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"40h per week, 50 weeks per year" *laughs in European* It's more typical to work less then 1700h per year in a typical full time job, but I guess 67,200h is less of a catchy name.
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.
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.
Yep, I'm an American that has also lived abroad (in first world countries, that is) and it was the biggest red pill experience ever. The food tasted better, people were more social, more affordable, walkable cities, my goodness.. living in the USA has never been the same for me.
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 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.
One of the strangest part about traveling in big asian cities for the first time as an american was not knowing whether I was at ground level or not because of how well connected everything was at multiple heights.
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
As Chris from Modacity says, "the best cycle network starts with a good car network". In order to get people to ride bikes it's more important to control car volumes and car speeds, so that people feel safe cycling. The narrow streets of Japan do this well. This has dozens of other benefits over just promoting cycling too, which is why cities trying to improve things should probably start with something like a traffic circulation plan.
@@NotJustBikes In essence, to make safe cycling infrastructure, you should aim for good car infrastructure first? No wonder it's been so difficult to make these kinds of cities.
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.
@@lighting7508 In some parts of Tokyo at least, there are regulations that say that when you build a new house, you have to construct it further back from the street so that they can put a sidewalk in.
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.
My grandfather drived past the age he should not have, but no one could take his keys away, and without the ability to drive he would not be able to access food, medical care, or other needs. I was terrified he was going to kill someone. This is a common and inevitable problem the US just closes its eyes to. how many innocent people have been killed by elderly drivers? Why does the US not plan for this? It drives me insane. The US doesn't care about providing a good place to live for its citizens, just about corporate profits.
Another reason for having so many small shops within or near train stations in Japan is that rail companies there are real state companies as well. Renting all those shops provides a lot of income to rail companies, instead of stations being just a tax burden.
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.
It feels like cars and buses accelerate a lot faster in Hong Kong than in other countries, making biking a lot more dangerous on proper roads. There is a decent network of bike paths in some places (e.g. around the TKO area), but it is very much a leisure activity rather than a proper means of transport, especially since public transport is really, really dense, and many places want to just funnel people into/between malls and travel outside as little as possible There's also rarely bike parking at destinations, mostly only at the beginning and end of some bike lanes, adding to the sense that biking start and ends at the designated bike lanes.
HK is very congested. Not to the point of real traffic jams, but the space is a premium. There is simply no space for bikes on the road. Compare this to Taiwan that has dedicated lanes for bikes/scooters (aka slow-moving vehicles). Also, there is no bike infrastructure (outside of places like Mui Wo). Realistically it is just a leasure thing. It's not just bikes, e.g. HK doesn't have standing scooters anymore. We used to have them for rental for some time, but it only caused troubles for pedestrians and were not popular enough, so (rightfully) they are gone now. Interestingly, in my experience, in HK most bikers consider themselves pedestrians, drive on pedestrian roads along the car lane (have to use car lane by law), don't stop with cars on the red signal.
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.
Same. I used to live in a suburb of Osaka, and am fond of the urban design and train networks. Whenever I think about what a subway system could look like, or what walking to a grocery store is like, I think about Osaka.
In some places in the States, you can do that. I can walk to a number of stores and restaurants and to the Metro station. I could get to most of the places I've worked on foot or via Metro.
The first thing I noticed when arriving in Tokyo was how ridiculously quiet it was. It's a gigantic city with a dozen million inhabitants, yet it was often as quiet as my hometown...
I would like to also mention the benefit of city that is pedestrian friendly is how easy it is to stay fit. Try going to pedestrian friendly city such as Florence, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Singapore and etc. and see how easy it is to hit like 10k steps within a day. That's basically free workout for ya, plus it's more fun walking around the city while chatting with your friends rather than walking on treadmill on a gym in my opinion. There are also some research that you can google yourself regarding the correlation between pedestrian friendly city and low obesity cases.
