Tokyo is a city with no heart, amirite?

They saw a photo with some bright pink lights in insta and assumed they were visiting the real world cyberpunk game.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

wait so Tokyo is not like that? ive always imagined it as real life cyberpunk

by Anonymous 2 days ago

It's just a city. People are people. They work, let off some steam, sleep, raise kids, etc. Go hit up NYC. It'll have all your futuristic city stuff.

by thielvida 2 days ago

We need cyberpunk city in real life, someone please build it

by Few-Information-3410 2 days ago

China probably has the closest cyberpunk cities.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Goes to NYC and is upset it's not just Central Park and that people have lives and jobs there.

by marilou50 2 days ago

Man, I hated NYC. I didn't see Spider-Man ONCE

by Reilly29 2 days ago

I'm guessing you didn't go to times square to be inappropriately touched by him and be harassed for $5 after.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Damn, this is why I loved NY. The pulse of the city haha

by Anonymous 2 days ago

My favourite bit was following up the 'it was not like what Insta told me' with 'everyone was glued to their phones!'

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think you guys are focusing on the Instagram bit too much, OP did go to Kyoto and Osaka and compare them favorably to Tokyo. Honestly speaking yea Tokyo is composed of a whole lot of drab brown buildings for some reason BUT the small alleys have lovely shops and food.

by Infamous-Data-1052 2 days ago

He literally says instagram propaganda led him to believe. What other conclusions are there

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Well tbh I laughed at that line too, but Tokyo is a bit drab looking to be honest. Though it has its charm

by Infamous-Data-1052 2 days ago

I can totally see why someone would prefer Kansai over Tokyo, but to say that it has no soul overlooks a ton of history of that city.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I'm not saying it has no soul, but 90% of it is made of drab brown stone. You need to go to specific interesting places to find the soul

by Infamous-Data-1052 2 days ago

In person, but he didn't look at other sources except insta

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I feel pretty confident in saying the problem here is you believed Instagram influencers for their word and not actually anything to do with Tokyo.

by Remarkable-Entry3777 1 day ago

Imagine thinking Instagram is a representation of real life…

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Instagram is literally the problem here

by paucekabigail 1 day ago

The part where they eavesdropped conversations in order to figure out "vibes" lol

by Dismal-Valuable-6931 1 day ago

😭😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 like is buddy okay ??

by Frequent-Tax 1 day ago

No aura 🤣

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I think you guys are going a little hard on OP. I don't think they're literally saying "I went to Tokyo because of Instagram". It's more about the reputation of Tokyo as a whole from outsiders. You guys are hyperfixating on the word Instagram here

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Instagram propaganda led me to believe. No one is hyper fixating on anything.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

This! Instagram or not, there's been a major push of tourism in Japan, hence Instagram suggesting it. It's like a fashion! Next it will be another country every few with this sort of push. OP just saw a lot of the travel marketing push done by influencers, so totally understandable

by Anonymous 1 day ago

If you're travelling to be well-liked by the locals (most of whom in Japan don't speak English), or to hear people humming (wtf?) then you are travelling for the wrong reasons. I just don't get why Western travellers feel entitled to local people's time and attention. You might be on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday and it's all novel for you, but they are just minding their own business and going about their day. As someone who lives in a touristy city, while tourists can be annoying and make the streets crowded, I don't have any problem with the number of tourists. But when they randomly try to talk to me for anything other than asking directions, or they ask to take a photo of my dog (happens daily for some reason), then that's when I get frustrated. Don't impose yourself on others. They are not a society where you just strike up a conversation with each other in a bar. YOU are the visitor in THEIR home. Show some respect for their culture. Even if you don't like it.

by soledad24 1 day ago

things might be different now, but I remember Katz being 24/7 some days. Veselka was always 24/7.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Thanks US DoD.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Tokyo is so big that your experience is entirely dependent on which part of the city you go to. There are quieter parts and more lively parts, like anywhere on earth, it's just that distinction is even more important given the size of the city. And do you speak Japanese? In my experiences people in Japan are generally not very good at English and many will be too shy to try to speak with you so that could explain the friendliness problem too, especially depending on what parts of Tokyo you visited. Speaking Japanese makes people there open up so much in my opinion.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yes but I've been to a few mammoth cities and I've only ever spoken English and I did not find this problem. Also how do you strike up conversation to people in Tokyo, bars, restraunts, anywhere these people are very shy and are phone obsessed. Im also not much of a shopper which is a big thing to do in Tokyo.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Yeah, I think your issue with striking up conversations is you don't speak the local language tbh. Not saying Japanese is easy or anything, but knowing the basics is how you get people to open up in my experiences.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

You can't exactly strike up a conversation with them if you don't know their language. They probably ignore you since they (rightfully) assume you're incapable of speaking with them.

