Hot Take: Tokyo Isn't The Best Place For First-Time Tourists
For many foreign travelers heading to Japan, the first city they're heading toward is Tokyo by itself because it's not only the most iconic city in the entire country, but one of the most iconic cities in the world. There are tons of things you can do in Tokyo alone: going to maid cafes, having a blast at the nightlife in Roppongi, and going to have an adventure of anime and manga shopping spree in Shibuya and Shinjuku.
However, although Tokyo is a great place to go when you travel to Japan, Tokyo isn't really the best place for foreign tourists going to Japan for the very first time.
I know a lot of people that loves Tokyo going to tell me:
Tokyo have everything you want on your first trip to Japan. No other city would top Tokyo.
And that's true. Tokyo alone have tons of things you can do right off the bat. However, you can't based off the entire country of Japan from just one city alone. If I go to France, and I just based off the entire country from my visit of Paris alone, then people would think I haven't done anything that standout compared to other tourists.
Here's three reasons as to why I think Tokyo isn't the best place if you go to Japan for the first time.
Reason #1: Crowds Would Be Too Much
The one thing that people would immediately know about Tokyo is the humongous crowds that would be in the city alone. With the combination of people living in Tokyo and tourists visiting Tokyo, you would be suffocated too quickly and being bumped around from person to person constantly.
Because influencers and creators promoting Tokyo a lot more than most Japanese cities, Tokyo is the immediate go to place to many people's mind the moment you go to Japan. If you asked 100 people that want to go to Japan, what would be their go-to city? Almost all of them would immediately say Tokyo, even if it's not the only city they'll go for the entire trip.
The main thing I would say to that is this:
If you can't handle big cities like Los Angeles or New York City, you will not survive in Tokyo.
Since I am from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and New Orleans is the only big city we have. Tokyo is basically 10 times bigger than Baton Rouge, and 5 times bigger than New Orleans. So for me, going from a small city of Baton Rouge to a huge city like Tokyo would be an immediate suffocation for me.
From walking to the streets of Shibuya and Shinjuku to going to train stations all around the city, it would be suffocating to deal with right off the bat and on a consistent basis before I go back to my home country. So there will be people like me that would not like being crowded around on a consistent basis because it'll get a lot more tiring than going to a less populated city in Japan.
Reason #2: Sensory Overload
There are tons of pictures and videos of people going around Shibuya and Shinjuku that have tons of billboard ads and neon lights around the perimeter that it just be too much for your mind to handle in one spot.
Tokyo have extreme light pollution that it's just so bad, it'll numb your mind the longer you stay there. Because you see it constantly in your face, it'll be hard for you to interact with people because you'll adapt a "tunnel vision" right off the bat.
That way, you'll have low environmental awareness because you've just seen constant neon lights and commercial displays and it'll make you not interact with the people around you. It's somewhat similar to people that are in New York City (hence why if you can't handle New York City, then you definitely can't handle Tokyo).
The further you go outside of Tokyo, the less commercial displays and neon lights you'll see, making you check your surroundings more often.
I remember going to Yokohama, and you don't fully see the huge billboards and neon lights like you use to. It makes the trip a lot more soothing and relaxing. Whereas the moment I go to Ikebukuro alone, tons of lights, commercial displays all-around, LED-vision galore, it just make the whole thing not the best ideal. Ikebukuro is still amazing place to be, but not the ideal place for me to rest for the entire trip.
So, being in Tokyo for a while will mess up your visuals for the entire trip, and it might take a little time to reset the eyes and brain from that overload.
Reason #3: Too Expensive
Going to Japan by itself is expensive, hence why not a lot of Western foreigners have the luxury of going to Japan for the first time. I believe the main reason people think Japan is super expensive is because they would go to Tokyo mainly and deal with prices in there.
Tokyo is considered to be not only the most expensive city in Japan, but one of the most expensive cities in the world (getting cheaper compared to New York City and Los Angeles but still really expensive). To me, Tokyo is where wallets go to suffocate themselves in an hourly basis.
That's the main reason why I tend to go to Yokohama a lot more than Tokyo, because having a hotel in Tokyo would cost an arm and a leg compared to going to Yokohama.
Even the budget hotels in Tokyo are more expensive than most hotels in Yokohama, and they're budget hotels for a reason. Luxury hotels in Tokyo costs a lot more than luxury hotels in Yokohama, Osaka, or Sendai. Not only the hotels, but the shopping and the dining (even separated) are super expensive to deal with.
I'll give you this: if you have $100 USD (10,000 Japanese Yen) and you try to have a shopping spree in Tokyo or Yokohama, you'll lose that money a lot quicker in Tokyo and a lot faster. Especially if you're going to Tokyo for anime merch that you don't get outside of Japan.
Conclusion
Don't get me wrong on any of these reasons. Going to Tokyo is still amazing, and I would want you to go~ However, if you want to have a more authentic experience and not just based the entire country from one city, then you should because Tokyo can be overrated to go to right off the bat, especially if you're going to Japan for the very first time.
Explore Japan as a country, rather than just one hugely popular city.
Elevate Your Wardrobe
Tired of the basic generic anime brand that you almost see everyone else doing it?
Most anime brands tend to go to the safe route and not want to branch out on new creations. They tend to go for this Japanese saying, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." At Jay Japan, we're not scared of going for original, and we're not scared of going for something that out of the ordinary! Jay Japan is home to the anime fans that want to stand out from the mainstream crowd.
Leave a comment