It’s been five years since I started living in Tokyo.
I was already living just outside the city before that, so it wasn’t exactly some long-awaited dream of “moving to Tokyo.” Still, once you experience the convenience of living right in the heart of the city, it’s hard to imagine replacing it with anything else.
At least for now, I have no particular longing for life in the countryside.
If anything, I ♡ TOKYO.
The Pleasure of Walking Tokyo
One of the things I love about Tokyo is how completely the scenery can change just by walking from one station to the next.
The stations are close together, and each area seems to have its own landmarks and character. It’s difficult to find quite the same experience in other cities.
To me, it’s something uniquely Tokyo.
I only really began to understand this once I started walking more.
The subway is incredibly convenient, of course. But once I began covering some of those distances on foot, I kept finding myself thinking:
“Wait, if I walk from here to there, this is what I get to see along the way.”
The city became full of discoveries and rediscoveries.
I began to realize that distance isn’t just information on a map.
It’s the space in between—something you have to experience for yourself.
Tokyo Skytree
Personally, Tokyo Skytree does something to me that Tokyo Tower doesn’t.
I’m not entirely sure why.
It’s not that I dislike Tokyo Tower. I understand its appeal. It’s a symbol of Tokyo, but it also carries a certain nostalgia. Even an apartment with a view of Tokyo Tower seems to gain a little extra value simply because of it.
And yet, if someone asked me, “If you could live somewhere with a view of only one of them, which would you choose?”
I’d choose Skytree.
There’s something overwhelming about its “so huge it messes with your sense of distance” scale. And the different ways it lights up always give me a glimpse of the near future.
I can’t quite put it into words.
Maybe I just “want to be overwhelmed by something I can’t quite make sense of.”
