Foreigner in a New Land: 8 Days in Tokyo (45 Photos)

I arrived to Japan after two days without sleep- having two overnight flights from Istanbul with a day in freezing Moscow smack in the middle. I was dazed and confused after landing, lugging around my slightly overstuffed backpack and slightly heavy foldable bike on my shoulder. It’s a bit of a hassle to have the bike during transits, but I’m willing to put up with it- because having my own bike to explore new places is amazing…  and that’s just what I did in Japan.

Sights and Sounds

I spent a total of 8 days in Tokyo, experiencing the splendor of the city on foot, by metro and most fun of all, by bike. There is nothing like exploring a new city by bike. You can see so much more and have the freedom to roam farther away from your hostel or hotel. I recommend traveling with a foldable bike to anyone capable. (The Brompton foldable bikes from Britain are my favorite, though I have an Italian Olmo).

In Tokyo, the sights are grand and varied. There are old temples and palaces, like the Sensoji Temple and the Imperial Palace. There are dense urban areas as well, like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku and Akihabara. The early morning activity at the Tsukiji Fish Market and the spectacular views from the Metropolitan Government Building were two highlights. I also met some great people at the Anne Hostel Yokozuna and an evening of karaoke on my fifth night was probably the climax of my time in Tokyo.

I often ate ramen and of course tried the sushi and skewers several times. It was all delicious, though sometimes difficult to order. For quick snacks, I would pop into one of the thousands of 7-11’s all over town and eat these packaged rice triangles with fish at the center. I finally learned how to open one without tearing the thing apart. Tokyo gave me the culture shock that I was expecting when thinking about Asia and I loved every second of it.

First Impressions 

Japan can’t be understood quickly or easily to newcomers and especially not on the first visit. So much is unique to the western mind, yet some parts are quite familiar; like the modernity of the city that Tokyo in particular showcases. However, I did find Tokyo to be not quite what I expected beforehand, but not at all in a bad way.

In some areas it was quiet and empty; an eerie sight in the world’s biggest city. Other parts were unbelieveably crowded and overloaded with visual stimuli of sight and sound, lights and noise. The people were calm and the streets were very clean. On the metro it was nearly silent as every single person was transfixed on their smartphones; playing games or reading comics. The language barrier was often an issue and the signage was usually very hard to decifer. Everyone was very helpful and friendly, but there was a separation between them and me; an invisible wall of cultural differences that always reminded me that I’m the foreigner here.

Meditations on a Theme 

I was the foreigner in a far away land. This is a good thing to experience sometimes; this feeling of being different and not fitting in; a minority in a new world. So often in our homeland we feel like our way is the right and only way; that what is different is strange and therefore wrong. We forget that the world is a diverse place and people are a product of their culture. We didn’t choose where we were born and what customs to follow, it was just a game of chance really. Any of us could have easily been raised in Asia or Africa, as a Buddhist or Muslim. Noone gets to choose where they are from and what circumstances they are in early in life. I recently heard someone say, “What one person is willing to die for another thinks is an antiquated ideology.”

Travel offers many rewards and challenges, but what I think is the most profound effect is the exposure to different ways of living and thinking. More importantly, it’s the empathy that grows for other people and the affection that one discovers for our differences. When exposed to new cultures and lifestyles, we open ourselves up to change and growth. What once was the only way of doing something is now one of the ways. What once was strange and scary is now understood and wonderful.

Traveling around the globe, peering into the lives of just some of the seven billion people on this planet, I realize that although we may do many things differently, we all are mostly good people that want the same thing- to be happy. Can you blame then someone wanting to leave a bad situation to make a better life? I would do the same if in their shoes I suppose.

So, in this era of unrest about the future of our country(s) and this fear of foreigners, I am reminded that I have been a foreigner and it’s hard. I takes guts to be a foreigner and leave what you know. Visiting Japan, Asia or any place far away from home offers us the opportunity to understand our differences, but more essentially, cherish what we have in common.

Tokyo in 45 Photos