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
Yeah, it's great to just be able to pick up what you need on your way home. Then grocery shopping isn't a "trip" in and of itself. This is something that car-centric suburbanites have a hard time understanding. The number one question I get when they hear that we don't have a car is, "but how do you buy groceries?!" insane. I talked about this in my old grocery shopping video from the early days of the channel: ua-cam.com/video/kYHTzqHIngk/v-deo.html
@@NotJustBikes yeh this was a real eye opener and a habit I've been able to continue do to some degree back living in Australia, I currently work in the CBD and have a bus stop right out front of my home so obviously use that service every work day, between my office and the bus station there are three supermarkets so I often pick up items I need on the walk between the office and station, a small bag carries enough for making dinner and a few necessities without getting in the way of other commuters, I still have to do an occasional shopping centre car run for bulky or heavy items like cat litter (and also these city supermarkets have a very limited range of goods)
@@NotJustBikes yes! As a person who (unfortunately) relocated from the city to the village (thank god at least not suburbia) a while ago it frustrates me to this day, that we now *have to* plan our grocery shopping. It was so nice to be able buy things when you need to, not when you need AND have a chance.
@@NotJustBikes This is something I didn't know I needed until I actually experienced it. I did a summer study abroad in Japan about 10yrs ago, and lived within walking distance of a train station that had a grocery store on the 2nd floor. Being able to stop by the grocery store every day and pick up fresh ingredients for dinner that night was life-changing. I hate the cycle of grocery shopping that I'm forced to participate in in the US. Making a grocery list, planning the trip, buying ~2wks worth of food at a time... and then trying to get through all of that food while it's still fresh, while my appetite for some of the things I've already purchased has waned in the time since I bought it, all while it's also getting less fresh... and then forcing yourself to get through other things so you can justify another shopping trip, just because you ran out of something you actually need, like eggs or something... ugh I hate it so much.
@@lizzyp1414 I can't even imagine living like that. Having a grocery store within walking distance, usually nearby the closest metro, has always felt like how grocery shopping is supposed to work. You can still take the car for major things, like if you're planning a Christmas dinner, but the day-to-day shopping literally is day-to-day, not weekly.
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.
Compared to a North American city like Toronto, the average Japanese driver is vastly more patient and disciplined. That difference was the biggest reason I rode a bike just about every day in Japan compared to now in Toronto where I haven't touched my bike in years because I don't feel safe around 3000kg SUVs with distracted drivers.
@@Sushi227 I grew up in Ottawa, so I can’t relate. But I understand that it’s way worse in other parts of Canada. I was also lucky enough to live in Georgetown, Washington DC, but am fully aware that cycling in America is terrifying. Everywhere I have been in Japan is way better than Canada or America for cyclists. But I feel insanely lucky to be in Denmark, it’s incomparably good for cycling.
Blocking the intersection is the most frustrating thing here (Seattle area) - there's a couple intersections that are notoriously clogged all the time (esp. a freeway exit ramp onto a main stroad). So many times I've had to sit through multiple green lights without going because asshats keep clogging the intersection and the exit flow doesn't clear enough cars out of the lane that I can cross the intersection without doing the same, and then the next cycle has more asshats that clog and the cycle continues.
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
What strikes me about them is their humanity, you look down one of these streets and immediately feel how easy it would be traverse, how pleasant it would be to just reside here.
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.
@@Philoreason I an exile from California to a city north of Tokyo and I soooooooo appreciate what you’ve said. In LA I once had 5 cars for only 2 drivers. That’s a sign of how sick I became.
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.
Parking space is very expensive here. If residents could be convinced that they do not need a vehicle, everyone could save a lot of money. And we could live in a much friendlier environment.
FYI I'd suggest against putting your full name and city of residence (and profession) in a publicly-visible youtube comment. You may want to edit your name out here for safety.
There are examples in Macao of people driving to the city from the suburbs, then parking their car in the outskirts, and taking a motorcycle to the city center. They pay for two parking places, one for the car and one for the motorcycle. All of this is done so they can arrive one-half hour earlier to their job and avoid a very crowded trip on a bus. The busses are very crowded during rush hour. You often have to let two, three or four busses pass by in order to board one because there are so many people pushing their way into the busses before the door closes. I do not blame the car/motorcycle alternative. I thought of everything possible as well to avoid the crowded busses. The solution I chose was to board the bus two hours before everyone else. So I arrived at work at 6 a.m. and began work at 8 a.m. Clearly, there must be a better solution.
