Despite all the bright lights and big city that you see in Basile Morin's captivating photo of Kabukicho at night, there was a time early in my Japan residency when Tokyo, one of the largest cities on Earth, was a city that actually did sleep. It had a curfew...much to the surprise and dissatisfaction of many a lively night owl there. Public transportation tended to go to bed at just a few minutes after midnight and it was often the case that I and dozens of other commuters were dashing for the final subway on the Tozai Line before the clock hit the witching hour.
According to the YouTube channel Happy Hour with Matt above, things have probably not changed all that much. Trains, subways and buses most likely still finish their routes perhaps earlier than their counterparts in other major world metropolises, including my own hometown of Toronto. And those who miss the final ride are either going to have line up for cabs at higher rates or spend the night somewhere in Tokyo (maybe a manga kissaten or Internet cafe). All I can say to Matt and others is that if you thought 2026 in late-night Tokyo was bad, you should have seen it thirty years ago.
However, I do have this luminous and highly active song by Nu Disco and Future Bass master from Yokohama, Dirty Androids. Titled "City Never Sleeps", maybe the fellow was referring to places like New York City or London when he came up with it as a bonus track for his April 2016 album "Moments". In any case, this is like a listenable Red Bull to get you off your duff and moving around on the dance floor or the sidewalks at the very least thanks to some popping percussion. Will Tokyo ever become an insomniac? Time will tell.
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