The ups and buts of life in Tokyo

As someone who loves Tokyo it would be very easy to sit here and write a syrupy piece full of platitudes. But that's no help if you're trying to get a handle on what Tokyo life is like. So instead, I’ve chosen to focus on what I call the "ups and the buts". Five "ups" that make this city rock, with the "buts" that make them balance.

UP: a city full of energy

Tokyo has an energy that's hard to put your finger on. It's not overt. It's not in your face. But there's an intangible fizzle and crackle in the air that makes this place breathe.

Why does this energy matter? It's an integral part of the Tokyo experience and it's a feeling that many have said they share. Where does it come from? Partly from the numbers of people that share this small space with you. And partly from the fact that this is truly a 24/7 city. But it goes beyond that. It feels like it's part of the DNA that binds this city together.

BUT: the "Big City Complex"

Tokyo's bundles of energy are balanced by what could be called the "Big City Complex". It's a feeling that most people get, from time to time, that they just have to escape. The pace of life is fast here, and occasionally a sense of being overwhelmed can set in.

How do you deal with the "Big City Complex?" You do what your instinct tells you. Escape for a bit. Go to the countryside. Join in a local Japanese festival. Whatever it takes so you break away from your regular city life. Building an escape route into your Tokyo routine is the best way to manage these feelings.

UP: rules and escape clauses

The most commonly used word for foreigner in Japanese is gaijin. Its literal meaning is "outsider" and, for some, the word causes offence. Being called an outsider when you've lived somewhere for 10 years does seem rather xenophobic. But the thing to remember is, there's a plus side to this word that often gets overlooked.

Japanese society is strongly based on cultural rules. I'm not saying that Western society isn't, but in my experience of both, Japanese rules are far stricter and more complex. So what's this got to do with you, the gaijin? You get to live in a society that's well-ordered. Things work. You know why things happen, and why they don't. But you're not bound by these rules in the same way as a Japanese person. If they break a rule at work it can jeopardise their whole career. If you break a rule at work, as long as you show respect and a willingness to learn, life goes on as normal.

This unwritten escape clause from the regular rules means that you have an enormous amount of freedom to be who you want to be while you're here, without losing the security net of social order and stability.

BUT: rules and frustrations

Rules also come with potential frustrations and, for some, they can be a big "but" in their Tokyo life. Where many businesses in the West operate on flat organisational structures, many Japanese firms are still based on hierarchical ones. Why does this matter? Because decisions are generally top-down or group-based. When the answer to a well thought out individual suggestion for change is, "It's always been done this way so we're not changing it," frustration starts to set in.

How to deal with it? Take the time to get a sense of how your organisation works. Start by building relationships with those around you. It's an essential part of doing business in Japan. And know right away that decisions will not be made overnight. Get into the psychology of how decisions are made here, and then start your bid for change.

PLUS: sushi, sashimi, Michelin and more

Food is big in Tokyo. The fact that it's been awarded the most Michelin stars for the past four consecutive years is a tribute to the quality and range of culinary experiences available. But food is much more than just stars here. A meal at a local sushi or sashimi bar is equally as good as a fine dining experience. Then there's soba, udon, and ramen, all different kinds of noodle dish that'll have you slurping with joy .

What's the best advice if you're a foodie about to arrive in Tokyo? Don't stick to just one kind of dining experience. Mix it up. Eat at a local izakaya (Japanese style pub); at a train station stand up bar; at a local ramen shop; at a conveyor belt sushi shop; and in a classy restaurant in one of the city high-rises. Not only will you get to eat some great food, you'll also get to see different aspects of life in the city.

BUT: where's the brown bread?

Go to your average supermarket, bakery, or café in Tokyo and you're mostly going to see white bread in various forms and sizes. In fairness, some supermarkets do stock a type of brown bread, but it's not like the stuff you'll get at home. It may sound like a small thing to pick on as a possible sore point but sometimes it's the small things we miss the most.

If you're a brown bread fan, what do you do? Can you get your hands on some good old-fashioned brown bread? Yes, you can - although it will come with a price tag. There's a chain of bakeries called Paul's in various locations around Tokyo which has lots of goodies in the brown bread department. Or if anyone's got another suggestion, we'd love to hear from you in the comments.

UP: there's no need to drive here

In some countries there's no choice but to drive. The public transport system just doesn't work well enough to provide a reliable alternative. But in Tokyo? It's trains all the way.

The train system is phenomenal. It never ceases to amaze me how efficient and well run this system is. Barring the unforeseen, trains arrive and leave on time. The doors open where they say they'll open on the platform. They're clean and they're safe. It doesn't matter where you want to go in Tokyo, there's a train line you can take to get you there. And you don't have the hassle of dealing with traffic.

BUT... it can be daunting at first

There are lines and more lines. When you look at the train map for the first time it can feel like you're looking at one of those optical illusions where the real picture is going to show itself to you if you can unfocus your eyes just a little bit. Where do you start?

Then there's the train stations. The big ones are big. There are stairs and platforms to negotiate that sometimes mean you're walking for 10 minutes just to go from one train to the next. And there's the different types of train that run on the same line. The local, the express, the semi-express, the commuter, the rapid. Which one do you need?

How to cope at first? Work out where you're going to be staying in relation to your nearest train station. Find that on the train map. See which lines run near where you live. Then choose some destinations you know you want to visit and mark them off on the map. Working out your routes in advance (when you first get here) can save you a whole heap of unnecessary stress.

PLUS: coming home at the end of the day

Tokyo is an incredibly safe city to live in when it comes to your personal safety and possessions. Of course you have to use your common sense, but you will not find the gun and knife cultures that exist in other big cities around the world. You can walk home by yourself at night knowing that 99.9 per cent of the time you're not going to be mugged or attacked (yes, there's always the 0.1 per cent).

As to your personal possessions? I know a guy who fell asleep on the train, jumped up at his stop and rushed off, only to realise his bag was still sitting above his now empty seat. He called the company, they located his seat, and returned his bag with his wallet etc intact with a bow.

BUT: the fear of the "Big One"

Now more than ever after the earthquake on March 11, 2011, there's a fear for many who are planning to live in Tokyo. What if the "Big One" hits?

It's an unequivocal fact that Tokyo sits on faultlines that make up part of the Ring of Fire. Earthquakes have always been a regular feature in life here and they will continue to be so. Your office desk will come equipped with an earthquake emergency kit. Local schools have regular earthquake drills so children know what to do. And gathering points are clearly identified in each community so you know where to go if a big earthquake should strike.

Can I promise you it won't happen? Of course not. It's part of life in Tokyo. Is it a risk worth taking? Well, the final decision has to be yours. Life really can be up and down in Tokyo, in the most literal sense of the expression. But the city is as prepared as anywhere in the world should the "Big One" strike.