by Pasqualedouglas 1 day ago

Well, seeing as you chose to visit a country and didn't know the language, what were you expecting?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

You were visiting their home, maybe learn their language if you conversations with locals is that big of a deal to you? The entitlement of western tourists is truly astounding. Like a foreign city needs to form itself around your personal expectations.

by Inside_Arrival_454 1 day ago

"i only speak english" "they weren't friendly" missed the big ol' gap of him in another country where most people don't speak english lol my goodness OP

by Anonymous 1 day ago

only ever spoken English and I did not find this problem. Also how do you strike up conversation to people in Tokyo, bars, By learning some of the local language. You don't have to speak a lot, but showing that you have tried to speak some Japanese to them, it breaks the ice and they're more comfortable to speak to you in English. Then it's just a mixture of broken English/Japanese and a lot of Google translate. I've been to Tokyo 5 times and now live in Osaka. Every time I go out drinking with friends we end up talking to strangers this way.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

holy yikes dude. you only speak english and expected a country where most people don't to be friendly ? 😬

by Anonymous 1 day ago

And I guarantee they were friendly. OP just equates conversation with friendliness

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Literally every bar I go in Tokyo the locals come up to me and want to talk. I think you need to find a nice small bar that isn't packed and let the conversations flow

by willmstorrey 1 day ago

How long exactly have you spent in Tokyo OP?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

About 5 days !

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Mmm, so let me get this straight: You took social media influencers' opinions to heart about Japan without formulating any of your own You spent a total of 5 days in Tokyo and expect to understand the entire city ?

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I think five days is enough to get a preliminary understanding of a city, or to get a general feeling for it.

by erickagleason 1 day ago

Nope. No one who researches for any amount of time outside of the instagram echo chamber

by Anonymous 1 day ago

No that is in opinion from Social media. If you look up anything about Japan you could Know that. Why do you think the meme of World thing - -_- Japan thing ^ how cool exist.

by Wittingagustina 1 day ago

⬆️

by Anonymous 1 day ago

lol

by Maleficent_Shock7122 1 day ago

"often I like evesdropping on people to see what the vibe is." People like you are the reason why I don't talk on the phone in public. Mind your business and don't listen in on people's conversations.

by Defiant_Lack_5231 1 day ago

SAME.

by Sad_Ebb3846 1 day ago

🤣🤣🤣

by Frequent-Tax 1 day ago

hahahah and what did they get from Japanese people? they go to work go home and repeat. people are on their phones and keep to themselves. welcome to the vibe. now what as if people don't have fun elsewhere in other situations

by Constant_Animator 1 day ago

Great! Nobody wants to hear you talk on the phone in public.

by Donna50 1 day ago

Classic unpopular, but also uninformed take.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I give this bait a 3/10

by Anonymous 1 day ago

That's generous

by Adorable_Ad5679 1 day ago

Nah

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Seriously. 🤣🤣🤣

by Frequent-Tax 1 day ago

How exactly are you going to eavesdrop on people when you don't speak Japanese?

by Flatleyjosianne 1 day ago

I mean I see what you mean tbh. It's too conforming, but that's not all of Tokyo either. I wouldn't describe Shibuya like that. Tokyo was probably my least favorite part of Japan personally, Hiroshima and Osaka >>>

by Aubreyreilly 1 day ago

Indeed an unpopular opinion!!! Tokyo is so enormously large, I think that's fair. It probably has many hearts!

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I wholeheartedly disagree. It has so much heart. It's a different type of atmosphere but it's truly a wonder. Love it all. But I'm thrilled that it's a genuinely an unpopular opinion.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Tokyo is bigger than some countries. You were just unlucky or you went to basic tourist spots. I spent few months in Tokyo and man, there are amazing places and people. But they are not in turist hot spots.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Gotta be a troll

by winona40 1 day ago

Tokyo is not one single city its made out of multiple cities that are so close to eachother that it looks like one single city

by Savings-End 1 day ago

That is not an accurate summation of what the word city means

by Anonymous 1 day ago

It's a prefecture.

by Inevitable-Sky-5821 1 day ago

Hahahhaha

by Anonymous 1 day ago

It's good that you can laugh at yourself. Most dummies don't realize they are the joke

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I mean that certainly is an...opinion

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Believing online influencers and social media propaganda is your first mistake.

by Weak_Sweet 1 day ago

It's propaganda because it's skewed to give a false perspective.

by Weak_Sweet 1 day ago

Hmm this sounds like a you problem, firstly for believing social media influencers and secondly for putting so much expectations ahead. Social media and real life can be quite different sometimes

by Hour-Month 1 day ago

Honestly, people not whistling or humming in public is one of my favourite things about Tokyo. I've often heard laughter, though.

