Doesn't it seem like Tokyo is another world?

Question

It's like the coolest place on Earth and everything seems so futuristic!

Answer 1

Yes I think so but it is not only Tokyo. Hong Kong, Bangkok, Beijing, or Kuala Lumpur give me the same impression, "another world". This is I guess because of the chaotic mixture of tradition and modern tech. Inside the ultra modern building in Hong Kong, there is an altar with incense burning, outside the futuristic subway station in Bangkok, you find a mendicant monk...things like that.

Answer 2

Have you been to Tokyo?
I actually thought Sydney Australia was alot more futuristic looking than Tokyo. Because they have this monorail system moving through the city (in between buildings) which looked pretty cool.

I've never thought Tokyo was all that future looking when I lived there. Odaiba area and maybe some parts of Yokohama area may seem futuristic but Tokyo as a whole city looked quite....normal to me. Also areas like Tsukishima and Asakusa, Ningyo-cho, GInza, Nihonbashi, Ueno are quite retro compared to some cities in the world.
But Tokyo is surely the most "convenient" city in the world. At least for me. If being able to buy a mountain bike at 3 in the morning (donki) is not convenient then I dunno what is.

Answer 3

I totally agree! Tokyo is also very a world in itself in Japan. Life in Tokyo is so different compared to other places in Japan. People in Tokyo (native Japanese only) feel that they are in the center of the world and they act that way, too. The foreigners are way more grounded, in my experience, than the native Japanese in Tokyo. Osaka could also fit that description, but not as strong.

Answer 4

YES
It is all realtive. 12 years ago on my first visit I had the exact same feeling. Its is now almost 4 years I have been living in Japan and it is home to me and the family. Especially after business trips to other places in Asia or anywhere there is a feeling of comfort and familiarity when I get off the NEX at Shinjuku station.

Answer 5

I don't find it that "futuristic" when I'm walking around in reality. Some things you could even say are backwards...........although there are some cool things here. Of course alot of new technology comes from Japan, but it's not like it's another planet..........

Answer 6

I wouldn't say its another world, I would say its bits and pieces of many worlds all mixed up together, castles, gardens, 7-11's, trains, subways, thousand year old temples, people in traditional Kimono wearing wooden shoes talking on cell phones, pachinko parlors, more porn than you can imagine in many 'normal' stores, so many cool gadgets, arcades thriving, turning a corner and finding a graveyard on a tiny plot of land, another corner, and its a line of convenience stores...

I cannot wait to go back!

Answer 7

Yes I think so too....it's like Times Square X 100! What I found amusing is how business men cram the arcades in their suites after work and feed endless amounts of money into those crane machines to win a crappy little suffed toy! This guy must have dumped about the equivalent of $500 into this machine, only to walk away with nothing....Hope he had fun, you would know it, they are very stoic.

Answer 8

I've been here since 1997, and I'm loving it.
It's nowhere near as futuristic as you imagine, but it's way cool nonetheless.
C'mon over and check it out for yourself.

Answer 9

It is very very expensive compared to North America or any other country. Stick to the local food unless you are loaded with $$$. In this respect it seems a another world.

Answer 10

It's absolutely like being on another planet, with all the positives and negatives that would come with that.