FYI that video by "life where i'm from" on Japanese Zoning is FASCINATING. and i still think zoning laws sounds and IS very boring. trust me check it out it's so interesting
@@lainiwakura1776 Same here, eye opening indeed. That video should be part of many schools' curricula, and then also show how bad it can get elsewhere for some contrast.
I lived 4 years in japan. 1 in Saitama, 1 in Osaka and 2 in Tokyo (Hachiouji). Never had a car and didn't need one. everything I needed was within walking distance from where I lived. Train stations were less than 10 minutes away from all the apartments that I lived in. Great country and I'm going back this year to live the rest of my life there.
I went to Japan last year and this year, and I'd want to go again next year. Japan has changed how I feel about cities. I wish we had trains and walkable streets.
It’s what happens when cities are legitimately just ancient and people had to walk around before the cars even existed. The just continued to build in the same way bc they are on a tiny island with no way to move out. Where USA for example is just massive and people want their space and their super nice cars. One isn’t just better than the other but I do know which I prefer for sure.
It just makes so much sense that real blue collar workers would want Kei trucks. Modern, american pickups aren't working vehicles anymore, they're luxury vehicles larping as working vehicles. Some people might be able to use them for hauling or towing, but they are vastly overpaying for that ability (one they likely only use irregularly, even). Yeah, a blue collar worker probably would want a little pickup! Small. Cheap. Fuel-efficient. Easy to repair. Of course someone who works hard to barely earn a living in a "masculine" profession would prefer a small, functional truck to a FORD F150!
Me and the boys are gonna get a k truck soon. They’re dirt cheap on Facebook marketplace and they do their job for us. Perfect first car for a bunch of teenage farm workers
Truck value is overinflated by all the wannabe rednecks. I was looking at 5-10yo ram 1500s. Up to 25k for one in decent condition. Ended up buying a 6yo top spec grand Cherokee for 10k. It’s got the same engine can still haul my boat all 2 times a year but it’s infinitely nicer car. All leather interior Android auto adaptive cruise control blind spot detection lane assist 200w inverter moon roof variable air suspension- if this car had rolled off the assembly line with a pickup bed it’d 50k
I lived in Japan for 5 years in the late 90’s. This video hit on many key characteristics about Japan. Last year, I visited a friend in Kofu, Shimosuwa, a fairly big city for about a month. We biked on regular streets to do everyday shopping all over the city. Like your video showed, these streets were sometimes too wide and consequently too sunny with too much traffic. The smaller streets, nearer to my friend's house, were much smaller with no cars at all; the five meter wide streets you talked about. All the video showed this very well. Furthermore, in my month stay, I never once got into a car. In fact, we took low-cost trains to Tokyo, about an hour way, and we took them to an astronomical observatory and a Buddhist temple high up in the mountains, too. We even took local trains (about one day ride) to a small town up along the north coast. Even though when I lived there it was in a smaller place, Okaya-shi, a small convenience store, or grocery, was only a 5-10 minute walk from my home! I hope the car lobby fails in Japan. Car-centric planning has really destroyed the USA.
I like how there's a random Ferrari 308gtb waiting for the stop light at 12:10, you can have great walking and cycling infrastructure and that does not mean that cars will just disappear.
If you truly love cars and driving, you want trains to completely usurp driving as the best mode of travel. Then the nice empty roads are purely for your enjoyment.
I think narrow lanes and too few lanes is a major issue some places and I would rather have overbuilt roads than underbuilt ones, however 14 lanes might be a bit excessive and it is important to have wide lanes for semi-trucks and buses to avoid cyclists being run over by them, this also needs to be combined with proper cycle lanes. An example of a street I consider too narrow is Dronning Eufemias Gate in Oslo, where there are eight lanes consisting of two cycle lanes, two bus lanes, two car lanes and two tram lanes. The wide sidewalks do not help either, the issue is that the bus lanes should be wide, but that would impact the cycle lanes so the car lanes shrunk and the intersections are also dangerous because the buses could run over cyclists and that is why the bus lanes must be wide enough for the buses not to drive into the cycle lanes.
I live in Japan, but I live in rural Okinawa, so I’ve never been more car dependent in my entire life. Everytime I go to the mainland I seethe in jealousy at all their wonderful public transit.
*cries in Hokkaido* My boss was worried that a new hire didn't have their drivers license (wasn't the case though) and was going to hate living there. The only transit that really existed was going to or from Sapporo.
