So, I spent about a week out in Tokyo and man, it was a definitely a mind-blowing experience! Being a Filipino and only knowing the 12 hours I seen in Seoul during a sorely long layover and a day out in the city, all I knew of Asia is the 3rd world living conditions and lifestyle of the Philippines.
tl;dr (too long; didn't read) summary:
1. The city was extremely clean despite no public trash cans anywhere.
2. Subway system is definitely the most efficient and cleanest (including bathrooms!) I've ever experienced.
3. Pricing for goods, lodging, food, etc. is about the same as the US.
4. Customer service is top-notch at all places I went to.
5. Lots of automation via vending machines.
6. Lots and lots of bottle coffee.
7. The Japanese have some weird things out here: cat cafes, video game arcades with a casino vibe, etc.
8. Many different flavors of things you'd never see out in the US: papaya ice cream, melon flavored Kit Kat's, Pringles Sour Cream & Onion quick ramen bowls, etc.
9. You can eat pretty decently at a convenience store like 7-Eleven. i.e. I had a onigiri (rice ball with filling) with a grilled salmon fillet and a black canned coffee nearly every day for breakfast.
10. All public restrooms I went to including the subway were noticeably clean and were equipped with heated seats and bidets including music and moving sprayers. Let's just say my butt was clean without a worry about using public restrooms!
11. I felt safe from pickpocketers and petty thieves. Many didn't lock up their bikes, even in the city!
I was able to see nearly everything you could in Tokyo (Shibuya, Akihabara, Odaiba, Ginza, Akasaka, Tsukiji, etc.) during those 6 days. I was thoroughly pleased with the hospitality and friendliness of all locals at the stores, subway, restaurants (tipping was not expected and same goes for bussing yourself!), bars, etc. The cleanliness of the city was outstanding and definitely something you'd only think would happen in the movies. The food and drinks were outstanding and overall, pricing for most things were comparable to US pricing.
1. I definitely explored the depths of Tokyo, including the busiest areas you can imagine (Shibuya, Tokyo station where all the business appears to happen, etc.), yet it was amazingly weird to see a city so clean and free of debris. The noticeable difference between Tokyo vs. any other city I've stepped foot in (cities within Philippines, most of the US, Canada and Mexico) is that there are absolutely NO public trash cans anywhere except for the airport or very westernized shopping areas, such as a shopping outlet in Odaiba (noticeably famous for the amusement park, Toyota facility and the giant Gundam).
2. The subway system was elaborate with most stations having lots of safety precautions including gates from any potential accidents for incoming subway trains. That's definitely something I wish the US eventually implements. The public restrooms including the ones at the subway and the most congested areas in the city were clean with high-tech bidets.
3. There isn't much to say about how the pricing in Japan compares. Since most of you guys are in the States, just imagine that price, except in Yen. Lyft and Uber is stupid expensive out there though, likely because of the low demand out there. EVERYONE commutes via subway, it feels like.
4. There was not a place where I receive bad customer service, even though I was the issue by not knowing a lick of Japanese. There were multiple occasions where the workers literally had to write down translated numbers because I couldn't read or understand Japanese, while they couldn't understand any of my English either, despite having Google Translate in my phone. Despite this, all transactions were friendly and I learned that even at fast casual restaurants there, it's like the Philippines where we leave out trays and finished plates for them to buss. It was a pleasant surprise when I tried to give them the tray because they were surprised as I was. I ended up getting a gift from them for cleaning up for them, I guess haha (the charm they gave me now hangs in my car's rearview mirror).
There was another occasion where I was definitely in a tourist trap at one of the temples near Akasaka where it's a bunch of local tents set up for all the tourists. I asked one of the workers if they sold beer and if we were allowed to walk around the temple areas and shops with our beers, she stated upfront that she did not know the answer, but insisted I wait 'right there.' She literally sprinted and ran to the store next door and then ran back just to tell me that there was no beer available in the area. Talk about top-notch customer service
.
5. Vending machines were aplenty, but clean, well-maintained and always stocked with canned coffee and other drinks. The premium to get drinks from there rather than the grocery store was around a $0.25, so I was pleasantly surprised that the vending machines didn't gouge the customers with higher prices. At many local restaurants, you would also pick your order with a vending machine where you pay with cash or credit, then receive a ticket to receive your food. Automation is essentially in full motion as well at the subway, something that Denver sorely needs with their Light Rail System.
