First impressions of Tokyo

Leading up to my flight across the Pacific Ocean to start my semester abroad, I had no idea what to feel about my (then) upcoming trip to Tokyo and no clue what sort of atmosphere I should expect to feel from the city.

At this point, a solid 12 hours have gone by since my plane touched down at Haneda International Airport and so far, Japan seems less like a foreign territory to me than it does a long lost cousin. Though it’s my first time in Japan, the scenery that slipped by during my bus ride to my hotel reminded me of previous trips to South Korea to visit extended family.

But before I go on — some background. I’m here in Japan for the first two and half weeks of what you could consider an unconventional study abroad semester. These upcoming weeks with Keio University comprise the first portion of the East Asia Three-Campus program, which is new to USC this academic year. After my time in Japan is over, I’ll be off to spend a semester at Yonsei University in Seoul, and then taking off again to spend my summer at Hong Kong University. My time in East Asia will be a truly comparative experience, but for now, my focus is on Tokyo, without any distractions.

Due to its sheer size, what I’ve seen of Tokyo so far is limited to a small corner of Shinagawa ward where my hotel is. The closely packed buildings and narrow streets are true to my expectations, but thanks to being here in person, I’ve been able to fill in the bits and pieces that help define and distinguish Japan from the United States. So far, I’ve noticed obvious things, such as how drivers take the wheel on the right side of a car (as opposed to the left) and slightly less apparent things, such as how people appear to take their left side when walking in a given direction, instead of the right.

A quick reminder to those who plan to travel or study abroad in the future — make sure to read up on the basic social customs of your intended area of travel. In addition to soaking in the novel details of my surroundings, I’ve also managed to commit a faux pas throughout this first day by handing documents and money directly to clerks when paying for things, instead of placing them into the small trays present, as I should have. I’m trying to catch up on Japanese social customs as quickly as I can, but luckily in the mean time, the people around me are gracious about the mistakes I find myself making.

Even within the 16 days I will be in Tokyo, I doubt I’ll be able to even touch the tip of the iceberg of what it has to offer. Tokyo spans an area about twice the size of Los Angeles and houses over thirteen million people (compared to L.A.’s population of approximately four million). Despite such differences typical of any large metropolitan area, Tokyo is divided into distinct wards that each have their own distinct qualities and famed attractions, much like how L.A. is divided into areas such as West Hollywood and Downtown.

That being said, with the limited time I have, I can’t wait to get to know Tokyo as much as I possibly can.