Rural life in almost the entire world is car dependent. Distances are just so large due to it being rural. Although at least here in Sweden bikes are popular there, even if you often don't see them due to the low density of people living there. Though I fear that's shifted towards cars the last few decades.
@@AnotherDuck There are a few(just a few) walkable rural areas. But those are really just local trips and absolute basic necessities. Anything else will require commuting.
@@neurofiedyamato8763 Well, with rural communities there's usually a small area where shops cluster, so right there things are walkable. Roads also tend to not have much traffic, so you can walk on them relatively safely. I was more talking about more remote houses where even neighbours are at a fair distance.
Honestly things like kei cars and trucks are what most people probably should have in non-rural areas. I bought a kei car almost 2 years ago, and it has done everything that a much larger car can do. All while using very little fuel. Even highway use is fine, i drove it 1800km with the entire back packed with stuff when I moved house a couple of years ago. And yet, even with it being probably the best city car ive had. It spends most of the time in my garage while I cycle or catch the bus to work.
@@HKSkansei I don’t know where your at but I have noticed in York (England) more people have started using them because they can fit along the very small roads for delivery. I have also seen it the city council use something similar for street cleaning.
@deficientduck3003 I'm in Australia The truck and van versions are getting popular here for small business owners, especially landscaping. But they have also started to build a cult following for people into camping, who are adding awnings, beds and all.manner of things to the back. My one is just a regular hatchback though, since that suited my needs better.
I hired kei cars a few times while in Japan - - they actually handled a lot of long distance driving quite well (and as an Australian "long distance driving" mean 6+ hours) from Kyoto to Niigata, Osaka to Sendai, Tokyo to Hiroshima but honestly I would have preferred to take the Shinkansen just I was traveling with someone who was a bit of a hikikomori, had agoraphobia, and couldn't handle more than about 20 minutes in a train or in busses and local trains once we arrived at our destination
Also Kei car and truck show how oversized car especially Pick Up and SUV I don’t think Kei side cars will the norm in some places around the world but cars should have a size limit so their no arms race of ever increasing size that are now approaching to a tank
My 91 year old mother can’t drive anymore so I take her shopping and to the doctors for her. But she sorely misses the relative independence she could have enjoyed if she was still living in Japan. She’s Japanese but has lived in the States since she got married in 1956. I got to go to college for a year in Tokyo. It was amazing how easy it was to get around- much easier than in the States.
The narrow streets of Japan have always been the one I like the most to navigate. Usually not many tourists are there and you can get a feeling of the calmness of those places.
Japan having picturesque streets is probably a result of them making the streets for pedestrians. If you are designing a street for people to walk down, you'd want it to be pleasant.
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
There are so many _konbini_ in Tokyo that you're literally within 5 minutes of one from almost anywhere if you're talking that national chains like 7-Eleven, Lawson Station, Family Mart or Mini-Stop. 7-Elevens are particularly convenient because you can do things like pay utility bills, cellphone bills and even buy event tickets in one; they even can do fuil banking with Seven Bank ATM's inside the store.
The way to describe it I think is that, and this is a huge commentary on the irony of North American design, ultimately, Japanese urban design is capitalistic in nature rather than out of some altruism. They have found that these layouts are simply more efficient, particularly for facilitating commerce. Time on the road is time wasted. There's no free parking, but this same capitalistic basis is how you get things like a lack of free bicycle parking, or if you notice, there aren't many public bins or places to sit down along the streets unless they belong to a business of some sort such as a train station or shop.
Of course it's capitalistic. People who blame North American car dependency on capitalism are ridiculous. Walkable Europe and Asia are just as capitalist as the States, and businesses in walkable cities are very profitable indeed.
I think someone else mentioned how it is ironic that zoning reform (in North America at least) comes mostly from the left even though people on the right are the ones most opposed to government overreach.
That's funny, I've lived in Japan since 2012 and I think it is socialistic. As the video says, the central government controls zoning and urban planning in general. In urban and suburban areas, there are free clean public toilets all over the place. I used to live in NYC and I spent a lot of the time looking for a public toilet; they are almost non-existent there. When Thatcher became PM in my native UK she made everything user pays, including public toilets. Now it's almost impossible to find a public toilet there - now that's capitalistic.
