We didn’t get much of an opportunity to explore the cities on foot as we were shuttled from agenda item one to agenda item to by tour bus.  However, from travelling on the expressways, I still got a sense of the cities.

Yokohama is a major port city just south of Tokyo.  Its history as a port city stems from the opening of Japan for trade in 1853 by US Commodore Perry.

Yokohama and southern Tokyo are cities on water.  Massive, wide canals wind around sections of warehouses and industry, stretching inland.  We travelled over bridges that flew over flats of reclaimed land.  Many roads and intersections were built on supports extending from the water.

Tokyo itself is a city of levels.  The expressways crisscross each other and go so close to residential buildings that it’s hard to imagine their residents getting any decent sleep or peace with all the vehicles that ceaselessly roll by their window.  The monorail curved alongside us and skimmed over water along with the web of expressways we travelled on.

In the districts I saw, the workforce is dressed formally in simple suits and low heels.  It is a stark contrast to Vancouver’s casual dress code – I have gone to my co-op job downtown by Burrard Station without a blazer many times, even in dark slim-fit pants and a cotton tee.