This place’d been calling me for years and finally landed this shabby flat here in Tokyo SHITAMACHI 15 Aug.

I list the facts of my discovery so far.

#1. Tokyo is enoooooormous. I’m from Tokyo but this is re-recognition.

I’m just too busy walking only a part of SHITAMACHI – equivalent to old east London, craft people’s area, they speak like “Init?” fast, not  Hoxton / Shoreditch polluted - to get any slightest chance to visit any other part yet.

#2. Season shift is very distinctive.

It’s been super hot in daytime (I’m sure you can fry a egg on my arm) BUT eve / night is getting a tiny bit cooler day by day. I can feel the season moving on my own skin day by day.

This explains why Japanese food delicately resonates shifting season.

#3. Dilemma of safety / accuracy / politeness &  bureaucracy

YES, incredibly safe / accurate about everything.

I can’t find any 1 bike having a fat lock like mine chained to anything.  Brand new shiny bikes are standing on its own without chained to anything….

You can choose parcel delivery / utility service time block in a day and they are super on time every single time!

Once the gas man was waiting for me in front of the front door before I got home 18:10 for 18-21:00 block . What a difference from London praying to get in a correct day.

24/7 post office missed post collection point.

Any customer service doesn’t make mistakes, they always double check even occasionally by 2nd person.

BUT the complex of  bureaucracy is unexplainable…honestly…it’s beyond my capacity.

I speak language but it’s beyond – so many options on everything / filling forms / signing / multiple IDs, passwords everywhere.

The worst is mobile phone which I still can’t use properly and scares me that I keep visiting its customer centre ever so often.

#4. Full of Chinese people in Japan.

I have to investigate why but WOW amount. This is significant difference from what I remember about Japan 20 years ago.

In certain areas, it feels like being in China hearing their talking.

#5.  Now getting into my area:

My place is right next to Yoshiwara red district – herited from a historical  red district from mid 17th century Edo era – apparently the biggest one in Japan. Great!

I walked those streets sometimes and saw the men start to stand in front of the sex shops to pull customers late afternoon.

I’ve seen “Yoshiwara sex clinic” ad in this area’s streets. Yoshiwara & sex is the paired words that it made me laugh.

I didn’t realise that my shabby flat is next to this area when I was hunting a flat from London. Lucky to be here with very rich historical culture.

I will keep recording my discovery.

These are photos;

http://okimuk.com/site/?page_id=10