I barely remember the first time I went to Tokyo. I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan, just south of Yokohama which is just south of Tokyo, sorta. My girlfriend took me there for the first time.

Honestly - What I thought was, it’s just another big city. Tall buildings, crowded streets and sidewalks and people everywhere. As far as I could see, and I was a good head taller than most Japanese so I could see a long way, there was a sea of black heads, moving this way in a wave like manner or moving that way.

I can’t say that the experience was any more memorable than a visit to any other big city…and I have been to a lot of them, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, New Delhi, Moscow, NYC,…

Except for…the subway system. i was astounded at the maze of train lines, subway lines that made their way beneath the giant metropolis at which Tokyo was the center. And, where was Godzilla?

Seriously, I wondered out loud why the city above didn’t just crush the hole (pun intended) underground. What’s more, all the trains ran on time, every time. Amazing. My wife commutes on a train that runs from San Francisco to San Jose and it is NEVER on time, EVER. Japanese trains run like clockwork, a Seiko watch.

What impressed me most about Tokyo was - so much could be coordinated and run together so smoothly. So characteristic of the Japanese spirit as well. The people of this island country get along just fine, thank you, and are able to coordinate their efforts to lead the world in many ways. And, it all starts in Tokyo.

That’s what impressed me about Tokyo.

What impresses you?