Culture Shock

Although I had read a lot about the Japanese way prior to this trip, I still experienced a fairly prominent culture shock when we ventured out into the lights and sights in our jet-lagged haze. It felt almost like everything in the vicinity was moving in fast forward; if you paused to look up or take a photograph you were in someone’s path holding up the race. Tokyo can quickly overwhelm your senses. 

Noise makes a big initial impact and sometimes strangely the lack of it. Music reminiscent of an ice-cream van that plays when the tube doors open, arcades and game-centres blasting out sounds from the various machines, and walking into a smoky and deafening Pachinnko parlour was an experience in itself. In contrast, there are times when you can’t believe where you are because everything appears oddly muted. Rivers of people will be passing each other at crossings but everyone is silently focused on their journeys drifting quickly past you.

Time is definitely precious here. In just a few days I have witnessed people standing up to eat in noodle bars, reading whilst walking briskly to work and cramming onto a tube that is already beyond full. They even use the few minutes between stops to read and often sleep. The ability to multitask is impressive to say the least...

We visited Asakusa today which was just beautifully traditional and so far away from the chaos of somewhere like Shibuya. There is a really chameleon-like feel between the districts in Tokyo.

On first impressions it would appear that the city has become greatly westernised, but spending even a small amount of time observing the people, sights and customs convinces you that traditional values and behaviour are still deeply embedded here.

Ps.. From Sarah xx