There's no feeling like walking between skyscrapers, or going down an alley littered with shops and restaurants, each with their own story. A city is a living place. Streets are it's veins and people it's blood cells. Cities have hearts and lungs, brains muscles and stomachs. From city hall to the lowliest food stand, every building has purpose and motivation.
It is in my experience that cities also tend to have their individual personalities. You can feel it in the architecture, people, and businesses. Halifax feels in places like a kind old sailor, Montreal like a cultured person of the world, and Toronto like a businessman or banker that likes to cut loose from time to time (although I haven't spent much time in Toronto so this may not be the case).
The purpose of this particular entry is to share my feelings on Japanese cities. I've already been to Tokyo, Sapporo, Osaka and Kyoto and have had enough time in each city to feel the spirit of each.
I'll start with the city I've had the most experience with, Tokyo. Tokyo is not typical in that rather than being one metropolis which has expanded outward, it is in reality a collection of cities that have met while expanding. It is because of this that Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world (if not the largest). One would have to spend days in order to walk from one end of Tokyo to the other. Within this mass of concrete and lights, however, Tokyo has a place for everyone. Each prefecture has it's own particular purpose as well as demographic.
Akihabara is the land of Otaku. It is cluttered with manga shops, game centres, and maid cafes. A walk through this ward can be quite polarizing. Some people really get into the electric vibe in Akihabara, they like the fun and bright facades of the stores, the lights, and the costumes. Others find this place utterly detestable. I fall somewhere in the middle. For people coming from other countries, seeing a maid on the street can be quite a surprising experience. Many would claim that this sort of subservient behaviour is deprecating to women. I would be inclined to agree, but the intended clientele for these kind of stores are typically introverted, socially awkward, and shy Otaku. If anything, the maids are taking advantage of the Otaku, as they typically don't have the courage to talk to ladies outside of these shops.
Call me vain, but Shibuya has to be my favourite ward in Japan. Shibuya is Tokyo's Times Square. It's lights create the type of cityscape that people imagine when thinking of Tokyo. Shibuya is more than just lights though. It is a battleground, a citadel. It is the eye of the storm for fashion in Tokyo, if not Japan. One doesn’t venture out into Shibuya before carefully considering their attire. This is a place where every nuance of one's outfit makes a difference. As such, Shibuya is typically filled with vain and shallow people. Despite this, I love the place.
Shinjuku is a sea of people on the go. If someone is standing still, they're doing it wrong. Between the businesses, the nightlife, and Shinjuku station, Shinjuku is a symbol for the ever hurrying spirit of Tokyo.
I havent been to Ginza, but I'm told it's where the bourgeois of Tokyo hang out. I imagine it has a lot of Jewelry stores and high scale bars. I don’t know.
Kabukicho is the red light district of Tokyo. It's filled with Yakuza, hostess bars, and (I imagine) cigarette smoke. Again, I haven't been inside, but I don't really want to either.
Tokyo is an interesting and segmented place. If it was a person, it would probably have schizophrenia, and it would always be hurrying around, busy with some ephemeral task.
Sapporo is a great city. At first, I didn't like it (partially because it wasn't Tokyo). I have recently begun to really respect this city, however. Sapporo is really vibrant. It is filled to the brim with glittering and hidden gems.
On my first trip to Sapporo, I collected two of these gems thanks to the help of my awesome and informative predecessor. One was named Emmy's kitchen. This was an 8(?) seat Mexican food restaurant in Kita 24 with some of the best fajitas I've ever eaten. It was one of those places that really had a spirit to it. I got the feeling that the owner wasn't running this place for the money, she just really enjoyed cooking good food. Not unlike one of my personal heroes, Kenny Shopsin. It was amazing enough to find a place that cooked Mexican food in Japan, the fact that it was good sent it over the moon.
The other Gem was a bar which claims to stock over 250 different beer. Quite a feat in Japan. Add onto this the fact that it has an awesome vintage atmosphere and an option for nomihodai, and this makes it one of my favourite bars in Japan. This place was also pretty amazing in that among it's stock it carried most of my favourite beers. They had Rogue, Unibroue, and Dogfish, among others. I may just have to talk the guy into importing some Picaroons. I'm sure he would be into it.
Since then I've found some really cool spots on my own and with some friends. Sapporo is filled with spirited businesses, to the point where one can walk into a random restaurant and have a good chance of it being a phenomenal experience.
As far as Kansai, the cities have an entirely different feel. Kyoto and Osaka are cities with immense and interesting histories. As such, one can feel as if they are walking with the ghosts of ancient samurai, geisha, and (In Kyoto at least) emperors. At the same time, however, it can be quite strange to see modern skyscrapers sidling ancient castles, canals, and temples. This is the nature of these cities. Tokyo would probably feel the same way, except that it has expanded so much in recent centuries, that it is for the most part entirely new.
As far as Osaka and Kyoto go individually, each city has it's own speciality. It is said that in Osaka one can eat till they drop, and in Kyoto one can wear kimonos till they drop.
Osaka is filled with an amazing array of restaurants. Particularly in Dotonbori, the place that is considered the “downtown” of Osaka. Great cooks come from all over Japan to set up shop in Dotonbori. In fact, there is one restaurant in there that is the four greatest Ramen shops from all over Japan combined into one. It is also home to tons of candy and Omiyage shops. An army marches on it's stomach, and so does Osaka.
I didn't have much time in Kyoto, but the time I did have was pretty interesting. There is an aura of calmness in Kyoto. Something very atypical in any city. Kyoto is known for temples and as such I guess you could consider it the city of religion or philosophy. That's the feeling I got, anyway.
TL; DR: If you take the time, you'll see that any given city has a personality.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I implore you to “Keep it Real”
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