The five things I love & hate about living in Tokyo

I live in by far the best part of Tokyo; the little-known suburb of Kyushu : )

Oops. Freudian slip? I love living in Japan.

Mixed feelings about Tokyo.

Love the transport infrastructure - not fond of the sardine situation

Love the many record stores - but not fond of the prices unless it's Book Off

Love the parks, museums, galleries - but not when crowded

Love the festivals - but not drunken people

Love the cinemas - cheap, comfortable and people don't make a racket. No complaints there.

Would rather live in Kyushu, Shikoku or Okinawa if I had the chance, all the same.

The title says 'living in Tokyo', the blurb says 'living in Japan'.

They're not the same.

I love loving in Japan.

I would hate to live in Tokyo.

Living in Tokyo doesn't necessarily mean downtown, out in the burbs its just like living in any other city. For me the worst part about living in Japan is the foul pollen season, absolutely despise it.

@bass4funk totally agree. For me 3 ~ 6 months is about all I can stand before I need to go somewhere else.

@Wrembreck yeah same with me. What's annoying is not having easy access to stronger allergy meds.

Yeah right. When was the last time you've been to a museum in Tokyo? Be honest ; )

My honest answer is last month. That's why I mentioned museums in my list of great things about Tokyo. I like museums. Lots of them in Tokyo.

Can't understand the dislike of Tokyo. Fascinating city. So much to do and see. Living in the suburbs and being a 40-minute train ride from central Tokyo - great.

Don't live in Tokyo. Never have. Never will.

I agree. The crowds, the rush, concrete jungle, No and Never. I definitely prefer Kyushu for living in Japan, at least you have space, less people, less congested, easy to maneuver. But living in Japan as stated in the article has its pros and cons. So for me living 6 months out of the year is fine, but permanently.....Hmmm...

Living in Tokyo doesn't necessarily mean downtown, out in the burbs its just like living in any other city. For me the worst part about living in Japan is the foul pollen season, absolutely despise it.

Yes. I lived in a nice-ish area of Tokyo paying a hefty rental fee before moving to a quiet, dull, Tokyo satellite town and finding a bigger, better apartment for about 60% of the cost. It's nice to go into Tokyo for a good night out, to see great museums, to go to concerts etc.

Best of both worlds.

Speaking of the burbs, there's one part of Tokyo I really, really like, though I don't think I could ever live there - Chichijima.

Reckless - dunno what you're talking about...all sides of me are nice! :-)

@Fizzbit

The National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno. There are a few museums and galleries in this area. After a bit of education I wandered over to Ameyoko market and got drunk in a cheap yakitori place on cheap shochu and Hoppy.

You really should visit Tokyo. Cracking place. I’ll put you up.

I primarily work from home so I'm fortunate in that I've rarely had to deal with that, but if I did I'm sure it would high up on that list!

I love Tokyo. One of my favorite cities in the world.

@motoyen completely agree regarding meds. I get stuff sent from home, but they're no match for the evil sugi.

Ahhh Tokyo,

As far as cities go, Tokyo has so much going for it. You could spend everyday finding something new to discover or experience. However, I'm of the group who like to visit but wouldn't want to live there. It takes me 2 hours to ride east from Shizuoka-ken on Rt. 246 to reach Shibuya. Crazy how a trip like that can change your surroundings.

Pros: Women in Tokyo are some of the most beautiful/fashionable in the world and that's no stretch to say. Unlimited varieties of food and drink. Crime can be found but safety, and respect for others, is at levels not seen in many other cities.

Cons: Traffic and crowds would have to be number one. Sky high prices for certain items, but if you live within your means than not an issue. The feeling of being in a concrete jungle and light pollution can at times be too much.

Needless to say, I'm a country boy at heart and enjoy living close but not too close. I'll take green mountains, rivers, and farmland any day.

None of the "loves" is Tokyo specific. They apply to all of Japan. I take it "low living costs" is relative to other worldwide major cities. On this basis, Tokyo is definitely cheap compared to London, NYC, Sydney, etc.

From someone living in the big city, I would like to see "subcultures", "range of restaurants", "nightlife", "shops" etc. as the loves. "Internationalism" does get a look in, but only in the lack of it as a hate.

We live in inaka but I kind of hope my daughters end up in Tokyo or elsewhere, because job prospects for women in inaka are terrible.

Don't live in Tokyo. Never have. Never will.

Tokyo - a megalopolis with a country town feeling

What I like about Japan is too numerous to mention. What I don't like is low level seating and, "D you have a point card?"

My honest answer is last month. That's why I mentioned museums in my list of great things about Tokyo. I like museums. Lots of them in Tokyo.

Just checking. cool. Now I'm curious, what museum? I know nothing of Tokyo. Just that it looked like one big cinder block from the bus trip from Haneda to Narita.

Plenty of escort service clubs with wide selection of women, unlike in rural areas. That is it.

Cracking place. I’ll put you up.

Well that's mighty kind of you to offer. Thank you

Well you can't have everything. Contentment is indeed not so common as commonsense.

dislike - useless police, drivers who ignore signals and drive within inches of our feet, all officials, high cost of living and residence taxes. love - convenience of everything, parks and lots of entertainment, don't need a car, lovely ladies walking around.

Never even been to Tokyo. No interest. Unless, say, Peter Gabriel reformed with Genesis and played in Tokyo, then I'd go.

to see great museums

Yeah right. When was the last time you've been to a museum in Tokyo? Be honest ; )