Elements of Urbanism: Tokyo
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/548392105_2htiP-M-2.jpg)
There are some things that you just can't compare. Holding Urban Jacksonville up against Japan's largest city just doesn't seem fair. Nevertheless, Metro Jacksonville shares the sights from one of the world's premier urban centers: Tokyo.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jun-elements-of-urbanism-tokyo
Great photos! Japan is a country everybody should visit. I was lucky to have spent a few months there.
Great photos.
Mannnnnn...., too bad its like 3k to get over there. Maybe if it was planned a year in advance....
::::Drool:::::
Amazing photos! Who got to go?
I love Tokyo. I love how colorful their streetscapes are and I love all the neon signage. I would like to see more of that in American cities. I've never been but I plan to go one day!
on my list of things to do when i get out of debt! me and the misses are japanese culture freaks cant wait! Thanks for the great pics. Unfortunately for jax things went downhill a bit after the great cowford fire.
Great collection of images. Tokyo is impressive.
If jax would compare itself to the Tokyos Londons & New Yorks more often, I think A LOT would get done!!!
Is the author of this thread still around the forum? Would love to ask some questions. Need some restaurant recommendations within the next week or so. Leaving in 14 days.
Tokyo is a fantastic city, but can be really overwhelming. Japan has some other beautiful cities too, all different from one another. Nagasaki reminds one of San Francisco, hills overlooking a beautiful bay with islands and much European influenced building. The bomb missed the old part of the city which was shielded by the intervening hills.
Kyoto is serene and awesome, untouched by the war so the temples are still intact. The best and most refined food in Japan can be found there.
If you go, take the cable cars over the hot springs to the base of Mt. Fuji. There is a switch back, narrow gauge railroad there that walks back and forth up the mountain and would charm Ock.
"Would charm Ock".... ;D
Going for 1 week, leaving March 11. Only seeing Tokyo. Shame, because like you pointed out, I'm actually more interested in seeing Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagasaki, Osaka, etc. Tokyo is the last place I actually wanted to go, but I'm going with my grandfather & he has a friend in Tokyo (old WW2 buddy), so I'm tagging along for the trip.
Tokyo does look quite overwhelming...(understatement of the year). Clearly you've been. If you or anyone else on this forum has recommendations....food, drink, activities, etc....please either message me on this thread or PM me.
Also, looking for a book or two on Japan (nothing too dense), just something to keep me interested for the 24 or so hours of travel. Novels that give a feel for the city, or nonfiction will do.
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Figured that Tokyo thread was dead.
Try to get to a traditional japanese public bath or hot springs... very relaxing and an interesting cultural experience...
Quote from: BridgeTroll on February 27, 2012, 07:26:23 AM
Try to get to a traditional japanese public bath or hot springs... very relaxing and an interesting cultural experience...
Thanks BT. If you have any specific names, please PM me. If not, anyways, thanks for the idea.
Quote from: ben says on February 27, 2012, 08:11:40 AM
Quote from: BridgeTroll on February 27, 2012, 07:26:23 AM
Try to get to a traditional japanese public bath or hot springs... very relaxing and an interesting cultural experience...
Thanks BT. If you have any specific names, please PM me. If not, anyways, thanks for the idea.
Nothing specific for the Tokyo area... I lived in the northern part of the country... Aomori prefecture
Make sure you get to the district of the electronics stores, the Akihabara. It is really amazing. You will see stuff there that never makes it to markets outside Japan. Edoites (residents of Tokyo) are the most gadget crazy people in the world.
You will see enough Hello Kitty stuff to mark you for life!
Just got back.
Trip: excellent. Love to travel, and I've never been to Asia before Tokyo, so this was great.
In summary: glad I went, had a good time, but, not super interested in going back to Tokyo. I'd go back to Japan, but Tokyo, for me, was just like a NYC on steroids. There were some things I'd like to go back to see again, but not sure it's justified by a flight that expensive, and a currency that's raging like the yen. When I left Tokyo, and entered the surrounding towns and shrines/temples, the beauty was truly startling. Inside Tokyo, again, I felt like I was just in a bigger/better/more interesting NYC.
Moreover, Tokyo seemed like a very sad place. There's very little of "old Tokyo" left. I think only one neighborhood survived the bombing in WWII. Interestingly, more people died in the firebombing of Tokyo than Hiroshima. It's so sad to see a place that's so old, with very few old things left. Moreover, modernization and urbanization and globalization have seemed to wipe out everything "old Tokyo" had left. Now it's just one crazy, tech driven, business oriented city. Never seen so many business deals go down in my life (was staying on the upper floors of the Hilton in Shinjuku...damn those business suits!
So, yes, GO to Tokyo if you have the chance. But, just remember, it's a city...a really really big city. If you want to see Old Japan, try Kyoto. Personally, most places I go, I leave with the "I can't wait to go back" feeling. With Tokyo, I don't have that feeling. I'd much rather see S.E. Asia and China than Tokyo again. That being said, I will go back to see the "other" Japan, i.e. the "old stuff."
Have some interesting "city pics" to post, but I don't know how :(
Other relevant notes:
1) Credit cards are looked down upon. Most, if many, stores do not take credit. Local store owners, and the people in general, feel that if you use a credit card, you can't really afford whatever you're attempting to buy. On the same note, money is treated with respect. All bills are crisp, clean, and unbent. When you pay for something, or get change, a lot of detail goes into the transaction.
2) Smoking cigarettes only happens in designated smoking zones (which are hard to find). There are 1,700 (about 20 dollar) fines per cigarette if you smoke outside of these zones. The city is concerned that because cigarettes are held at the height of a child, children may get harmed. Furthermore, they want to prevent people from littering. Interestingly, people actually comply with this rule.
3) NO, and I mean NO honking on the streets.
4) NO, and I mean NO trash on the streets. And you have a really hard time finding a trash can. According to our Japanese interpreter, the city ripped up all the trash cans for post-9/11 security. Found this fascinating. How does it stay so clean??
5) When the sign says "don't walk"--people actually listen. It could be a ghost town, and still, people won't cross if the sign says not to. VERY compliant people, in a good way. They respect civility.
6) Subway system is efficient, but extremely confusing for foreigners. Almost nobody speaks English (which I wasn't expecting--although I should have). System is so busy/crazy, they pipe in "bird songs" to calm people down. They also have "officials" whose only job it is is to push you out of the subway at the stops.
7) Saw almost zero police.
8) Never felt so safe at night. Europe, at night, is scary. Same with South America. Here, I felt fine walking at any hour/any time.
9) Amazingly, zero road rage here. For a city of over 35,000,000, this was an outstanding concept for me. Their reason: "a lot of people live in this city and we respect others need to get around."
More to come later. Just thought some would be interested.
Old Japan still exists in the smaller towns in the countryside... of course a huge swath of coastal towns were wiped off the map from the tsunami...
Quote from: BridgeTroll on March 23, 2012, 09:00:26 AM
Old Japan still exists in the smaller towns in the countryside... of course a huge swath of coastal towns were wiped off the map from the tsunami...
Yeah, the second I left Tokyo, and started exploring via car the countryside/small towns, I was overwhelmed with the "oldness" and uniqueness of what I was seeing. I'd love to go back and fly into Tokyo, rent a car, and see the rest of the country. Disappointed I missed Kyoto.