I'm moving this from my blog to my Posterous site. Going forward, I will be using my blog for content related to my consulting business and Posterous for all other topics.
As I planned a 7-day trip to China, I decided to add a 3-day layover in Tokyo. I was lucky to have friends in Tokyo who graciously hosted me and showed me around Tokyo. I also had a friend in China who spoke the language and offered to take a week vacation to tour China with me. Here are my thoughts and observations from the trip:
Tokyo, Japan
I spent 3 days in Tokyo. After arriving on Friday night, I took the 30 minute bus ride into Tokyo and met up with my friends, Mike and Sunny. We spent the next 3 days taking subways, walking, and boating around Tokyo. I saw a lot in 3 days and got a good feel for the place. Here are my observations:
- Tokyo is a very clean city. Mike and I went for a walk one morning and we came upon an old lady in a kimono sweeping 3 leaves into a dust pan on the sidewalk in front of her retail establishment. This was a huge contrast from what I was about to witness in China. I think there is a pride of ownership in Japan that doesn’t exist in China. Real-estate in Tokyo is very expensive so people take care of what little space they have.
- Tokyo is very safe. I was surprised to see police on literally every other corner. There were little police kiosks everywhere. They were usually young and very polite. It made me feel safe to know that nothing would happen too far from the sight or sound of a police officer.
- Tokyo has a good subway system. The subways were very clean and safe. They are the main form of transportation in the city. There are many subway lines run by different companies so it can be very confusing making transfers to get to your final destination. The good thing is they have a card system where you load the card like a gift card, scan it entering the subway and exiting the subway, and your card is debited based on the distance traveled.
- People dress up in Tokyo. I noticed people dress nicer in general than in Seattle. The men wear suits to work and the women all wear skirts and high-heals. Also, everyone, and I mean everyone, has a cell phone and is often typing text messages with two thumbs.
- Tokyo real-estate is expensive. No surprise here, Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities to live in. Aside from real-estate, everything else is relatively inexpensive.
- Mid-town and Rapungi Hills are both very nice, upscale neighborhoods and would be nice places to live or visit.
- I would definitely visit Tokyo again and would even consider living there for a period of time.
Shanghai-Xi’an-Beijing, China
I spent 7 days touring China. This included 1 night in Shanghai, 3 nights in Xi’an, 2 nights in Beijing, and 1 night in Shanghai. My friend Nathan, a Chinese-American who was working in China at the time, took a week vacation from his job in Shanghai to tour China with me. Here are my observations:
The air in Xi’an is lacking. There was a haze in the air but it didn’t smell at all. I noticed a thin layer of dust coating the streets and buildings. There is a lot of construction so I assumed it was the cause of the dust. Both Nathan and I got a sore throat and lost our voices over the next week. Nathan had a doctor friend in Beijing and called him to get advice. He told Nathan that everyone who visits Xi’an gets a sore throat, even the locals, and that it would go away in 7 days with antibiotics and 10 days without antibiotics. He was right. He said it was caused by the wood burning stoves that people use to heat their houses.
China felt safe. I had a chance to walk the streets of the local neighborhoods (day and night), take subways, city buses, and taxis, and eat at the local restaurants. Because I was with Nathan and he spoke the language, I felt comfortable venturing outside the tourist districts. I definitely saw a different China than I saw within the tourist districts and attractions. Overall, I felt safe the whole time. I did see a fist fight between two young kids in the subway in Beijing but you see that in the US too. I guess it’s their form of road rage.
Driving is aggressive but not personal. In the US, people honk and want to fight you if you cut them off. In China, everyone cuts everyone off and takes every inch they can get. The difference is that it’s not personal in China. Because everyone drives the same way (no rules and take every inch), it’s expected. Honking in China is a form of communication (I’m here, I’m taking that spot, etc…). It’s only when then lay on the horn that they’re mad. I saw cars driving the wrong direction on the freeway twice. Yikes!
People cross the streets while cars are coming. It only took me a day to get used to this and then I was doing it myself. The key is to keep moving and not hesitate. The cars will time it so they just miss you. As long as you don’t hesitate, everything flows smoothly. I have a picture of this in the photos attached to this post.
Every Starbucks I visited (in China and Japan) was jam-packed. Starbucks has done a great job creating the same experience as in the US.
The tourist attractions and tourist districts were like everywhere else in the world: manufactured experiences designed to extract as much money from your wallet as possible. The most memorable and enjoyable experiences for me were getting outside the tourism and experiencing the real China. I wish I could have spent more than a week there.
Everything is super inexpensive in China. The real-estate is only expensive if you want luxury. No need for a car as the subways (in Shanghai and Beijing), buses, and taxis are affordable and efficient. Use travel agencies in China. They block rooms in hotels and can often get discounts in excess of 50%.
Everything is negotiable. People expect you to negotiate and respect you more if you do.
I’m very fortunate. I expected to come back with an appreciation for the material wealth we have in the US. What I didn’t expect is to come back with an appreciation for the opportunities we have in the US. This especially applies to women. I was struck by how hard the women worked in China even though they have little chance to prosper financially. I recognize that this is common in developing countries and this will improve as China continues to grow and integrate with the global economy.
I would definitely visit China again and would consider living in Shanghai. Touring China was a great experience and opened my eyes to the realities in China versus what you see and read in the media.
I love travelling and this trip was one of my favorites. I hope to visit both countries many times in the future and also encourage you to experience Japan and China if you ever have the opportunity.
