Tokyo Love

What makes a city “world-class”? This is a question I have found myself registering in lieu of my recent trip to Tokyo and the environs of the Japanese archipelago. Major world cities are usually recognised through their unique and iconic distinctions – London its black cabs, red phone boxes, pubs and renowned architecture; New York by its yellow cabs, its scale shattering, inflated urban core, and its much vaunted claim to being one of the globe’s true 24 hour cities. In identifying commonality and the characteristics by which the modern “world class” city can be defined, what is the common denominator? Or perhaps the recognition of a major world city is more nuanced than the simple unearthing of one common trait – in that a city of global reach achieves its lustre by laying claim to a set of bounteous energies, whose synergy lends a metropolis its dynamic and beguiling edge.

Whatever the reasons, I couldn’t help but find myself lamenting London’s seemingly muted approach to round-the-clock living. While London enlivens through its classical architecture, its rich tapestry of international culture and its residents’ voracious appetite for all manner of cultural pursuits, other cities adopt similar templates, and do so by casting aside the shackles of traditional opening hours.

This is where London fails, and Tokyo succeeds. To be fair, perhaps Tokyo’s endless idiosyncrasies would prompt any worldly resident to question the authority of their city. But it is a deficiency that visits to both Toyko and New York have strikingly exposed. And we all like to think our city is batting in the same ball park as those two don’t we?