Sardines, Horns and Fish

Have you opened a can of sardines, notice how there all jammed packed. Well imagine the can being 377,923.1 km and there being 127.3 million sardines, that's Tokyo for you. I can only imagine the smell of that place, with it being one of the top seafood markets in the world and with that many people, it must smell like the grange garbage disposal times ten. Also, if you were to walk down the street it mush sound like world war two with all of the car horns, taxis and talking going on. That would be the last place on earth I would want to be if I had a migraine. Finally can you imagine what the railings to stair ways must be like? I would have to put on hand sanitizer every couple seconds to not fear about getting the flu. Japan seems like a lovely place to visit, but with all of these factors can you imagine living there?  
                                                       

1 man in a crowd

Everyone should have the idea that Tokyo is heavily populated.  But there is more to Tokyo then you think.  For example the Tokyo Tower (can’t believe this exists) was inspired by the Eiffel Tower.  Every five years they repaint it taking a year to paint.  Wow!  As you look at the tower there is a crowd with loud conversations.  If you’re getting tired sleep in a capsule hotel, you can see the many skyscrapers covering the landscape.  Go for a refreshing, cool walk after waking up.  Sounds nice right, I think so myself.  Do you want to go to Tokyo now?

My Room Is Too Small!!!

What do you think of When you hear the word hotel? I’ll tell you what I think. When I hear the word hotel I think of a large room with lots of space in it. I’ll also think of a vocation. Sleeping in not worrying about school. Will not in Tokyo. Some of the hotels in Tokyo are really small each room will only fit one person. Do you wanna know why? there are few reasons but the main reason is Space . There are a lot of people in Tokyo and there is not much space there. So many people go to these Capsule Hotels to rest for few hours. From my point of you I think this is a great Idea and the small rooms will feel cozy and home. I’d like to try it for one day but not more than that. Because if its for more than that I’ll probably feel trapped inside that little room and it will not feel like a vocation at all. Do you like to visit The Capsule Hotels?

Stuffing

I would not want to ride one of the trains in Japan. I would not appreciate someone stuffing me into a train where I would be smooshed against lots of strangers. I bet it would smell like body odor, which I hate the smell of. I do not like to think of what it would feel like to be that close to so many strangers. That feeling makes me cringe. I think it would be very loud in a train in Japan with that many people. If I was a small child, I would not want to go on that train because I would probably lose my parents. Not being able to see my parents in a situation like that would be frightening! Anyways, I hope I never have to go on a train in Japan because I’m sure it would smell, feel, sound, and look terrible.  Would you ever want to go on a train in Japan?

Toronto vs. You

For eight years of my life I lived just 131 kilometers away from the capital of Ontario. Toronto. And it was great. I didn’t necessarily go there often but, I did go the chain of cities leading up to if from my city. Ajax, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Whitby. Thats only a few. Going to metropolitan area whose population is 2.79 million from a city that’s population is only a small fraction of that size is exciting the first couple of times. after a while it’s just life. If you haven’t had this experience, then it probably would be way different for you, coming from Okemos. It takes some getting used to. For example, the smell is not like it is here. Ha! Not at all. Pretty much every time you go into the meaty parts of the city you get wafts of garbage, or sewer. But it’s not all the time, and after a while you don’t even notice. When you walk down a street in Okemos you maybe pass five people every two kilometers. In Toronto, you pass five people every second...and that is not an exaggeration. Crossing roads is hectic yet a pleasant sight because  you see so many heads bobbing with diversity in the crowd. You can picture every race unified into one crosswalk, and that’s a basic Toronto street. I could go on and on about how one day in this great city can change your view, but I won’t because I don’t feel like writing a novel today. But think about this: Would you be one to handle the bustling streets of Toronto firsthand?

