Someone requested I compare Beijing to Tokyo. These are just a few random observations in no particular order. They are not as much about Beijing in particular as China compared to Japan:
Japan feels much more modern and is more heavily influenced by western cultures than China. This is probably because China's government kept them so isolated from the rest of the world for so long.
Although I don't know much about the Japanese government it feels a bit freer in Japan. I can access websites without worrying about a firewall and I don't have the "big brother is watching" feeling looming all the time.
This isn't as much in comparison to China but in comparison to most countries but the Japanese seem to be really unusual in their views about sex. Our hotel's channel guide had really graphic porn in it and I was sort of shocked. The red-light district with hostess clubs and other establishments also seem to have a much bigger presence in Japan than in most countries I've visited.
It is a lot easier to get by on English in Japan. My perspective on this may be slightly skewed by the fact that we only went to touristy places in Japan. In touristy parts of China you can sort of get by on English but cab drivers hardly ever speak a word of English. I found it much easier to communicate everywhere we went in Tokyo. I kept wanting to try to speak to people in Chinese for some reason though, oops... I finally learned a few words and I've gotten used to it, I don't know.
In both countries people kept talking to Danny in the local language because he looks Asian. The languages have some written words in common but not spoken. I thought it was pretty funny though. I also have noticed, I got so used to asking Danny to translate that I accidentally asked him what people were saying when they spoke Japanese a few times. He kept making fun of me for it.
Tokyo is ridiculously expensive compared to Bejing. In China we can pretty much buy whatever we want and not worry about money, in Tokyo everything we buy is a splurge. Shanghai is actually the most expensive city in China and things are still dirt cheap compared to Tokyo. Transportation in particular is insanely expensive in Japan. Also, in China labor is dirt cheap and in Japan people are paid decently. People's living conditions seem to be much better in Japan than in China.
The people in Japan are incredibly polite. They have much better manners than in the states and dramatically better than in China. By comparison Shanghai, and Beijing have a "me first" mentality and people just push to get what they want. In Japan people wait patiently in line and stay to the proper side on the sidewalk so people can pass them. Taiwan actually is a bit similar to Japan in that respect. I think at times Japan may go a bit overboard on following rules and regulations though. Apparently even regular bikes have registration and can get ticketed like cars. Even the homeless in Japan are polite and quietly keep their distance, in China they follow you around and try to grab you hoping if they annoy you enough you will give them money.
I'm sure there a tons of other differences I could point out but those are the most glaring ones at the moment. I really enjoyed visiting Japan, it is a place I always wanted to see. I can't wait to go back and see the Kyoto area.
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