i've been in tokyo for 6 months and i still don't get the hype

i bought a new camera to test in tokyo and accidentally made a video about why living somewhere is completely different from visiting.
everyone talks about japan like it's the most amazing place on earth. and maybe it is if you're here for a week buying cute stickers. but after spending two summers and now a whole semester in tokyo, i'm honestly confused about what there is to do here besides shop.
this sounds harsh. but i think tokyo is actually better when you live here—when you find the $60 unlimited dance classes, the world-champion karate instructors in random small towns, the craft culture that values every single step of a process more than the end result.
the real japan isn't in tokyo. it's in some random city where you watch a sushi chef for three hours and realize it's not about the fish. it's about the 47 steps before the fish.
i also talk about buenos aires (which somehow feels more european than actual europe) and rio (where there are calisthenics gyms at every bus stop).
this is just me walking around tokyo at night testing my DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and realizing i have a lot of thoughts about the places i've been living through minerva university.
not a travel guide. not aesthetic. just honest.

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