Day 22: Tokyo — Engineering Extreme Efficiency

Upon landing in Tokyo, it’s obvious this place is in a league of its own. Efficient, hyper-modern, shiny, clean, and the list goes on. It is a world-class city by all conventional measures. From an efficiency and functional standpoint, I would make the argument that Tokyo itself is the pinnacle of what humanity has achieved in urban planning and development.

The metro system is vast, quick, and timely. The seemingly endless labyrinths of its network go far underground, and the stations themselves are almost like mini-cities. In addition to its 35 train platforms, Shinjuku station boasts dozens upon dozens (maybe even one hundred plus) of retail stores and restaurants. You could spend your whole day at just the station.

The metro is an overall pleasure to ride, and the engineers behind the marvel of a system seemed to have thought of everything. One can notice that very last aspect of the design and operation was made to most efficiently move people from point “a” to point “b.”

Keeping on the topic of impressive Japanese efficiency, another thing I loved about Tokyo were the conveyor belt sushi restaurants. They are quite the experience for us westerners.

No reservations, no check-in, you don’t even have to utter a word; if there is a seat available, you just have to sit. When you’ve finally reached the counter, you’ll see a wide range of items tantalizingly floating across your view, all there is left to do now is grab a plate (or many, many plates). The only time you have to talk to a staff person is when you are craving a beer, in which case it will be promptly brought to you in an ice cold glass and served on a beer plate, of course. They will need that to tally onto your total bill.

When you finally muster the ability to cut yourself off from the unregulated feast, you signal to the wait staff that you’re throwing in the towel. They then come over and count all of your plates, which are color coated to identify the price of that particular item. The total is then counted up and you pay at the register. I think the most I ever paid at one of these establishments (beer included, and pulling plates off the belt with little to no reserve) was around $20-$25! Oh yeah, and no tipping required, as is par for course in Asia.

Another aspect with makes Tokyo such a marvel of a city is the convenience. Anything you could want is at your fingertips at nearly any time of the day. I think Tokyo might give NYC a run for its money in regards to the amount of 24 hour restaurants, clubs, and shops. It just never seems to stop.

There are negatives that come with this as well, one of them being the infamous work culture that consumes Japan. This all or nothing mentality can be seen on the streets, where businessmen are visibly drunk or even drunkenly sleeping on the streets after a long day of work and an even longer night out. I guess there has to be a way for them to release all of the stress that comes from working those egregious hours.

Overall, Tokyo is a unique and interesting city which I implore you to visit given the chance. While no place is perfect, I think there is so much to learn from the Japanese. A generally very kind and respectful people who prioritize the efficiency of their society. The most modern city in the world – visiting will leave you impressed, and wondering what ways we could improve the operability of our own countries.