Crowded in New York City

New York City is very crowded city in the state of New York. When you take a train or a subway in the city it can be hard to find a seat and most people will end up standing instead of sitting. The streets are crowded and it takes a long time to get through all of the people in the street. Most people that live there don’t own a car because they don’t need to use one. There is also a lot of traffic so people that have a car will get them the to the places they need to go slower than walking, taking the subway, or taking the train.

Oh My Beijing!!!!!

Have you ever been to Beijing, do you want to? Well if you do then I have some enthralling information for you so keep reading. Did you know that Beijing has a population of 21.52 million that's more than New York? Well it’s true and Beijing has a lot of complications due to their population. They are trying to control their population but its not going so well their population grew 50% in a year. In Beijing there is not a lot of water or landfills due to so many people. Each person only get 119 cubic meters of water and the international standard is 1,000 cubic meters per person. 119 cubic meters is 502984 cups thats not a lot if you think about. So my question to you is would you move to Beijing if you only had 119 cubic meters of water per year?
                                         

OH MY POD

One of the aspects of life in Japan that I thought was interesting was their pod hotels. I thought it was very cool how they could have all the aspects of a normal hotel room but have it all fit into such a small space. I think that it would be a good idea to also have these in America because I think that it would appeal to the younger generations, such  as people like me. I would expect these places to smell like fresh laundry, which would make the whole experience even better. The aspect that I found interesting (in a strange way) was the wave pool. It makes me wonder why someone would even want to go there. Imagine if you had to go to the bathroom and you were in the middle of that. I think that it would smell like chlorine and urine (due to the amount of people in there).

Tokyo?

Have you ever been to Disney World? Or the happiest place on earth? Well it amazing other than how many people a day visit it. Each year about 25 million people enjoy the experience. Someday’s like Christmas and just regular days reach maximum capacity of 100,000 people for Magic Kingdom. Which if you think about it is a crap ton of people. More than 58,000 worker spending more than 1 million on a payroll. Again thats nothing compared to the amount they make each day, with all of the food sales and ticket prices. The population density is high for the area they have to work with. Going to Disney World is a very fun experience. If you have been there what was your favorite ride?

Population in India

When you go to India you see animals all over the place. There are cows roaming the roads and bulls that sleep in front of your car. The smells outside are so weird and disgusting. The smells when you enter a house are sweet and spicy because of the curries and sweets that are placed in circles on a table. When you look outside there are so many people walking around and people selling vegetables and toys. They scream at the top of there lungs that even the person on a apartment that is 5 stories long could hear them and come buy stuff. India is a busy country.

Adeventures in Tokyo!!!!!

You woke up this morning at 7:30 which for you is sleeping in late compared to your usual 5:40 wake up time. You're overjoyed, today you are going shopping in the big city of Tokyo! Of course, you travel from your hometown of Oiso, in Naka Distict, to Tokyo every weekend to visit your older brother who is training to be a computer coder. You have gone shopping there a few times before with your friends, but you have to be very cautious while shopping in Tokyo. The Tokyo stores are always jam packed because of the high population density. As you and your friends board the train to Tokyo, people behind you are suddenly shoved into you, so annoying right? Then, you hear the train doors close. You and your friends exchange nervous looks as you all realize you are basically packed into a tin like sardines. Finally, after a grueling half hour of having no personal space at all, you arrive in Tokyo. You suddenly smell that unforgetable odor, the smell of pollution. It encircles you in a warm, sticky, thick, cloud as the train doors open. You barely have time to realize it because you and your friends are half running, half being shoved out of the train. Once you get out onto the platform, everyone decides they need a nice refreshing drink. You exit the train station in a torrent of people and walk to the nearest Starbucks for a nice grande caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino. Sadly, this Starbucks has a line down the street. So you and your friends make a mad dash to the Starbucks on the next block which is much less crowded, the line only goes 2/3 of the way to the door! Still, it takes everyone 40 minutes to get your coffees'. Now, you can finally go shopping. Slowly, yet surely your group weaves through the crowds to a new boutique that everyone's been talking about at school. There's a line to get into the front door but, you and your friends decide to wait in line. As you get closer and closer to the store's entrance, Toyko seems to get louder, but surprisingly smells better. Soon, while you are studying a super cute high waisted skirt in the window, you get bombarded by a spray of perfume. Which, actually smelled really good, like kind of like orange peel, vanilla, and peaches mixed together.You have to buy some! 15 minutes later your group finally makes it into the boutique. While you go in a sales lady is trying to geet some customers to leave. They are argued, the sales lady said,
"You have been here for five hours that is two hours past the time frame you could be here!"
"If you don't calmly leave now, I will have to call the police."
With that, the other customers left in a ranting group. Then, the sales lady apologizes for having such confusion. You and your friends begin to shop at the boutique, the clothes are a little pricey, but nothing you can't deal with. Then you find what you were looking for. The perfume, it's the last bottle on the shelf and another girl is quickly walking towards it yelling at other customers to get out of her way. You speed up up your pace and reach the perfume before she does. Thank goodness! You have heard stories about people fighting over items in Tokyo so you go back to the register and buy it. After that close call, you and your friends leave. Off to another store! The rest of the day goes well. Still, you are happy to return to Oiso after a long day of weaving through hoards of people.
What if this was normal for you here in the U.S.? What would you do?

