I’m back from another annual trip to Tokyo. Boring as some might think, Tokyo is actually the best place to visit if you want to experience the best of modern Japan. The keyword here is “modern”. True, it might not have those old temples in Kyoto, the vast nature in Hokkaido, or the authentic culture in less commonly visited places like Yonago. But what’s bad about being modern? In my opinion, the “traditional culture” one experiences is made for tourists, with a standard recipe to entertain the most number of people. But in downtown Tokyo you experience the everyday life of the Japanese, and such modern “everyday” elements are the true contemporary culture of Japan.

When you visit a city so many times, navigation becomes easy. You are confident about which train to catch, where to buy tickets, etc. If you run out of ideas for new places to visit, or if there’s a sudden change of plan, you immediately have backup plans in your mind. Yes, a true good place is one that’s worth revisiting, be it a museum, a cafe or a restaurant. And a sign that you’re already part of that city is when you can slow down instead of rushing to different spots in the most efficient amount of time. I believe I have done that, having spent way too much time in cafes.

In the meantime, you get lost when you’ve visited a place too many times. I’m dying to dig more deeply into this lovely city. Finding more routine places the locals visit, interacting with more locals, or perhaps even experiencing some subcultures in this city, these are the things I’d like to do next. But I don’t speak Japanese, and most Japanese don’t speak English. Language barrier in Japan is a true hurdle for foreigners. Perhaps it’s time to start learning Japanese?