@@fidomusic Good points well made. Interesting to hear about public toilets. I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually think free public toilets are a great measure of how progressive a society is. I'm Australian, and in Australia free public toilets are usually quite easy to find, and are clean. I currently live in Santiago, Chile, and public toilets basically don't exist here. If you need to use a toilet outside your home or workplace, you need to find a mall or restaurant/cafe, and except for large malls, you'll need to buy something to use the toilet. There are some public toilets around, but you generally have to pay to use them. Unsurprisingly, public urination/defecation is a major problem, but nobody seems to have figured out the blindingly obvious solution.
I LOVE the duality of the video, showing how great the infrastructure is in many places, but still bringing up how car centric other areas are, and even the paid parking for both cars and bicycles. I live in Osaka, and just realised as you talked about stroads that there is one I used to go by quite often before I moved, that is very uncomfortable, I just never realised why. For reference, it's the southern side of Nagai park
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.
Yes, Japan is actually very car-centric once you leave the big cities. However, I still think they achieve a fairly good balance of being both accessible by car and by walking/cycling, and always being well connected to other places via rail lines. Everything still tends to be closer together, roads are smaller and people drive slower than in North American cities. I think Japan is in general a fairly bike friendly place by accident for these reasons.
If you don't have a high paying job, you either have to live in a tiny place with shitty isolation that would make having kids very difficult (unless you want to piss off your neighbors), but if you want something better you will have to go far away from stations and a 20 min walk in summer is horrible (plus you will get the shittiest train conditions, cause JR is too cheap to give you more than one train per 6 mins during rush hour and they're full af). There are also so many things that could improve traffic, like typically crossing the busy roads in a car is extra painful because most people want to turn into the road (and half to the right) but they can't go through because cars on the other side are crossing too, it quickly turns into huge lines. Some crossings will have tunnels that help a lot but it's really far from common.
@DanielVanderwel I think because smaller cities outside main metro cities probably just didnt have huge population density for it to sustain its own rail infrastructure. Japan is actually more rail networks on regional areas, though those were like small 2 car trains or even 1 car train that is akin for more a tram or bus in rails. So those were being replaced by buses now and serving pretty much the same capacity. But even with those rather car centric cities, their city center can be still dense and walkable. It just the suburbs tends to be car centric. Unless you live to nearest regional train station. I guess Japan did at least find the balance considering their shrinking population and after the economic bubble. Maybe once Japan return to its economic glory and population, they might able to change that. Japan is actually still rather big for island nation. The size of the country many not be as massive as US or China, but still massive for archipelago that may rival some European countries in size.
Japan are built like Norway but 25x the population and with all the natural disasters. You can't really get anywhere in Norway without a car except maybe in the 3 biggest cities. Being mostly mountainous is actually a curse considering you can't really plan a central city location where most people live, everything in a small town will have to be usually spaced out because of the flat ground unless you live in southern norway
@kornkernel2232 you just exactly explained why there is not much public transportation in the US. Our density is nowhere close to Europe or Japan so we can not support such infrastructure due to low ridership. A city like Boston only has 650K people and struggles to pay for upkeep. How can the even less denser suburbs support it.
you talk about the maintenance of infrastructure being easier because of physical density, one thing that stood out to me owning property in Japan was also the cost of maintenence and very importantly the hassle of maintenence of the housing itself is extremely low - every 20 years the building gets a full inspection, refurbishment, and structural repair. The cost is a small fee you pay on the property that comes out to be extremely low for the individual due to the cost being paid over 20 years by the 900 residents of the building while allowing maintenece of really high quality safety and utilities. Politically it also helps to shield the individual owner from corner cutting since a major problem that comes up is suddenly a huge single issue voting group in a very geographically localized area which gets politicians hopping
I think it's worth knowing the reason why the electric wiring is above ground is also due to the frequent earthquakes that happen. above ground they have some slack to compensate for the moving grounds instead of it snapping when underground Also I can’t believe you filmed in Koiwa (9:40) haha I regularly commute through that street
@@Ryalu_ Where I live we have it this way and I always think it's kind of an impediment for having trees and stuff like that, but could be a false assumption. Japan getting hit with hurracaines/typhoons I would think it would also be safer underground but I guess not.
