After One Month in Tokyo
Well, we blinked. We tried our hardest to resist the impulse, but three seconds after stepping off the plane, we blinked… and here we are, a month later. Understand this: Tokyo warps time. This city causes hours, days and weeks to collapse into a blur. A colorful, wild and entertaining blur, but still just a blur.
Mike: Sakura season in Tokyo is magical. It’s the end of winter, and everyone goes out to celebrate hanami, or flower viewing parties. Our visit to Inokashira Park, where we rowed around a pond with blossoms falling around us, is an experience I’ll always remember.
Mike: The food is possibly the best aspect of Tokyo, and I’m sorely tempted to give a cop-out answer like “everything,” but I won’t. So I’m going to go with sushi. That’s really obvious, but the sushi here is unbelievable. Cheap and delicious. And whenever a day goes by that we didn’t eat some, I feel like we’ve wasted time.
Mike: It’s embarrassing to admit, but I was on the toilet when I felt my very first earthquake. Just minding my own, tending to business, when everything started to shake. Thank god it wasn’t the “ultra-quake” that’s due to strike Tokyo, because the stall would have been an ignoble place to die.
Mike: Even though I don’t read Japanese, and can therefore only appreciate a fraction of it, the entertainment culture here is every geek’s fantasy. Anime and manga and trading card games and Pokemon and Gundam models and weird candy and mind-blowing arcade games. So, I’m disappointed that I didn’t grow up in Japan, because there’s so much I missed out on.
Mike: A difficult category, because Tokyo is the undisputed world capital of weird and funny things! I guess I’ll go with the rockabillies in Yoyogi Park. I’ve never seen such an awesome clash of cultures… actually, I’ve never seen anything like that at all.
Mike: 7. Compared to how expensive I expected life to be, Tokyo has been a pleasant surprise. It’s possible to live here without busting the bank. Yes, apartments are small and pricey, but day-to-day expenses are reasonable. Some of our favorite meals have been bargains, and you can even find clothes at decent prices.
Mike: … usually in a hurry to get somewhere. They’re thin and nicely dressed, although I must say I’ve never seen so many women just absolutely unable to deal with their high-heels. Tokoyites are mostly polite, but can be quite pushy in certain situations, like when claiming a seat on the subway or getting ahead of you in a line.
Mike: Suits, Sushi, Subways
I’m surprised you guys only rate Tokyo as a 7.5 on the expensometer, I kinda expected a 10, given its reputation.
You can live cheaper but it will set you back on comfort and convenience. It’s a trade off! Sadly ;(
Agreed, the expense of Tokyo is often exaggerated. As with any city its size, accommodation is at a premium. And you might pay $60 for a beautiful, perfect melon as a summer gift. But Japanese culture, by its nature, does not reward needless extravagance. Though my experience is dated, I often got quite a decent meal for three or four bucks at the Komoro Ramen (a.k.a. McNoodles) shop next door to where I lived. WE tended to shop at the Hanamasa chain of supermarkets (the yellow bull sign) which is meant to be a wholesaler to all the small restaurants, of which there are many.
Tokyo comes in at #19 behind (of all places) Melbourne. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/internationalproperty/10555550/The-20-most-expensive-cities-in-the-world-2014-in-pics.html