Life in Tokio

Tokyo is a city like no other in the world. Grown together from multiple cities, every district varies significantly and has its own characteristics: from the vibrant electronic town in Akihabara to the calmness of the Imperial palace garden and shrines of Chiyoda, from the cosplay and youth culture in Shibuya and Harajuku to the traditional pottery shops and antic markets of Asakusa. Regardless of what you are interested in, you will find it in this city! And if you don't like it where you are, just take the metro, travel to the next station and get excited about the variety you will be exposed to.

Despite the millions of people living, working and travelling in Tokyo every single day, all is perfectly organized and safe. People queue up in straight lines for the trains, don't raise their voice in public and always try to avoid bothering the fellow men. Locals are more than willing to be of the assistance for foreigners in need, even if they themselves often don't know the direction asked for or don't speak a single word English.

Just some short one- to two-hours train rides outside of Tokyo, you can discover the natural beauty of Japan. Enjoy the majestic view of Mount Fuji in front of the panoramic view of the five lakes or dig deeper into Shinto and Buddhist culture by discovering the temple walk-way around Kamakura.

Japan and the Tokyo area in particular offer everything you can imagine and dream off. You just need yourself get into it and start the adventure!

Make sure to check out Felix' story published in uni'kon (magazine #64, 2016), the magazine of the University of Konstanz. The story describes what Felix has experienced both during his research at the NII and in the freetime when he visited Tokyo and the surroundings. Felix also reveals what he would do differently next time!