smoking spot next to subway and bike stand
So it’s been about a week and half now since i’ve returned from Tokyo, and so while I’ve tried to show some of the sights and describe some of the impressions that I had during my short (initial) stint there, I realize that I really only touched on a few aspects of it. Sure the subways are great, and the food amazing, but what about the feeling you get walking down the street…
The picture above is one that sticks in my mind, but not because of the photograph alone. So what’s so spectacular? The thing that I like about this particular photo is that for me, it is a snapshot of one aspect of daily life in the city that I thoroughly enjoy. For starters, there is the line of bike adorning the sidewalk, which isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but not a single one has a lock on them. Just the fact that there is a sense of respect for other people’s property, or oneself, that you might be able to leave your bike unlocked for a few minutes while you shop, never mind hours as you head into work.
sidewalk smoking stand
Just to the left of this is a smoking stand. A smoking stand? It seems that smoking on the sidewalks is against the law in Tokyo. Not being a smoker, this comes as a great relief as one of the things in New York which was could be annoying was when someone would be walking in front of you and puffing out clouds of smoke which you’d ultimately have to walk through. Besides this discomfort, the remains from those cigarettes more often then not found their way onto the streets and sidewalks adding to trash on the streets. The one thing that was somewhat odd on the flip side was that while smoking was against the law on the sidewalks, it was perfectly legal inside bars, restaurants, etc.
no smoking on the sidewalk
Along these same lines is the lack of garbage cans which always seem to amaze me in countries such as this, as well as Thailand. You can walk many streets without coming upon a single trash receptacle, and yet there’s very little to no garbage thrown on the ground. The subway tracks are nearly spotless. The only annoying part is when you do have something to throw out, it’s almost frustrating trying to find one. Luckily there’s always a Starbucks or some other cafe not too far away.
Finally, what discussion on the streets is complete without observations on the traffic. Bangkok this is not, that’s for certain. Likewise, compared to NYC, you would think Tokyo was always on a weekend. Maybe this is due to the great transportation system, but even in some of the most touristy areas which are typically prime areas for traffic tie ups there didn’t appear to be any crazy delays. In many respects, when it came to vehical traffic, I sometimes had to remind myself that i was in Tokyo and not in some much smaller city. Another aspect which is great is that there is very little (if any) use of horns. The only sort of sirens or horns you’ll generally hear are that of a passing ambulance…just as it should be.
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