Polite Tokyo

Above, a view of the crowded city of Tokyo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Canada's Regina Leader-Post has a three-page article on the politeness of Japanese society in Tokyo.

It starts with:

Tokyo makes a great first impression. Not all cities do, but Tokyo does. If you arrive at Haneda Airport in the early evening, your shuttle into the heart of the city will be a dazzling roller-coaster ride through twisting tunnels, over high bridges, along narrow underpasses and across arching flyovers. 

And as you whoosh by, the city sparkles majestically and looks gorgeous all around you with tens of thousands of twinkling lights from countless highrises and apartment blocks. 

My first impression of Tokyo and Japan was of a clean, wellorganized, graffiti-free, litter-free world, filled with polite, non-hornhonking drivers, clutter-free balconies, and immaculate urban landscaping. 

But what also struck me was what a quiet city it is, considering it is one of the world's largest, with 35 million people living within a 50-kilometre radius of the centre. 

Quietness, politeness and respectful behaviour are deeply entrenched in the Japanese psyche. It is not feigned or cynically observed: It is a sincere and genuine sensibility, a core value of the society.

With 35 million people clustered together, Tokyo would be an urban hell if the inhabitants had the mindset of the people of New York or Los Angeles. They'd be at each other's throats. Politeness apparently makes life in a densely-populated city tolerable.

It is interesting that the writer (Steve Whysall) had the first impression of Tokyo being quiet, for I find it to be one of the noisiest places (particularly in the shopping districts of Shibuya, Akihabara and Shinjuku) I've ever been in. "Clutter-free balconies"?! When I arrived in Tokyo on my first visit there in 2001, I noticed nice high-rise apartment buildings whose looks were marred by hanging laundry in the balconies. I have noticed less of this in later trips, but it was an eye-opener at first (maybe I've just gotten used to it). Whysall is correct on how clean Tokyo is. It is a clean city, despite how difficult it is to find a trash receptacle.

It is an interesting article and well worth a read. To read the full (remember, it's three pages long) article, go here.