Regular Business Hours

Ever Since arriving in Tokyo last year, one of the biggest inconveniences I am finding, is that shops don't actually open until 11 am. That's right, most reputable places of business do not open their shop doors until just before the lunch hour. Most gyms don't open until 9 or 10 am. Although, there is one in downtown Tokyo that is open at 7 am I believe - The Club at Yebisu Garden. But this convenience will cost you. Bigtime. Think - "an arm and a leg". The sign-up administration fee alone may shock you into next week; it may be wise to have a de-fib device at hand just in case. Most mornings in the Ropponggi/Hiroo area (an area of Tokyo brimming with Expats), you see gaijin stay-at-moms/dads in track suits just waiting for their sports club of choice to open by sitting at a Starbucks or other Starbucks-like cafe.

I find this somewhat amusing. By "this", I mean the situation where for all their work ethic and international reputation for working long hours, one of the simplest Western expectations for a good morning working, cannot be fulfilled by early rising Japanese. However, "this" may also be construed as the situation whereby gym-goers, supposed health nuts, are sitting around having coffee while they lay waiting for their morning routine trot on the tread mill.

Other than gyms, most shopping cannot be completed before 11 am either. You have to wait for the department stores and many smaller businesses to open at 11 am or rush back home after a long day at the office to make it before their doors close at 8 pm. The exception to this would be the konbini's and other strategically located businesses near train stations. There are other exceptions but not nearly enough.

Just one of my many idle observations...