I rencently went on a lengthy tour of the big three Asian cities. Along with a series of photos of them, here’s a few words to tag along.

All of these cities are vying to be “Asia’s World City”, much like Toronto silly quest to be “world class”. The truth is, it really depends on what you’re looking for in a city cause they’re starkly different.

上海

Personally the city that offers the most to someone my age, that is to say early twenties to early thirties, is without a doubt Shanghai. It’s still dirt cheap compared to most of the real world class cities like New York or London. You can easily get by on $10-15 a day eating out. Rent should be available close to downtown for about $500 a month in a 1 bedroom. I think the biggest draw however, is the bar scene. I have yet to go anywhere in the world where you can likely find an all you can drink every night for approximately $15. It’s also got plenty of high end bars if you’re interested in spending $15 a drink. The once again growing Western influence insures that lots of foreign brands of most products are available. And there is still some of that dirty Chinese city attitude left (although diminishing).

香港

Hong Kong is the next rung up the ladder of class. The restaurants are better, and there’s more of them. The city is organized and everything is available in English. The tax situation is also very good, and I find that imported goods are cheaper than the mainland. I wasn’t as impressed with the bar scene there as in Shanghai. I would definitely like to live in HK someday, but probably not until I’m over 35 because it’s more expensive than Shanghai. Rent can approach New York levels depending on where you are. Food is still pretty reasonable, but not as cheap as Shanghai unless you only want fast food or Chinese food for every meal. The shopping here is excellent, you can get any product in the world. I really like the transport system, as it’s very easy to use, and the electronic payment cards (octopus) can be used in 7/11’s and some food outlets. There is a direct train that can take you from the airport to downtown very quickly for about $25, and the airport there is the best I’ve every visited in regards to modernity and efficiency.

東京

Tokyo is in a class of it’s own. It definitely sits at the world level with the likes of Paris, New York and London. I just don’t think that I could ever live there, unless I learned Japanese. Despite being at an international level, the multi-cultures here are limited to Japanese subcultures and not those of the world. Most people do not speak English, or are too shy to use what they know. The food is definitely amazing though, better than almost anywhere I would say except New York. The Japanese of course have all their popular dishes such as sushi, izakaya, shabu shabu, soba, etc, but they can also do Western food just as good as any chef in France or California. This is, after all, the land of the Iron Chef. Once again, you can get any thing you want when shopping. In particular if your raison d’être is electronics, video games or robots, this is the place to be. There’s also lots of Japanese exclusives that will never be available outside the city unless their exported at a price. The bar scene here is alright, but nothing great. I don’t even think it’s as good as Toronto. The other big thing that would keep me from ever moving here is the fact that everything is ludicrously expensive. Luckily on my recent trip there, the dollar was rocking the yen hard at the exchange rates, but last year when I was visiting, the rate made everything absurdly expensive. I don’t even want to mention the apartments that you’ll walk out of disappointed after learning that what you saw was in fact the entire apartment, and not a closet. that To really live it up here, you’d need to be a multi-millionaire no doubt.

So with all that, it’s clear for me the natural progression is Shanghai, then eventually HK, with nightly trips to Tokyo for dinner and to pick up the latest gadgets. Probably the best thing about these three cities is that they’re so close to each other and getting between them is relatively cheap and easy compared to most cities I’ve travelled between. Anyone making their first trip to Asia, Shanghai is definitely the first city you need to check out. Unless you’re going specifically for something in Japan, it’s a tough place for visitors. HK is a close second choice to SH, because it’s super easy to get around, eat, and do everything, but you don’t get the same bang for your buck.

Filed under: tourist shit