Tokyo travel feature - Published in Serie B Magazine, 2007

Zen Futurism

I’m looking over fields of carrots and cabbages, quiet streets, temples, small houses packed tightly together and a clear night sky. This might not be the idea of Tokyo most westerners have. And yet that’s the flipside to the town centre that inspired Blade Runner, where no one sleeps and neon signs shine bright. It’s the best of both worlds – zen peacefulness wrapped in unconstrained futurism.

Tokyo, and Japan, is a shock to the system. So adapting is the key. And it’s fun because everything in Japan is an adventure. Around every corner there’s something new and exciting waiting.

The food is out of this world, the latest technology is fighting itself for your attention, assorted ‘geek’ consumer goods are everywhere and the price and choice is unbelievable on all accounts. Tokyo is all about convenience – whatever you want chances are you can get it 24 hours a day, no matter how far from the centre of town you are: food, drinks, video games, DVDs, magazines, cigarettes, alcohol, concert tickets or even pay your bills.

While the outskirts of town are more peaceful than most people imagine, the centre is all about entertainment and consumerism. Head to Akihabara for the biggest arcades in the world, giant electronics shops and Maid bars – an otaku’s wet dream. Over in Shinjuku and Shibuya is where you’ll find a majority of the record shops that make this city a favourite amongst beat heads, collectors and DJs. Walk around the right corner and there’s enough wax, bootleg CDs and Japanese only releases to leave you broke for the rest of your life.

This is also where you’ll find clubs, bars and venues to suit most musical tastes. Between small, intimate venues and bars, including hilarious hip hop bars where the staff look like extras from Boyz ‘N The Hood, and big clubs with drinks dispensers, recycling bins and toilets that clean and play you music, Tokyo has a lot of choice – just be prepared to pay the price for it.

Tokyo has no night time transport system, however it makes up for it by offering all night entertainment unlike any other cities. Blow your lungs out in a Karaoke bar with all you can drink options, geek out in a manga café in your private booth with reclining chair all kinds of media and access to giant libraries of games, films and mangas or get some action (or sleep) in a love hotel for a few hours or the whole night. All of which will cost you less than a cab ride home and will likely be 100 times more fun.

Alongside all the modern entertainment and consumer spots there are as many traditional shrines, temples, gardens, parks, cheap markets, restaurants, food stalls and stores which really hammer home how the traditional and modern blend in this city unlike anywhere else.

This contrast is apparent everywhere in the city and in the way people do things. The old and the new fit alongside each other neatly, leaving you with a distinct impression that you’ve stepped into another world, one where things might not necessarily be better but they’re definitely more interesting.

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written by Laurent