lioness in japan

Most folks would be envious or impressed when I tell them I live in one of the most exciting cities in the world, but there are people who genuinely don’t get it, and ask me, “Why do you want to live there?”

Believe it or not, this question stumps me and I need to pause for a while to formulate a coherent answer that is not like, “Because it’s so GREAT!”

I mean, look at this picture of the Shibuya crossing which is such an iconic image of Tokyo.

Energy — Tokyo has loads of it and if you don’t grab hold of some while you are here, I would say it’s not the place for you. But if you’re active by nature and keen to learn a new language, you will love it.

As the seasons change, there is always something to celebrate: hanami (sakura season in spring), hanabi (fireworks festivals in summer), koyo (red leaves in autumn), and lots of hot pot parties in winter.

But it’s not just that it’s always one big party in Tokyo. People like to get out to do stuff. You’ll find that people tend to plan activities weeks or months in advance just to have a perfect day. Take for example, tennis, belly dancing, hiking, weekend driving trips, onsen getaways, checking out new restaurants — if something tickles your fancy, I’m sure you could find a group here. In fact, there are vegan social groups on the Internet and let me tell ya, Japan is a meat lovin’, fish-obsessed country.

There are many reasons that make Tokyo a very livable city. It’s ranked 14th out of 29 best cities to live in by Askmen.com, and the reasons stated in their page on Tokyo are quite accurate:

+ Safe. I’ve had friends from Manila and Atlanta who told me they just bask in the safety of Japan, because back home, they always have to look over their shoulder or deal with a feeling of unrest all the time.

+ Cosmopolitan. Foreigners make up ten per cent of Tokyo’s population which is not that high compared to other cities like New York or London but for Japan, that is a positive sign and it’s just set to grow bigger in this direction.

+ Great food. Of course, there is abundant Japanese nosh but there are also plenty of other types of cuisine. I’ve been to Moroccan joints, Turkish nooks, dim sum cafes and French crepe hubs in Tokyo.

+ You’ll never get bored. Open up a magazine or newspaper here and I guarantee that you’ll be floored by the sheer number of events going on at any one time in this huge city. Many international music acts come to Tokyo to perform and there’s always some awesome party going on.

Some of my reasons are the people are generally nice and friendly and it’s got so much natural beauty once you leave the skyscrapers and zoom into the country. I’ve been here for two and a half years and sometimes I feel I’m still scratching the surface. Japan has just so much to offer if variety is what you are looking for.

So should you move to Tokyo? It’s not for everyone, I must caution you, and daily life may be hard to navigate in the beginning, but the fun will start once you open up your mind and get some of the lingo down.

Photo: fredi.cardozo

Related posts:

1. The W Curve
2. First anniversary
3. Blogging at Tokyo Metblogs

Sphere: Related Content