Big Traffic in Little Tokyo

Do you ever feel like drivers in Michigan don’t know what they’re doing? Well you got it easy. Japan has traffic up the Ying-Yang. Compared to Tokyo, Michigan’s traffic is one of the best around. Subways, highways, sidewalks they are all crowded. Highways because of cars. Subways because of people getting on and off the train. Sidewalks because of people walking. All of this traffic is is because people like that don’t know how to be organized. That’s how I see it anyway. Would you want to visit a place with this little space? I know I wouldn’t want to.

POPULATION

In big cities like Tokyo, the capital of Japan, it is a very dense area filled with people rushing to work and other places such as malls and markets. On May 1, 2014 about 13.35 million people were calculated in living Tokyo. Transportation must be very hard for these people. Japanese use trains for transportation, and since there are many people, some people’s jobs is to shove people inside the trains. If I was ever in that situation I would feel so troublesome in being crushed or mashed into someone or a door.After the ride  when the door opens I could finally breath again without the pain of inhaling a person's STANKY odors.
   

The pollution of China

When you go to a city in China, such as Beijing or Hebei, you hear noises everywhere... You hear people talking, cars going by, and  sense delicious smells of rice and meat. However, you cannot but notice something strange.  You cannot see very well because of the fog. After a long day outside you start coughing and get a sore throat. You are astonished after you realize that it was just the incredible amount of pollution . And not only the air is polluted, but water as well. As you see in this picture many fish have died because of the incredible amount of pollution. Why so much pollution here? Since hundreds million of people live there, there is more people polluting than in a small town. As the population grows, so does the pollution. It affects the people that live there, animals and plants.

As you can see causing more pollution will cause more harmful disturbances. What do you think we can do to stop polluting the environment, especially in highly populated areas?

Markets in Seoul :)

Ever been to Seoul, South Korea? My guess is not. I am here to inform you about the truth about the population in Seoul. Not everywhere in Seoul is as busy as described. Most places that I have visited aren't actually aren't that busy, but that isn't very interesting, is it? So, let’s talk about where it really gets busy, street markets. There are street markets all over Seoul, and there are people all over the markets. I have been to many markets, but one of the busiest would have to be the Namdaemun. At the market, I always see busy streets,and since it is so busy, I always feel sweaty bodies brushing up against mine, gross! Namdaemun always has a ton of people. Namdaemun has everything from food, to clothing, to random knick-knacks. I also see new, interesting food. The food from the market brings an overwhelming amount of spices, and Korean food goodness. Have you ever been to a similar market?

How?

