Downtown Tokyo at night

I recently spent some time in Tokyo during a round-the-world-in-11-days trip. This was the highlight of the trip, and probably the coolest place on the planet I have ever been to.

Tokyo is ridiculously urban. In the neighborhood where I stayed there was no green space to be found - no parks, not even parking lots. Most streets were too narrow for anything but bikes and scooters. Cars were scarce except along the major route pictured to the left.

If you have ever seen the movie Lost in Translation you'll recognize the intersection in this picture. This is where the scene was shot with the dinosaur walking across a giant building TV screen in the background. This is Shibuya. Times square on steroids.

Things I learned about Tokyo:

• 30 million peole can actually live in a single city, and keep it clean
• the Japanese don't walk and eat or walk and drink coffee so there are no garbage cans on city streets
• this is not a multicultural city (at least not the parts I visited) - it is mostly Japanese residents.
• women spend a LOT of money on boots and handbags.
• there is virtually no crime - this is one of the safest cities on the planet
• you need to eat every 2 hours because the local food never leaves you full (but the sushi is awesome)
• the movie "lost in translation" is an extremely accurate depiction of what it's like to go to Tokyo....
• the information desk clerks in the subway can't speak english - you are on your own and good luck.
• it's fun to ride the subway, get lost, and not be able to read the signs
• you can't use addresses or maps to navigate in Tokyo - it's easier to go by landmarks. There are virtually no street names or signs and the numbering system makes no sense