Tokyocooney's Japan forum

Ok as you no there is tokyo ginza and shibuya and all those other places, are those there own city in japan or are they different like sections of Tokyo, like in new york threes china town and all the other jazz.

Ive just had this question because it seems weird to live in tokyo, yet have to subway to ginza every day or such

Though some might laugh at this question... its a perfectly good one. Different neighborhoods of Tokyo do often operate like their own little cities. And I think Its fair enough to divide the city up in to a few different general areas. Yet others might draw lines based on the different Wards of the city. I live in Ikebukuro, in Toshima-Ward. I dont really identify with Toshima but I do with Ikebukuro. So for me I think of my neighborhood being Ikebukuro station and around it. Most people explain where they live by saying the name of the nearest train station, though that is not always exactly the name of the place they live.

A quick anecdote... when I lived in North Ikebukuro, the locals at my nearest bar (It appeared in my vid on nightlife) They would refer to Ikebukuro station as "The City" and their small neighborhood only about a mile or two away as a different area. I thought this was ridiculous, but they grew up in North Ikebukuro, and think it is totally different from Ikebukuro proper.

But basically, most tokyoites consder Tokyo as one city, but in conversations identify themselves by which station they live near. And make no mistake, what station you live near speaks volumes about who you are. And people will tend to judge you based on the station.

Just as in NY, being from Brooklyn is different from being from the Upper West Side which is in turn different from living in SoHo. I think this is true of all major cities.