From the morning rush hour video, most people could figure out that the population density is very high. To be exact, in Japan, there are 336 people per square kilometer. If you did not watch the video, it showed an insanely high amount of people trying to fit into one train in Japan during the morning rush. I found this specific video interesting because I’ve never seen people jamming into a train like that.. I also found the video of the wave pool in Tokyo interesting because, having been in a wave pool before, it’s supposed to be fun, but it couldn’t possibly be fun to be in a wave pool full of hundreds of people and have no room. What do you think about Japan and its population?

Shenzhen, China

I just recently moved from my quiet neighborhood in Helena, Montana, to the crowded streets of Shenzhen, China. The opportunity this promotion presents for my dads career made it not merely an option, but more a necessity. And let me say, this was not an easy change. Not only was it difficult adjusting to the new school and language, but just the change in population was insane! After, just walking back to my family’s condo from the school was a struggle! People everywhere, seeming as if all needing to get to wherever they’re going right then. It’s almost uncomfortable, having everyone constantly bumping into you and rudely pushing you out of your way. The park not far from our condo, is less loud but still crowded. On weekend nights, trying to go out is always harder than anticipated, and seems to get worse each night. People yet again everywhere, bright lights flashing in almost every direction, and loud noises coming from both the road and the large crowds of people around you. It’s always so insane here and hectic, the kind that gives me migraines like no other. Now I will say, not everything here is bad; there is something about the occasionally beautiful lights and the knowledge of knowing that there’s always somewhere out there doing something that is in the oddest way comforting. Almost like home. Sound like somewhere you'd enjoy calling "home"?

TOKYO!

Did you know that Tokyo is well known for many things we do here in the United States? Tokyo is one of the most known places for their neon lights and constant action. Tokyo is very well known for their karaoke and sports team. Sports is a very big deal in Tokyo, they  host many national sports such as tennis tournaments, swim meets, marathons, rugby union and sevens rugby games,football, and American football exhibition games. Tokyo has the largest broadcast and studios. It is mostly the setting of Japanese movies, television shows, and animated series. So, knowing this background information on Tokyo would you like to live/visit there one day?

I don't fit!

Ever been in a train as crammed as the one in the video? Do you want to? I don't think you'd like it, but if you ever want to try, go to Japan during rush hour! The weekday rush hours peak between 8am and 9pm in the morning, and after 5pm in the evening. Rush hours are most extreme in Tokyo, but can also be pretty heavy in Japans other major cities. There are no business rush hours on weekendss and on public holidays, so then is a good time to travel. When would you ride on one pf the trains in Japan?

Road Rage to the Extreme

“ Hhonk, honk!” Have you ever been in a really bad traffic jam?  Lots of angry people just trying to get home? Has it made you late for something? Well when you are in a large jam you might want to be thankful that you aren't in Japan. Japan has traffic jams everyday. Some of which can last for weeks. But for every problem there is a solution. And the solution for Japan’s nasty traffic jams are street carts. Locals are very smart and can get you to pay them easily. They will drive around on the side of the road with food and a nice place to go to the bathroom. Of course you can’t say no to the scent of fresh made food. Would you be intrigued by the roaming carts or would you swallow down the hunger yourself?

The Struggle is Real

“WHOOSH.” Another train flies past. The crowd around me begins growing restless as the minutes tick by. I look up at the large clock hanging on the wall. Just as the second hand ticks by the 12, I hear the distant rumbling sound of an oncoming train. The gigantic crowd around me seemed to hear it too, and people begin to push and shove their way forward. One skinny college student with dyed blonde hair elbows me in the stomach as she forces her way through the dense sea of people. A tall business man carrying a dark briefcase almost knocks me over as he worked his way to the front. Just as I’m regaining my balance, a fat lady hits me with her over sized handbag as she shoulders her way past me, causing me to almost fall flat on my face yet again.