EDIT: 11/8/2018 update. I'll type more here in a bit to expand on #6-11 and more
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2018 09:37PM by Tarantado.
tl;dr (too long; didn't read) summary:
1. The city was extremely clean despite no public trash cans anywhere.
2. Subway system is definitely the most efficient and cleanest (including bathrooms!) I've ever experienced.
3. Pricing for goods, lodging, food, etc. is about the same as the US.
4. Customer service is top-notch at all places I went to.
5. Lots of automation via vending machines.
6. Lots and lots of bottle coffee.
7. The Japanese have some weird things out here: cat cafes, video game arcades with a casino vibe, etc.
8. Many different flavors of things you'd never see out in the US: papaya ice cream, melon flavored Kit Kat's, Pringles Sour Cream & Onion quick ramen bowls, etc.
9. You can eat pretty decently at a convenience store like 7-Eleven. i.e. I had a onigiri (rice ball with filling) with a grilled salmon fillet and a black canned coffee nearly every day for breakfast.
10. All public restrooms I went to including the subway were noticeably clean and were equipped with heated seats and bidets including music and moving sprayers. Let's just say my butt was clean without a worry about using public restrooms!
11. I felt safe from pickpocketers and petty thieves. Many didn't lock up their bikes, even in the city!
I was able to see nearly everything you could in Tokyo (Shibuya, Akihabara, Odaiba, Ginza, Akasaka, Tsukiji, etc.) during those 6 days. I was thoroughly pleased with the hospitality and friendliness of all locals at the stores, subway, restaurants (tipping was not expected and same goes for bussing yourself!), bars, etc. The cleanliness of the city was outstanding and definitely something you'd only think would happen in the movies. The food and drinks were outstanding and overall, pricing for most things were comparable to US pricing.
1. I definitely explored the depths of Tokyo, including the busiest areas you can imagine (Shibuya, Tokyo station where all the business appears to happen, etc.), yet it was amazingly weird to see a city so clean and free of debris. The noticeable difference between Tokyo vs. any other city I've stepped foot in (cities within Philippines, most of the US, Canada and Mexico) is that there are absolutely NO public trash cans anywhere except for the airport or very westernized shopping areas, such as a shopping outlet in Odaiba (noticeably famous for the amusement park, Toyota facility and the giant Gundam).
2. The subway system was elaborate with most stations having lots of safety precautions including gates from any potential accidents for incoming subway trains. That's definitely something I wish the US eventually implements. The public restrooms including the ones at the subway and the most congested areas in the city were clean with high-tech bidets.
3. There isn't much to say about how the pricing in Japan compares. Since most of you guys are in the States, just imagine that price, except in Yen. Lyft and Uber is stupid expensive out there though, likely because of the low demand out there. EVERYONE commutes via subway, it feels like.
4. There was not a place where I receive bad customer service, even though I was the issue by not knowing a lick of Japanese. There were multiple occasions where the workers literally had to write down translated numbers because I couldn't read or understand Japanese, while they couldn't understand any of my English either, despite having Google Translate in my phone. Despite this, all transactions were friendly and I learned that even at fast casual restaurants there, it's like the Philippines where we leave out trays and finished plates for them to buss. It was a pleasant surprise when I tried to give them the tray because they were surprised as I was. I ended up getting a gift from them for cleaning up for them, I guess haha (the charm they gave me now hangs in my car's rearview mirror).
There was another occasion where I was definitely in a tourist trap at one of the temples near Akasaka where it's a bunch of local tents set up for all the tourists. I asked one of the workers if they sold beer and if we were allowed to walk around the temple areas and shops with our beers, she stated upfront that she did not know the answer, but insisted I wait 'right there.' She literally sprinted and ran to the store next door and then ran back just to tell me that there was no beer available in the area. Talk about top-notch customer service
.
5. Vending machines were aplenty, but clean, well-maintained and always stocked with canned coffee and other drinks. The premium to get drinks from there rather than the grocery store was around a $0.25, so I was pleasantly surprised that the vending machines didn't gouge the customers with higher prices. At many local restaurants, you would also pick your order with a vending machine where you pay with cash or credit, then receive a ticket to receive your food. Automation is essentially in full motion as well at the subway, something that Denver sorely needs with their Light Rail System.
EDIT: 11/8/2018 update. I'll type more here in a bit to expand on #6-11 and more
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2018 09:37PM by Tarantado.