Life in Tokyo
Tokyo is as amazing as I expected it to be. From the perfectly laid out, clean train from the airport to seeing huge book shops filled with beautiful limited editions open late into the night, it fulfilled my assumptions.
There are designated seats for its respected elderly and infirm and yet I rarely see them - are they being carried around on a lily pad? Indeed there are women only train carriages for the squashed up rush hours and yet everyone still politely queues to get on.
The zoo was a little surprising as some of the animals seemed a little cramped but every species seemed to be represented, starting with their famous pandas.
I loved seeing the contrasts of old and new and reading about the importance of keeping Japan's culture. That may be to the detriment of a more diverse nation but when Tokyo is this welcoming, polite and open, it works. The respect for people also extended to its heritage with a seemingly well-visited shrine or temple on every corner and even old trees are being propped up to survive.
