Tokyo is an incredible city… it’s very big and has some impressive skyscrapers. The city might remind someone of New York or Chicago… lots of traffic… lots of people… an elaborate mass transit system (the subway map looks more like a super complex board game)… there’s even a Times Square district in Tokyo with all sorts of dazzling lights (not far from the hotel we stayed in). But there is one BIG difference between Tokyo and other mega-cities… Tokyo is SPOTLESS! There is no litter or trash to be found anywhere in the city… in fact… there are not even trash cans on the city streets… everyone takes care of their own trash and it’s really quite remarkable. The Japanese people are impressive… they’re extremely kind, hard working, and they appear to be a very trustworthy people. We were told that crime is extremely low in Japan… and it shows… no panhandlers or bums anywhere to be found. Bicycles are left unlocked and unattended all across Tokyo and street vendors have products displayed on the sidewalk like you would never see in the United States for fear of shoplifting and theft.
So is Tokyo the perfect city? The BYU alumni that we met with during our business visits seem to think so. On Tuesday morning the spouses went shopping while the rest of us went downtown and visit with Todd Budge of Tokyo Star Bank and Mitchell Mason of Deutsche Bank. Both gentlemen went on their LDS mission to Japan and found their way back after college when their companies assigned them to Tokyo because the spoke fluent Japanese. The business visits were interesting and it was fun to hear from two alumni who were raising their family in Japan. Both men had nothing but wonderful things to say about life in Tokyo.
For most of us it seemed only DOWNER about Tokyo was the language barrier. Nobody in our entire group spoke fluent Japanese and it was very difficult to communicate. Most of the native Japanese who do speak English speak it in a very broken dialect that is hard to decipher…. So at the end of the day… Tokyo might be the wonderful city… but without some serious Japanese skills… it might be a tough place to live.
The language barrier was responsible for one hilarious incident that happened to a few of us on Monday evening. About 15 of us met in the lobby to go to dinner. Meanwhile Travis Isaacson and Laura Ball had spoken with the concierge and supposedly found a Tepenyaki restaurant in a nearby skyscraper that overlooked the entire city. While the menu was expensive, the concierge had assured Travis and Laura that it would be well worth the 5000 yen-per-person ($50 per-person) it would cost to dine at the highly recommended restaurant that overlooked all of Tokyo.
When we arrived at the restaurant we were ecstatic… the view was truly amazing and several hostesses escorted us to our own private room. We all ordered drinks, took a few pictures and began congratulating ourselves while the servers put bibs around our neck. Then everything came to a crashing halt a few moments later when the chef brought out the menu… The least expensive dish was priced at 17,000 Yen ($170)… even the appetizers cost over $80 each! The concierge back at the hotel had somehow told Travis and Laura about the private room charge of 5000 yen…. And not the average meal price… which would have cost around $250 per-person. We all had to untie our bibs, put our napkin down and make a rather shameful walk to the elevator. The whole incident made for a good story… sadly we ended up eating at a mediocre cafe in a windowless room… the food was very forgettable… but the night certainly was not.
UPDATE: We arrived in Beijing, China yesterday afternoon and we've already experienced the wild-n-crazy silk market... look for another update soon... but the Internet accessibilty here in China is limited... so be patient... I'll get more up soon!
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