42 Ways to Tell You’re in Tokyo

Posted by Lynn on May 18, 2015 in Advice + Tips, Entertainment, Japan, Local Color, Temples, Tokyo, Transportation | 4 comments

1) The trains look like they came out of Star Trek

2) The traffic looks like a crazy giant video game

3) There are whole malls full of video games

4) You’re the only non-Asian on the train

5) The floors are covered with tatami mats and you’re sleeping on a futon on the floor

6) There are lots of rules about when you wear shoes vs slippers vs special bathroom slippers

7) Chop sticks are the norm

8) People walk around outside in kimonos and face masks and it’s not Halloween

9) Your coins have Japanese writing on them

10) The sewer covers have Japanese writing on them

11) Everything has Japanese writing on it

12) There are special locks to check your umbrella outside of buildings

13) There’s a building shaped like a giant cocoon

14) You can find a charm for travel safety at your local temple or shrine

15) You see giant barrels of saki

16) You find yourself on a crazy street called Takeshita

17) Socks have a different shape

18) Shoes are a huge fashion statement

19) You’re greeted by the garbage cans

20) There are shelters for people who cannot go back home

21) Sharp knives are sold out on the street

22) Sushi comes on a revolving line

23) California Rolls are spelled differently

24) The bathrooms are different (the toilet symbols look like a slipper)

25) Green tea comes in powdered form

26) There are shops that sell only vinegar

27) There are Maid Cafes where you are not allowed to take photos inside

28) What looks like chocolate turns out to be bean paste

29) Soft drinks are dispensed in machines out on street corners

30) You can have your fortune told at a local Tokyo temple

31) If it’s not to your liking, you can tie your bad fortune up and send it off to the four winds

32) Tofu fills whole cases

33) There are resale shops for kimonos

34) People love to pose for pictures

35) There are alternative modes of transportation

36) Lanterns come in all sizes

37) Writing goes up and down as well as sideways

38) You see what looks like snow but is actually cherry blossom petals

39) The museums in Tokyo are amazing

40) You meet lots of really nice, really helpful, really polite people

41) Paper comes in many more interesting shapes than just flat

42) People carry books that say “Tokyo” on the cover!