PostBlog: Taking in Tokyo

The biggest metropolitan area in the world at 40 million people is amazing and exhausting. I can't write anything coherent today, so I'm resorting to some random observations in no particular order.

• Tokyo is huge. Huge. No kidding. This is a big city.
• There is no "Tokyo skyline." There are several of them. They are scattered all over the endless 360 degree horizon. Tokyo is sprawling.
• This is an old city. It was not built on a grid. There is no logic to the way the streets are organized. If you were given an address, I don't know how you'd find it.
• Subways: there are at least two separate but overlapping subway systems and never do the two meet. When I tried to use a ticket for one on the other one, I was quickly corrected by a very helpful transit official.
• I was nervous about the language barrier. Unlike other places I've visited, I can't even sound out the words on signs. I needn't have worried. Without understanding a word, a lady who saw us undecided which train to take pointed out the nearby tourist information center. Without saying anything but the place we wanted to go, a police officer showed us on a map how to get there. The officious subway official smiled as he took the correct amount of money out of my hand when I struggled with a mess of unfamiliar currency. An older woman on a crowded subway car pointed with concern at my foot. I looked down and my shoestring was untied. A younger woman traded seats with me so I could sit by Clyde on the crowded train. What language barrier?
• You think Londoners like lining up? They have nothing on the Japanese. Everywhere else in the world, boarding a subway is a free for all. In Tokyo, hundreds of people line up single file, even at rush hour, and wait their turn.
• No one jaywalks here. It doesn't matter if there is any traffic. You do not cross the street until the signal indicates that you may do so. 
• There are very few fat people in Tokyo. 
• Most people talk quietly here. For a huge city, it's a very quiet place. The loudest people in Tokyo are either American or Australian. You can tell the second they open their stupid mouths. 
• Back to the subway - we spent a lot of time on the subway. No one talks on the subway, and if they do, they do it quietly. It is considered very rude to talk on your phone in public, especially on the subway. Everyone, however, is using their phones for other things like texting or playing games. Quietly.
• Lest you think I'm idealizing Tokyo, let me share another observation. I watched a "salary man" eat his lunch today. We were also eating lunch so it wasn't too weird. He looked like he was in his 20s, wore a business suit like millions of others, and he looked absolutely exhausted. There are hundreds and hundreds of these men. They are everywhere. They all wear the same suit. I like the quiet, but I'm a little uncomfortable with the conformity. I hear that these men often work from 8:00 in the morning until 11:00 at night, miss the last train home, and start all over the next day.  How many of those guys are miserable their whole lives? And yes, it's men. Japanese women have other problems. 

Tomorrow we leave the city to see another part of Japan. Tune in next time for another PostBlog from Asia.

POSTBLOG from San Antonio: Everything is Huge, Except for the Alamo

Here’s what I’ll remember about the Alamo: crowds and traffic. It’s true what they say, that there’s really nothing much to it. If Clyde hadn’t pointed it out, I would have missed it completely.

This is in contrast to the rest of San Antonio, which is huge. I was surprised to learn that it’s bigger than Dallas. So why does Dallas get all the attention?

But after Houston’s endless freeways and strip malls, San Antonio is charming, historic, and loaded with character. As we drove through Clyde’s old neighborhood, Alamo Heights, I thought of how this city reminds me in equal parts of Omaha and Pueblo: Omaha for the hills, lack of sidewalks, and thick tree lined streets; and Pueblo for the mixture of old and new, and pervasive historic Spanish influence.

Only I would make that comparison.

San Antonio is part of that often overlooked, rich southwest swath of the U.S. which includes Santa Fe and Albuquerque. You cannot be here without acknowledging that Americans come in all flavors, speak multiple languages, and thrive in diverse cultures.

But America it is: San Antonio is one of the more overweight of cities. Obesity is a huge deal here.

After the 24 crash course in San Antonio, it’s back to Houston to celebrate Clyde’s mother’s birthday.

It’s fun to be with Clyde’s family: sister, nieces, nephew, and mother. They are friendly, generous people. I’m already looking forward to the next Texas visit.