Machida

Even though Tokyo is out of reach on the weekdays, I realized that I could still get out and go somewhere, so last night I took the train 3 stops north to Machida. My initial impression was "Wow, I wish I lived here instead." My station is so boring! There is almost nobody on the streets, and only two shopping streets with a very limited selection of stores. In Machida, there are streets filled with people, and about 4 major department stores, and a huge variety of restaurants... Also, if I lived there I could have taken express trains both to work and to Tokyo, so it would have been faster to get both places. Of course, it's probably really expensive to live there. Also, when you need a 2-month fully-furnished rental, your options are quite limited— doubly so when you're trying to rent in a foreign country you've never been before that has strange (and costly) customs for the renting of apartments. So I'm not bitter that I live at the most boring station in greater Tokyo, but I'll have a better idea of what I'm doing if I ever live here again.