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Tokyo

By Alexander Schlosser

Ease and comfort

That’s probably not what you expect to find when visiting a city that’s home to almost 38 million people. You might think that Tokyo is hectic, loud and exhausting – and go to Shibuya and Shinjuku and you will definitely find the unique mix of business people, tourists and pop culture phenomenons rushing their way that the city is often associated with. However, leave the main roads behind, take a stroll through Yanaka or Nezu and you will realise rather quickly that most of Tokyo follows a very different pace.

Manners

Large cities can be overwhelming and confusing – and stress seems to have become part of everyone’s lifestyle in places like London or New York. Tokyo, on the other hand, has the ability to slow you down, to almost make you forget about time: No rushing for the next train, no pushing at the supermarket check out. People are happy to wait, accept that things can sometimes take longer.

The level of order and structure is astonishing and probably the biggest surprise in a city of that size. It doesn’t matter where you go or look: almost everything just seems to work. Streets are spotless (although trash cans are nowhere to be found), the public transportation system runs like a clockwork, and way finding is so thought-through that it’s not even a problem that one cannot read a single word.

And perfection doesn’t stop here: one of the most inspiring facets of Japanese culture is its devotion to hospitality. Be it in a small soba place, a tucked away Ryokan or in one of the many fashion flagship stores in Aoyama: You will always be welcomed and treated as if you were a long lost family member. And look back when leaving again and you may find the shop owner waving you goodbye until you’ve disappeared around the next corner.

Price to pay

It can quickly feel as if Tokyo is almost flawless and has managed to find successful patterns for all areas of daily life. Yet, after wandering around the city for a couple of days one slowly realises that the tourist experience only gives you a glimpse at what it's like to actually live in Tokyo. Always demanding the highest standards has to come with its downsides – and it's when you see flocks of business people leaving their offices close to midnight that you can see what the price can be to keep a system like Tokyo running.

Homecoming

Tokyo is a city full of curiosities and surprises, a place I would go back to immediately. And despite being located on the other side of the planet it does feel oddly familiar – as if Zurich was just a train-stop away. I don't really know whether it was because of the warm-hearted people or how open and approachable the city was in general. It just felt good to be there.

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