by Desiree59 1 day ago

I live in Tokyo and I do love it, but not gonna lie, I find myself preferring European cities these days.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Travel to China

by Alarming_Sea 1 day ago

Try playing Yakuza/Like a Dragon games, then go back and visit Tokyo (or Yokohama or Osaka) and I guarantee you'll begin to discover bits of heart there.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Op used Instagram as fact.

by Flatleyjosianne 1 day ago

He also mentioned other things that could be discussed but people can't get over Instagram. Op was naive, we get it

by Anonymous 1 day ago

If you let your trip be ruined by Instagram, you deserve it.

by Flatleyjosianne 1 day ago

Yeah I think op gets that.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Tokyo is the city you go to for work and entertainment. It's very sterile in that sense. Very disconnected.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Wouldn't be surprised if commuters don't seem joyous or look around with the curiosity of tourists.

by deangelolesch 1 day ago

If you want to see a city with no heart then go to Dubai. Tokyo has bags of soul in comparison.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

As someone who has spent multiple weeks in each city, Id say Dubai has more soul and is way more interesting to be honest.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Lost me at "the people in Tokyo weren't the most friendly".

by Schulistraegan 1 day ago

Tokyo is so massive that you can get totally different impressions of it depending on where you are. It's THE mega city in the world.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I arrive on the 10th. I hope I don't share your opinion.

by Horror-State7196 1 day ago

I was in Japan last year and I agree. Tokyo was the least fun part of the trip. Fuji, Nagoya, Osaka all much better vibes

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Paris Syndrome

by Top_Negotiation 1 day ago

Asians invented racism bro

by Anonymous 1 day ago

You just gotta poke around.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Tokyo was the future in 1990. I find hilarious people who say in 2025 that Tokyo is futuristic. Any major Chinese, Seoul or Singapore are way more futuristic.

by Round-Maintenance912 1 day ago

I think you just need a better understanding on what culture means.

by Designer_Media_3856 1 day ago

I've lived in Tokyo for 20+ years and I think the city is completely overblown by social media. The expectations some people have of this city is just unrealistic. If you do your research and go to the right places at the right time you'll find a lot of culture, but aside from that it's just another big city with people going about their business, not a tourist playground

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Sounds like the ramblings of an entitled tourist who didn't get his way and is now mad about it

by Leonie68 1 day ago

man what are you like 17

by dylan80 1 day ago

Tokyo has no vibe…perhaps you were in a coma?

by connellysaul 1 day ago

To me Tokyo feels like a machine. Vast and efficient but impersonal. I feel invisible when i walk around. Like im just part of a big crowd.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

there is a saying japan has been living in 2010 for the last 20 years. It was ahead of its time now its kinda fallen behind

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Westerner discovers different cultures exist.

by Unfair_Row 1 day ago

Not every place has to be built around Murikhan tourists.

by schaefercaterin 1 day ago

You live on social media dawg. Live in real life

by Anonymous 1 day ago

The privilege of traveling is wasted on people like you

by brekkemckayla 1 day ago

most belivable ragebait:

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Looks like you aren't well travelled enough to comprehend differences in cultures. There are loud , warm cultures - and there are reserved cultures. Tokyo is for appreciating the immensity of a metropolis, for efficiency and speed and high tech. There are also slow paced and casual aspects of Tokyo. There is a lot of depth if you go in knowing the history of the city and its growth and bubble era concepts. Even the museums in Tokyo are underrated. There is soul but a different one , maybe not the one you are used to.

by Timely-Jicama 1 day ago

Japan is always talked about in a positive light. They don't learn about their own history and turn a blind eye. The Japanese economy is crashing with their population overworked and depressed and population crisis similar to Korea. The work culture is killing them and People keep to themselves far too much. If you want to go to Asia, Malaysia Singapore Hong Kong south Korea are more vibrant and have more personality. Hell, even give China a go if you want to explore the "unexplored"

by Dangerous_Ball 1 day ago

Hahahahaha loving the conversation guys. 1. Where do all of ye scholars get your travel information if not Instagram. 2. Everybody evesdrops. 3. Tokyo's just not it guys, sorry.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

Not Instagram. Not really. Overall depends what you did, if you just eavesdropped on people all throughout your trip... Might have found your problem 😂

by blandaestrella 1 day ago

🤣🤣🤣🤣

by Frequent-Tax 1 day ago

No how did you not like the Sugoi anime city??

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I hated Tokyo.. I went there for the first time last year and yeah... that city is NOT for me. But I am eager to discover the countryside for my next trip. People need to understand that social media is not the reality of a country/ a city / or anything 🙄

by Practical-Wheel-569 1 day ago

Being clean and quiet on trains is not culture It sounds like you're saying being clean and quiet is a lack of culture, which is extremely false

by Anonymous 1 day ago