The Secret to Japan's Great Cities

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I think this is also the reason Slice of Life anime are so successful. Can you imagine a Slice of life show based in an American sub urbs? The parents driving the characters to school and back. Then to their Mcdonald date. Then home again.

I love how Japan has little to no bike infrastructure whatsoever yet still looks incredibly safe to bike in. There’s a couple of pretty large countries in North America that I can think of that cannot relate

Having streets mostly devoid of cars allows cars to be used for the things they're actually good at - like supplying all of those businesses, picking up trash, emergency services, etc. The last mile logistics of urban Japan is crazy to think about.

I lived in Japan for 5 years and although my work life was difficult, I had access to everything. So much access that when I returned to the states to visit, I just couldn't cope with how much time people spend in cars or dealing with dangerous traffic. I felt so disconnected, unsafe and financially strained. It was such a boring way to live. In Japan, I could simply walk to the grocery store, hospital, etc If I wanted a fancier place to go to, a short walk to the train station gave me access to the entire city. Access to jobs?! Amazing. I now live in Seoul, South Korea. I visited Tokyo this Spring and it was just wonderful walking around. I was healthier, happier and freer. I love this channel. As someone who grew up in poverty, I see the levels to how inaccessible cities in the USA are. I cannot move back to the USA because I am spoiled now. I never want to drive a car. I never want to live far away from what I need. I want to be on my feet and mobile into my old age.

I live in Nerima, Tokyo.The pedestrian crosswalks have low steps for elementary students walking to school.They feel strange to adults. I don't have a car, but within a five minute walk I have my doctor, my dentist, a grocery store, a drug store and three rotating sushi restaurants. Oh, and a ramen factory across the street.

In Hong Kong, people biking often get criticised for "endangering drivers", and the metro/bus system is very hostile to bikes, so the tolerance to biking in Japan is already quite a step up.

Even after having visited Japan three times i only recently realized that cars not parking on street is what makes it feel so much more different.

I love that "low rise houses, small stores, offices, etc" is all one category in the Japanese zoning system. They just don't seem to have suburbia R1 houses only and absolutely nothing else hellscape as one of the zoning options. No matter what zone you are in, if any housing is allowed, small basic services and shops must also be allowed.

mobility for elders is so huge. my 90 and 92 year old grandparents don't drive anymore. But since the Netherlands has a great bike network that also allows mobility scooters they still go to town on their own.

I can't say that Tokyo is what radicalized me... It was Osaka. I did a month working there and being able to walk to a train station, get on and transfer to a local train and then walk to work was so freeing. I loved having a place to eat near by that I didn't have to drive to and everything being taken care of just made me hate life when I got back to the states.

I'm really glad you talked about suburban Japan. Most people glaze the cities like Tokyo, but completely overlook how car-centric the suburbs are. When I moved to Japan, this fact surprised me so much.

I grew up in Hong Kong. It is very much like Tokyo except not as big. So when I first moved to North American 25 years ago, I was shocked by how big the space is and how under-used it is: it's full of huge parking lots, huge wide state highways and nothing else pretty much.

I was blown away at how walkable Tokyo is. How inviting the street markets were. As a pedestrian, you have just as much of a right to be on a street as a car. Theyve done the hard work of creating the infrastructure to support this type of commuting. No one who lives in this, would ever think of resorting back to a car centric lifestyle.

when I lived in Ebisu I could get of the Yamanote train and by the time I got to the street level exit I had already done my fruit and vegetable shopping, picked up bread, and maybe grabbed a snack or two, cross the main road then walk 5 minutes through streets like this ... Much the same when living in in Oskaa and Kyoto

The walking culture in Japan is amazing. I absolutely loved getting around on foot + trains. One thing I wish they were more open to, selfishly, were electric skateboards >D

I was in Japan for two weeks, and I genuinely dreaded coming back and having to take a car everywhere. I dreaded the huge, dangerous stroads and how everything is so far away. I'm gonna be so happy going back for another trip lol

I visited Japan once, on the topic of Japanese drivers, they're really something else too. When pedestrians are crossing they really stop even if their lane has a green traffic light on. What's more is, they do not block the intersection EVER. You might read this thinking that "Well duh, that's what you're supposed to do." but drivers here in my country would say otherwise.

Dear not just bikes, I have watched your channel for several years. I have lived in the US, travelled in Canada, lived in Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, and have spent many weeks in the UK, Belgium, France, and Portugal. I have been to Japan, lived in Taiwan for two years, and China for nine years. I have been in Macao now for 25 years. I love it here, but it has many urban problems. The city is very populated but small, and you can actually walk to your destination on the peninsula. But too many people continue to depend on motorized vehicles. I understand this for families with children, but as you have shown, it does not have to be this way. Evs have been introduced recently, but there are few of them. I can often walk faster to my destination than a bus or a taxi, but yet we still depend on those vehicles. It is a one hour long walk from the China border to the end of the peninsula and a half hour walk across the width of the peninsula. This city could easily be converted into a walking city., with public support and perhaps ev carts to move people up the inclines. We do not need all of these large cars. On the weekends, they honk constantly owing to the traffic jams, and I just walk right past them. To be fair, there are some walking only streets in Macao. But they could do much better. The entire city could be a walking-only zone if properly managed. Peddle bikes are not as accommodating here owing to the hills, but maybe e-bikes would work. We have some avid bicyclists here, but they tend to stay on the expressways near the shoreline where the road is flat. There are no bicycle lanes like in Europe, so they share the road with the cars.

18:36 I love showing people the difference between American and Japanese cars, and I never could find a good truck vs truck comparison. But this is excellent! Thanks