Tokyo, Out of the ordinary

How many of us have been surprised by Tokyo, its brilliance, size, tradition and technology; Whether from a distance or within Japan, Tokyo stands out like a movie star among people who come curious, some fans, others unbelievers and even critics. Such is its brilliance, its fame, that it is easy to confuse its image with the reality of Japan. In the same way that there are certain movie stars who have convinced us through their acting, that what we witness in their films is very close to reality, or even that the personality that these stars show on camera will be the same as the one they wear. its day to day life, Tokyo captivates us by presenting us with an incomparable image of a modern and traditional city, full of riches and wonders that will keep us busy for many days when we visit it.

Of course, there are certain characteristics that we can find in Tokyo that will be repeated throughout Japan, although changing in intensity or frequency, their legitimacy cannot be doubted. Although with great frequency we confuse the possibility with the norm. For example, when we talk about salmon, a very common type of fish in international cuisine, it is often said that they can measure up to 150 cm long, and in our imagination we can visualize a huge fish occupying a huge table in a buffet or luxurious table. The reality is that it is rare that we find salmon that reach 150 cm in length. In a similar way, if we wanted to explain in words what the human being is like to extraterrestrial beings, we would probably have to address the issue of height, in which we could mention that there are human beings that reach 230 cm in height, but obviously these specimens they are not the majority, not even remotely. Moreover, there are places in the world where you could count them on the fingers of one hand. Interestingly, when we talk about certain surprising things about Japan, we refer to this type of situation, where we have characteristics that are very rare, almost non-existent, that occur exclusively in Tokyo, but that the general imagination places in every corner of the country.

And this is to be expected, Tokyo is in many ways an anomaly, globally and therefore nationally. What can be normal in a city with more than 30 million inhabitants; a local economy that surpasses the vast majority of the countries in the world, which is reflected in every corner with wonderful buildings, active commerce and urban life at a thousand miles per hour, one of the world’s “safest” metropolises and at the same time, one of the Japan’s “Most Unsafe” Cities; technological advances and cutting-edge artistic movements; and much more. In many cases it has become a role model, a dream to achieve, for many smaller cities in Japan; A large part of the population outside of Tokyo dreams of working in this great city. Although not everyone holds it in higher esteem, and to a certain extent, the vast majority of Japanese people can realize that although Japan is the standard bearer to the world, it has little to do with the more casual side of Japan, the traditions, the family. , the social values, the sense of community that really sustains Japan.

Anyway, we all like to talk about Tokyo at some point. Many of us are amazed or appalled by its unique characteristics. But it is very important to remember that behind every myth, there is a lot of fantasy.

The best way to travel within Japan is by train, which is super convenient and punctual, although its price can be high. For an even better price, we recommend traveling with the Japan Railways universal pass called JR PASS , which you can purchase on their website. This pass is purchased before traveling to Japan , arriving at the airport or at any train station , you can pick up your pass with proof of purchase .