Thoughts on Tokyo

When I first arrived I was very surprised because Tokyo – a world renowned city – had not made an impression on me. The area certainly felt foreign when I first arrived, but aside from surface details I couldn’t pinpoint the vibe. When I visited Shinjuku for the first time I started to understand what really makes Tokyo different. For starters, the lack of sidewalks makes everything feel more immediate, more intimate, and more cramped. You’re practically walking in the street with the cars, and you’re also walking right in front of shops whose doors you can’t see, whose goods are right there with you on the non-existent sidewalk. The buildings are small, but their verticality is very present. Even the short buildings, of which there are many, seem to have very present vertical elements. Shinjuku, which is what most people think of when they think Tokyo, has big buildings and bright lights, which was the Japan I was expecting, but it still didn’t make an impression on me – it was just what I was expecting.

I started wondering if the city failed to impress its character upon me because I couldn’t fully participate. Not only can I not understand Japanese, I can’t read it. I can’t sound it out. I can in no way, shape or form comprehend it. So when I walk around, I’m strictly observing. I cannot interact with people; I cannot process information; I cannot see or hear what every other person around me sees or hears. That creates a really isolated experience – it isolates me from other people, but also from what the city has to offer. It was a sobering idea, one I truly came to understand in Harujuku.

There are many joys to Harujuku – easily the best fashion or shopping district in the world. One reason is the sheer number of stores. There are so many options! You can find stores outfitting every trend or permutation of personal style. Another joy is the variety of stores – cheap fashion storefronts, thoughtful trendy boutiques, the ubiquitous American big box of fashion – the Gap, and the big players – Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, etc.

But, what I found to be the most compelling reason for Harujuku being the best shopping district in the world could also be the key to Tokyo’s character. Every corner offers a new surprise. And there are so many corners! The concept of a grid system essentially does not exist. One small street can split into two narrow streets. Some roads appear parallel and some curve as if they were rivers carving into a mountain. Streets split off into whatever size, at whatever interval, in whichever angle as there are geometrical possibilities. While quite maze-like, the upshot of this is that there is always something to discover! And Harujuku does not disappoint. But what makes these discoveries so cool is that they were relevant to me. It’s not as if I was walking and just looking at storefronts, I was discovering things relevant to me and my experience. How did I know they were relevant? I was able to process the information presented to me. I could read names, look at prices, see clothes. So it made me wonder – what if I understood the signs that I pass under every day? What if I felt like I could connect with at least one person? How much more would the city open itself up to me? I can tell there are secrets waiting to be discovered, I can see it when I look down the narrow lanes. I see it where there are no sidewalks. I see it in the paper lanterns hung across roofs on winding streets. I know Tokyo has secrets. Those secrets are the key to the city, and I want to uncover them.