“Tour-guiding”around Tokyo…

We have lived in Tokyo for going on 4 years… Four incredible, amazing years. Tokyo is a wonderful city… Japan is a beautiful country. We have LOVED our time here. We have learned so much about Japan. That said… lol… we continue to experience and learn new things every day.

The past two days, I (the “she” part of this blog team) have had the opportunity to “tour-guide” a new, visiting friend around Tokyo. It has been fun, and I hope that she has enjoyed it as much as I did. I hope — especially today — that I haven’t completely worn her out… we walked almost 10 miles. I hope she has experienced Tokyo in a way that she never expected. I hoped she learned new things, and found a new and inspired interest in Japan, and all things Japanese. Because that is how we feel here… every. single. day.

Her two days here were too short. She was here with her spouse for a business meeting, and two days (!!!) is not near enough time to truly gain an appreciation for this wonderful country. But… we did our best! I walked her feet off, but tried to show her things beyond the “touristy”… to show her some of the hidden gems of this city. To not only show her the “sights”, but to help her get a feel for the culture of Japan. It is difficult in two days… and truthfully, with one off-and-on-rainy day, we had nowhere near the time we needed to experience and embrace beautiful, awesome Tokyo!

So… all that said… here are my suggestions for getting the most out of your visit to Japan:

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! If you are going to spend all the money ($$$) and time (13 hours from east coast US, 12 hours from UK) to come to Japan, please invest a few hours researching the country and the culture. If you don’t like doing “internet research”, at least peruse the available YouTube videos of the places you are going. I guarantee, there are many videos to watch to tell you WHAT to see, HOW to get there, and HOW MUCH it costs. There are videos about accommodations, what trains to use to get there, and of course… the FOOD! Food here in Japan is wonderful. Delicious beyond compare. If, by chance, you just don’t “like” Japanese food… Yes… there are western offerings. McD’s, Kentucky Fried, Burger King, and Taco Bell are available. But…
2. If you are going to a foreign country, and a completely different culture… why would you NOT want to sample the local cuisine. Be open-minded and willing to try new things. There is a reason that Japanese food is so popular… why so many people LOVE Japanese food. It is delicious… oishii desu! And largely because of that umami flavor. Be willing to close your eyes and put the food in your mouth.
3. Along with researching what to see, where to go, and how to get there, please research the customs of the Japanese people. They are kind and respectful… please be the same, by learning about the culture. There are many unwritten “rules” in this culture. But, in general… in this culture, they try hard not to offend or interfere/annoy each other… or visitors. Please, be respectful in kind. Watch, and learn from the Japanese people. Be polite on the subway. Usually, people speak quietly or not at all on the trains. They take up as little space as possible (don’t “sprawl” across the seats!) knowing that the trains are usually crowded and space is limited. Likewise, be polite as you walk along the streets. Be polite everywhere. This is a very kind and polite society.
4. Be adventurous.You spent the money to get here… go places and experience things you may not ever be able to experience again. See things, learn things, and internalize that experience. Most of all… observe. Don’t try to impose YOUR culture on this wonderful country! Yes! It is very different from the US… from the UK… from Europe. Be willing to embrace the cultural differences, instead of insisting that they accommodate YOUR culture. You are visiting their country after all.
5. Enjoy the experiences you have here. Remember them always. It will enrich your life.

Be kind, be respectful, and learn about cultural differences, because in reality… this is a very small planet, and we all need to learn to co-exist peacefully, and comfortably with each other.

Namaste.