Tokyo is quite possibly the greatest city on earth, yet I could never live there. No matter what kind of amazing job I’m offered, even if Ken Watanabe asked me to move in with him, I’m not sure I could survive the temptation of endless bar crawling, inescapable Hello Kitty merchandise, and unlimited ice cream flavors. Not to mention the crowds, chikans, and the horribly unfavorable exchange rate. But despite being incompatible with my lifestyle, Tokyo is an amazing place to travel and observe a unique culture that seems so alien but also shares some universal traits with yours, mine, and anyone else’s culture. As a semester abroad returnee fresh from a four-month stay in Tokyo, with the experiences of city life fresh in my mind, I’m here to offer a gaijin perspective on Tokyo-centric issues of recent times.
In my time abroad, I lived with a host family, made nihonjin friends, and studied at a Japanese university. Getting to interact with these individuals and hearing their hopes, dreams and opinions, has given me a better picture of the Japanese psyche. What motivates people, how they feel about world issues, why otaku culture is so overwhelmingly popular: these are all of interest when looking at Japanese mass culture and comparing it and the ideas behind it with American culture. From the perspective of an outsider, this blog aims to find the similarities and differences between these two different cultures, and also the ways they have influenced and molded each other.
As an eager consumer of American pop culture and a short-term participant in the Tokyo day and nightlife scene, I feel like I have some thoughts to add on the subject of cross-cultural comparison and exchange. My Tokyo experience was, as cliché as it sounds and is, life changing and eye opening, and holds a dear place in my heart. It's a bummer for me that Tokyo is more part of my past than my future, but because the experience is receding farther and farther in my rearview mirror, I want to reflect on my adventure now, and form and record my thoughts on the subject while it’s still fresh. Potential posting topics may include: tokYOLO and other gaijin mistakes; all-night karaoke and last train culture; changing family forms and why my dad takes a bath before me; emoticons and why is everything kawaii; earthquakes, train suicides, poorly planned Mt. Fuji trips and other things to watch out for; hotter than hot summers and how do people deal; face masks and other train etiquette; salaryman-centric culture and what this means for everyone else; etc.
In a more general sense, I may also use this blog to think more deeply about the concept of travel and adventure. Why do we travel? How far are tourists willing to go outside of their comfort zone? When you move to a new place, at what point can you call yourself a local rather than a visitor? As someone who feels pretty deeply rooted and connected to my hometown, I am maybe even more so curious about what gets us out and about in the world. And for those of us who are more the Garden State “feel homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist” type, here’s to finding that place and making it your own.
“And if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born
Then it’s time to go
And define your destination
There’s so many different places to call home”
- Death Cab for Cutie
You Are a Tourist
In my time abroad, I lived with a host family, made nihonjin friends, and studied at a Japanese university. Getting to interact with these individuals and hearing their hopes, dreams and opinions, has given me a better picture of the Japanese psyche. What motivates people, how they feel about world issues, why otaku culture is so overwhelmingly popular: these are all of interest when looking at Japanese mass culture and comparing it and the ideas behind it with American culture. From the perspective of an outsider, this blog aims to find the similarities and differences between these two different cultures, and also the ways they have influenced and molded each other.
As an eager consumer of American pop culture and a short-term participant in the Tokyo day and nightlife scene, I feel like I have some thoughts to add on the subject of cross-cultural comparison and exchange. My Tokyo experience was, as cliché as it sounds and is, life changing and eye opening, and holds a dear place in my heart. It's a bummer for me that Tokyo is more part of my past than my future, but because the experience is receding farther and farther in my rearview mirror, I want to reflect on my adventure now, and form and record my thoughts on the subject while it’s still fresh. Potential posting topics may include: tokYOLO and other gaijin mistakes; all-night karaoke and last train culture; changing family forms and why my dad takes a bath before me; emoticons and why is everything kawaii; earthquakes, train suicides, poorly planned Mt. Fuji trips and other things to watch out for; hotter than hot summers and how do people deal; face masks and other train etiquette; salaryman-centric culture and what this means for everyone else; etc.
In a more general sense, I may also use this blog to think more deeply about the concept of travel and adventure. Why do we travel? How far are tourists willing to go outside of their comfort zone? When you move to a new place, at what point can you call yourself a local rather than a visitor? As someone who feels pretty deeply rooted and connected to my hometown, I am maybe even more so curious about what gets us out and about in the world. And for those of us who are more the Garden State “feel homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist” type, here’s to finding that place and making it your own.
“And if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born
Then it’s time to go
And define your destination
There’s so many different places to call home”
- Death Cab for Cutie
You Are a Tourist