“SCREEEEECH.” Finally the train squeaks to a stop in front of us. As soon as the doors start opening, everyone begins doing whatever they can to get closer to the doors. I’m forcefully shoved again and again a countless number of times. After what seems like hours of being jostled about in the horde of people, I manage to reach the doors. Just when I’m about to get on, the doors begin to close, but luckily some workers quickly help push me onto the overcrowded train.

On the train, I begin to feel extremely claustrophobic. One old lady has on way too much perfume, and I overwhelmed by the stench of it. Another lady’s long hair keeps getting in my face, causing my nose to itch like crazy. A teenage boy next to me has his music on way too loud, and I start to get a headache. Then as I try to get more comfortable, the man next to me coughs and sprays me with his spit. I cringe in disgust and reach into my bag to grab some tissues. I then accidentally elbow the lady to my left, and she spills all of her lukewarm coffee right on my new sweater. Groaning in frustration, I use my tissues to clean up as much as I can. I could already tell that this was going to be a very long trip.

As you can see, train rides in densely populated cities such as Tokyo aren't pleasant. Could you ever imagine being on a crowded train with strangers just millimeters away from you?

Smothered Tokyo

Did you know that if you lived in Japan then you would be one of the 336 people per kilometer? Japan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. If you see a picture of densely populated areas in Japan then you will never want to go their. What would even be worse is if you actually live in Tokyo Japan. Every step you took you would be right next to someone or be smothered on someone. I know I wouldn't want to be smothered on someone. Would you ever want to live in Tokyo Japan, because I know I wouldn't.

Too Much in Too Little

I’m sure most of us have been to Disney World and we know how crowded that can be. What would you think about being crammed into one of those Japanese trains? There are already too many people at the station. You can hear the screaming of the train whistle  before its seen. When the train doors open you see enough people in there that if you had your way no more would enter. Someone starts pushing against your back, you would trip if it weren't  for the other guy in front you. It feels as if the amount of people around you are multiplying. Not to mention the amount and strength of the thousands of smells around you. In the middle of train car you would do anything to get out of there. Can you imagine it?

Flipping People off in a Traffic Jams

Spring Break 2015...  Schools out.  Vacation days.  Warmer weather.  People from Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois all head south.  There are traffic jams.  People get ticked off.  My friend's dad flipped off the whole state of Georgia.  Now multiply that by a huge number and you have Beijing traffic jams.

In 2010 during a traffic jam in Beijing people were stuck in for 12 days.  It was 62 miles long.  Imagine that.  It would smell like B.O., gasoline and diesel fuel.  You would hear a lot of car horns and cussing.  A Beijing traffic jam would be crowded as an Apple store when they release a new Iphone.

Check out this video of a 10km Beijing traffic jam.  It looks a pile of ant trying to get a piece of food.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhsPO6yYko

Would you like being swallowed up by cars in Beijing traffic?  How do people in Beijing deal with traffic.  Are they more patient than Americans?

Fastest trains but, not enough space

If you were on a train in Tokyo you would feel compressed, cramped and maybe even annoyed. When the train station employees push passengers into the train it makes them feel miserable and frustrated. I personally would get irritated when I am constantly pushed by someone while traveling. Most of the passengers probably are delightful people that have a great personality but in the train, you feel like punching them in the face because you are so crammed. I had experienced this on a train in India. Have you ever faced this situation or how would you feel if you were to be in that situation?

MOVE!!! GET OUT THE WAY!!!

Imagine waking up and going to work by train in Tokyo. The compartment that you are in has about 100 other sweaty people going to work too. The smell is of sweat and there is no fresh air because there are is a bunch of other people taking it up. Also you were literally pushed onto the brimming train. This is what it is like for the average person in Tokyo. Almost every person that has a job has to deal with this or horrible road traffic. They are pushed hastily and heartily onto a packed train. Even though it is hard being on such a packed train it is either that for 20 minutes or hours in traffic. Which would you choose?