4 things that I can conclude from the streets in Tokyo

When I went to Tokyo, I found some amusing things that we don’t have in Jakarta. Or that I found new and different from Indonesia. This is the thing. I can guarantee the people who only know Bali instead of Indonesia is still exist. While Japan, who doesn’t know Japan? Cultural-wise, there’s gonna be A LOT of differences. And you’ll find me journaling the differences on this blog.

Here they are. Some findings I saw generally in the streets of Tokyo.

1. Color variation on houses

It’s like they only have white and brown paintings in Tokyo. I can’t recall finding any house that was painted in orange or blue color. When I stroll down the houses and apartments in Nippori area, I was a little stunned by how ‘plain’ the color of the houses is. I’m talking about the wall’s color here, not the doors, stairs or gate’s color. They make it look very mature, though.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, we do have a lot of painting color variations. Of course white color is still dominant, but you WILL find private houses painted in orange or green or even red. Bold. We’re creative that way.

Plain Japanese house

Bold Magenta Indonesian house

2. Color variation on clothes

Again, it’s like they only have white and brown and additional dark blue and grey color of garments in Tokyo. Well it’s not as plain as the houses and buildings, but I really I think I was the only one who wears red jacket when walking on Shibuya crossroad. Awkward. SO awkward.

In Indonesia, we can have 10 colors all blended in 1 T-shirt, or so. Well, it’s probably because Indonesia is a tropical country. Somehow, people from tropical countries seem to love colors so much. Just picture 2 persons who came from Hawaii and from Russia walking side by side. See my point?

Bold red jacketed Indonesian me in Shibuya crosswalk 

3. Traffic light

There are sooo many traffic lights and crosswalk in almost every little crossroads. Even for a very small road that barely has cars passing on it, it has a traffic light! I’m not joking about the small road. I don’t think it can fit 3 cars passing at the same time. And for every intersection, there’s a traffic light. I just don’t see the point of those many traffic lights. Probably it’s just in Tokyo. I don’t know.

I’m not sure if it’s something that Jakarta should have too. We only use traffic light in big streets and have lots of cars passing on it. People can cross the roads wherever they like, pretty much on all small streets here.

4. Building size

It’s obvious, actually, but I still want to point it out. Geographically, Japan is a small country comparing to Indonesia. That’s why, Japanese are very effective in using space they have. So I think you wouldn’t find any spacious malls or house with spacious backyards in Tokyo. Oh please don’t forget, we are now comparing it to Jakarta. Indonesians will feel that they can barely breathe in Tokyo’s shopping center.

Indonesians seem to get used to huge space in everything. Roads, malls, backyards, etc. Take one example, Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall in Jakarta. If you stand in a corner of west mall and your girl/boyfriend is standing in the opposite corner of east mall, you are now having a long distance relationship. That’s how big Jakarta’s malls are.

Typical spacious backyard of Indonesia house

Those are the things that I saw in Tokyo streets. Pictures other than Shibuya are taken from other websites.