Megacities

I grew up in a relatively small south-coast-seaside town in England, and big cities never held much attraction for me. However, I had always wanted to see Tokyo, having the impression of it being the densest and brightest swarm of human population on the planet. Despite preferring small towns, I wanted to experience the other end of the spectrum, and finally got the chance back in May.

Then, I decided to go to a workshop in mid-Mexico (which I’m currently at, more about this later), and realised the opportunity to spend a few days in Mexico City, a place I would never normally consider for a holiday. Mexico City and Tokyo are both megacities, with huge populations and dense living. However, almost as soon as I touched down in Mexico City I couldn’t help comparing the two; they were immediately so different.

Tokyo pleasantly surprised me, so much so that I actually fell in love with the place. The streets were clean. The metro system was intuitive and efficient. The people were polite to a fault and I always felt safe. This probably comes across as a rose-tinted view, and perhaps it is, but I was so enchanted to find a gigantic city that suited me. My Finnish beau and I always joke that I have a very Scandinavian preference for efficiency. Tokyo has a reputation for being busy: there are many photos of the famous Shinjuku crossing, where a mass of black heads and suits rush across the road as the lights change, but in reality it’s a very calm busy. In Tokyo you will rarely be bumped, never hear a crossed word in a crowd, and seldom be interrupted by a beeping horn. Mexico City is a much more selfish busy, raging with noise and chaos: tiring and terrifying. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its quiet moments in parks and gardens, but as a whole the city seems to lurch and roll more.

For me, this is disconcerting, but it’s probably a lot of fun for people who like words like ‘flavour’, ‘vibe’ and ‘colour’. But apart from the living city, the buildings are also different. I don’t mean architecture as such, but rather the impression that Tokyo is more ‘complete’ than Mexico City. While sitting across from one of the numerous building sites at various stages in the centre of Mexico City, I asked my boyfriend if he remembered seeing any construction in Tokyo. Neither of us could. To me, this seems to represent a city satisfied, whereas Mexico City is a place not quite certain of its character, still growing and evolving.

These are of course first impressions, and I’m a firm believer that you can never really know a place until you live there (hence why I’ve already lived in 4 countries), but there they are!