend muttering bastardized “arigato’s” as the train left the helpful businessman behind.

Examples of these few among the many are everywhere but there is one group that truly deserves a special shout out, the volunteers. I go to a volunteer Japanese language class twice a week and have attended several different classes in different locations around Tokyo. The people that have made these opportunities for others to learn and experience new things are nothing short of fantastic. These predominantly retired men and women give up their free time to help make other people’s lives a little bit easier in Japan. They help them improve their language skills for daily life; they impart knowledge on society and often offer assistance to those needing it. These are the people that unfortunately don’t get a mention in the generalised description of Tokyo.

In short, don’t believe all the bad press, Tokyo’s good few go a long way in making up for the many.

What is your feeling toward Tokyo and its inhabitants? Leave a comment.

 Loading …

If you liked reading this article, please Stumble it

Hide Sites