Tokyo is not Japan

Now, before you decide this is a hate post on Tokyo I'm going to tell you right now it's not. There is a reason why Tokyo gets so much praise, and it deserves that praise. Tokyo is a place where everybody can find something they will be happy with. So then what's going on with title? Well, it's exactly what it says, "Tokyo is not Japan." Let me start explaining.

There are many websites and channels on YouTube that cover news and interests about Japan. They discuss a lot of things about Japan that would catch people attention, like how technologically advanced Japan is or how it is the land of anime. All of this is true, but as they are stating these facts they are only showing footage of Tokyo. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, but it is not Japan. Tokyo has two major international airports, but it is still not Japan. Tokyo is Tokyo. No city in Japan could ever think of replacing Tokyo, but that still doesn't make Tokyo into Japan.

Not all, but some people love generalizing when reporting about Japan. They'll report, "this is Japan," when really they actually mean Tokyo. I see this a lot on Facebook videos from fan news pages. Literally all the footage and images they put together for their video is all of Tokyo and they just slap the name Japan on it. To be blunt, I don't like those people. Japan is many things, and has a unique culture that is able to mix modern life while still keep their traditional culture intact. Not many countries can say they've accomplished this. That's why I find it almost insulting when I see those types of videos that claim the name Japan.

Once again, nothing is wrong with Tokyo. It's a fun, big city that has something for everyone. It would at least take a whole month to explore all of Tokyo at a tourist level (and that's being generous). You are allowed to love Tokyo. I am not bashing Tokyo at all, as I like many things in Tokyo such as all the anime goods, Tokyo Disneyland and all the different foods you can find there. What I am saying is you can't call Tokyo Japan. Let's put it into a formula to make it easier to understand.

Tokyo ≠ Japan

however,

Japan = Tokyo

Meaning Tokyo does not equal Japan, but Japan does equal Tokyo.

Sorry to those of you who just had flashbacks of being in Math class. I hope it helped explain my point a little better. Tokyo is not, and never will be, Japan. Tokyo is a part of Japan. We can say Japan is Tokyo, but that also means Japan is Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka. Japan is many things, not just Tokyo.

So next time you see one of those videos about how cool Japan is, see if you can tell whether the footage is from Tokyo or if they have other places in Japan worked into the video.

Let's test it now! I have two pictures of big cities in Japan. One is Tokyo and one is Osaka. Can you tell the difference? Let me know in the comment section below. People who are not very familiar with Japan will have some difficulty figuring it out. Good luck!

Which is Tokyo and which is Osaka?

Thank you for reading my blog! Hope this was an interesting topic for some of you.

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