The world's greatest existential contradiction

My project is set to begin on Monday. It is currently the early morning of my tenth day in Tokyo. Since having arrived, I have wanted little more than to take in every aspect of the city that I can and form an opinion outside of the preconceptions that we, as spectators to a world constructed by the media, are all so familiar with. 

Given ten days, I will not pretend to have even seen even a single percentage of Tokyo's secrets. Nevertheless, from now I don't think my attitude will waver. Upon observation, the city is a timeline of its own evolution. An artistic clash of ages. The world's greatest contradiction.

Japan is a city encompassed by strict eastern cultural traditions. It remains the world's centre of Zen Buddhism and inner peace, and yet the city is a spider-web of skyscrapers lit from foundation to peak with the bedazzling faces of cartoon characters. The population is colossal. A stunning example is the famed Shibuya Crossing, where thousands of people cross the road every time the traffic lights change; imagine a solitary hologram walking in a perpetual loop through a beehive of mirrors. Always on the go, but never going anywhere. If you walk a couple of minutes down the street from this, ancient shrines stand in pink gardens, centuries old and undamaged. From here, all you can hear is the cicadas singing Summer.

I won't lie, every notion I had gathered about life in Tokyo from its media representation have turned out to be, without much question, the reality. As much as I would love to have been able to say otherwise, I can confirm that yes, some girls do walk around in kimonos and yes, those are the same girls that live for anime and everything cute and fluffy. Pikachu is everywhere. Everyone eats sushi. The country is built on respect. Godzilla is a genuine concern. I could go on about my initial impressions, but not here and not now. This takes nothing away from my experience, though, and if anything I am even more excited. I am discovering new secrets and learning new cultural practices every day. For now, I hope to shine some light on what you can truly expect, and all the while open my own mind, for these coming months, to Tokyo: the city that will never die.

Akihabara, Tokyo. 01/09/16

Shinjuku, Tokyo. 02/09/16