Listen: I am a city girl. I am a pavement queen. I love the hustle and bustle and I’m-walkin’-here energy. I thrive on it.
But I didn’t really thrive in Tokyo.
So, I’d like to preface this blog post by saying that most of my travel guides for digital nomads are helpful! Some even call them legendary. But today’s blog? I’m sorry to say there were a few things that really kept me from digging into Tokyo.
First, I was spoiled silly by Seoul, South Korea when it came to my favorite activities: writing in coffeeshops, drinking coffee in coffeeshops, living and breathing in coffeeshops. Seoul has an ungodly amount of cafes and coffeeshops that are cute, vibey, and feel like home to my writerly brain.
Tokyo — and Japan as a whole, with a few rare exceptions in Kyoto — hasn’t really embraced coffeeshop culture. Or, at least Western coffeeshop culture, where you sit outside on a patio (in Europe) or inside (in the US) and just read a book or work on your laptop and just vibe out for an hour or six. I remember being at a cafe in Milan where people just camped out with their friends all day going from drinking coffee to wine: the relaxed atmosphere and cozy seating open to all.
In Tokyo, coffeeshops are often small and cramped. It’s also rude to walk down the street and drink a coffee (scandalous!) or a drink of any kind, so you’re stuck awkwardly standing on the side of a busy road drinking your coffee in order to adhere to local etiquette. Not really my favorite way to start my morning.
Japan is also getting the full force of the hype train on social media. It feels like everyone and their cat is in Japan. Are you in Japan, too? If so, would love you to hit me up on Substack and let me know your honest thoughts.
I also want to say that Kyoto is probably one of my new favorite cities in the whole wide world, and I’ve been to quite a few places. So if you’re wanting to read an epic travel guide with some good writing vibes, maybe skip to that blog post instead.
But if you want some candid opinions on Tokyo, then read on.
Listen to this travel guide or read it here on my blog.
Happy travels!
-Amy
p.s. I create my newsletter voiceovers and my podcast episodes using the tool Wondercraft AI, a text-to-speech tool that speaks in YOUR voice. 🎙 Use my code SUTO50 or this link to get 50% off your Wondercraft AI subscription! (paid/affiliate link)
✍️ Desk of Amy Suto: Working Remotely in Tokyo, Japan