Saitama vs. Tokyo: Where Pencil Scribbles Meet Neon Strokes
here’s what nobody tells you about choosing between Saitama and Tokyo as an illustrator: one feels like a half-finished sketchbook, the other like a printer that’s permanently jammed with glitter. i’ve spent 6 months couch-surfing between both, eating konbini onigiri for breakfast and dodging salarymen who walk like they’re late for the apocalypse.
let’s start with *cost. my tiny Saitama studio costs ¥45,000/month-roughly what Tokyo charges you to breathe near Shibuya Crossing. but here’s the kicker: Saitama’s crime rate is Japan’s version of a golden retriever-so harmless it’s almost boring (1.4 crimes per 100 people vs Tokyo’s 2.8). that said, the "art scene" here is mostly grandmas selling radish-themed watercolors at Omiya Bonsai Village.
tokyo? oh honey. galleries pay peanuts unless you’re doing corporate mascots for weird vending machines. but the energy-it’s like mainlining espresso while riding a unicycle. someone at Piss Alley’s yakitori counter once slurred to me: "Saitama’s where art goes to die… but at least you can afford to bury it there."
weather-wise? today’s Saitama feels like a lukewarm cup of green tea that’s been left out too long-comfortable but forgettable. you’re a stone’s throw from Nikko’s waterfalls or a shinkansen ride to Sendai’s fish markets, but good luck finding a decent art supply store after 8pm. Tokyo’s humidity, though? it’s like drawing with soggy ramen noodles.
overheard at Saitama’s Musashi Ichiguchi Starbucks:*
> "they call this place ‘bedtown’ because everyone’s asleep by 9pm. perfect if you wanna draw trees… depressing if you crave human interaction."
final verdict? Saitama’s where you go to grind. Tokyo’s where you go to get crushed. i’ll take the radish grandmas and cheap rent, thanks.
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