City Life

I have never been to a big city before. Actually, that's a lie. I have been to St. Petersburg and Moscow. Those were pretty big. Especially, Moscow. However, I have never been to a gigantic city; one that houses more than 10 million people. I'll put it that way. I received my official introduction when I travelled to Korea with the BYU Wind Symphony. Our first stop was Seoul. This was quite the introduction to city life. There were gigantic buildings all around me. The streets were crowded with people going every which way. I wasn't able to really soak it all in until we checked into our first hotel of the tour. From my window, I saw this. 

I sat there at my window and just gazed out upon this. Even at night, this city was full alive. There were still cars traveling everywhere, people wandering the streets (not necessarily the kind you would want to meet), and the lights were bright and beaming. There was a lot of energy that was in this city. I could feel it and see it. I was extremely excited to be there and was ready for the next day to come so that maybe, we might get to venture out into the city.

I was blown away by Seoul. I had heard about such cities and their massive sizes, but being there and experiencing it for myself really put into perspective what I had heard all my life. Now, Seoul was absolutely amazing. I loved it there, but I wasn't really prepared for the experience that I was about to have when we finally traveled to Tokyo.

Oh my gosh!!! Tokyo is amazing! Now, whatever energy and excitement that Seoul had, take that and multiply it twenty times. There is so much going on in Tokyo. Being on tour was kind of restricting in that I didn't have as much freedom as I would have liked to run out into the city and check things out for myself. However, I was still able to get a good taste of life in Tokyo.

Tokyo has a population of about 15 million people... ... at night. During the day, there is around 30 million people in the city. At seven in the morning, out on the streets are only men. There may be a few women, but for the most part, only men. In the afternoon, there are pretty much only women out on the streets. By nighttime, around eight or nine, the men dominate the streets again. This is explained by the work hours. Most men work from about seven in the morning until eight, or nine or so at night. The Japanese are very efficient and productive and this is one of the reasons why.

If I were to ever live in a big city, it would definitely be Osaka. Sorry, I'm sure you all were expecting me to say Tokyo, because I've only talked about Seoul and Tokyo. Surprise! 

Osaka is one of the cleanest cities I have ever been in. It is absolutely beautiful there. Being in this city gave me the feeling of safety and comfort. It was so interesting. I only feel that at my home around family and friends.

While in Osaka, we met the mayor, who is one of the coolest guys ever. We had one of the most wonderful performances ever here. It was our final performance of the tour, which you will hear about later. 

This ends my new fascination with big cities. I love the energy, the architecture and tall buildings, and the fact that there is so much to do. I wish that I lived closer to one, but that's okay. Better reason for me to have a road trip or something, right?