I lived in Japan for several years and now live in North Am. I miss Japanese zoning!! I only had a mini fridge because my local grocery store was only a 5 minute walk away so I was able to go a few times a week. Restaurants and most other needs were within a 10 minute drive, so even when I did drive I wasn't driving as far or as often. Even though I was a foreigner, I felt way more connected to my community in Japan than anywhere I've lived in North Am because in North Am everyone just stays in their houses and then schleps 30min-1hr away to work. My mother has lived in the same house for 20 years and I could only tell you the name of one of her immediate neighbors, and I only even know that because he's a bad neighbor. In regards to street safety, it's common for Japanese kids as young as 3 or 4 to go on minor errands on their own (you might have seen the show Old Enough, which follows kids on their first solo outings). Good street design, strong communities, and way more regulated driving education makes this feel absolutely safe. By comparison, I'd be terrified to let a 10 year old walk to school in, say, the US. Hell, even when my adult friends leave my house we tell them to text when they get home. Every country has its own strengths but when it comes to the stuff in this video, Japan definitely has it down pat.
I'm a Dutch native, and just last month I came back from a 3-month stay in Tokyo. One thing that was really remarkable to me is just how much more convenient living was for me. There's shops, conbinis and train stations almost around each corner and the Matsuya around the block was open until 2 am. In the Netherlands, I'd have to bike 5-10 minutes to find the first shop or grocery store. Even as an area with lots of residential space, there was still a lot of foot traffic just from the sheer volume of people living there. Some things made it much less ideal to live there though. This of course doesn't count for every place in Tokyo, but the high buildings and busy streets get quite suffocating if you live in a busy area. Coming back to the Netherlands I was surprised by how much green my neighbourhood had compared to Tokyo. If I showed my neighbourhood to someone from Tokyo they might be convinced I'm living in a park, even though it's just a residential neighbourhood. Also, you'd be surprised what Japanese taxi drivers would try to pull off in a street like the one at 18:18
Yeah, Japan does always feel quite "gray" in terms of having not a lot of greenery in these denser neighborhoods. It seems that when you get to small towns and villages it ofc does have that, but thats also as the houses there typically are a bit further from the road. Its perhaps the main disadvantage of those 5m wide roads in Japan: its hard to implement much green into them. You could *perhaps* narrow the road down to 3m or so at some spaces for boxes where trees, greenery etc can grow, which leaves juuust enough space for cars and pedestrians. Then again theres probably some underlying reasons why that aint done, would be curious if anyone knows why greenery on streets isnt a part of Japanese urban planning. NL tends to take a bit more space for roads, and often there still a sidewalk and more car/cycling dedicated lane which pedestrians can also use. And since on street parking is common in NL, if greenery is added its often placed in places where parking spots were.
@@sheeple04 There are some narrow streets that do have a lot of planter greenery, but I think it's a contribution from homeowners rather than planning. Though with those community meetings NJB mentioned, maybe it's both, a community agree to go put out potted plants.
I stayed in a hotel that was basically a reformed nuclear bunker and at the end of one of the underground tunnels was a Lawson. Not like, a conbini operated by the hotel with sky high prices, but an actual Lawson with normal prices. On a peninsula, in an underground tunnel system. As an american I can't comprehend that kind of 'zoning'
I have been living in Japan for a few months now, I am 8 minutes away from my train station by foot, but there are one of these "stroad-adjacent" roads in the way, so I have to walk through a boring pedestrian bridge every time... However, even the local residents know this sucks, so a lot of people prefer to jaywalk through the stroad when there is no traffic instead of walking the pedestrian bridge, even though there are huge signs saying "no jaywalking, please use the bridge" ! lol
I was in the same situation, where I either had to cross a 6-lane road or use the huge 4-way pedestrian bridge to get to the JR east station. Fortunately though there was a Tokyo metro station entrance on my side of the station which connected to the JR east part as a convenient shortcut
I live in Melbourne, Australia and have to do the same thing. To get to the tram stop directly across from my house, I have to cross three separate bits of road (including a slip lane and four more lanes) just to get to the middle of the street, so I often jaywalk to avoid waiting three minutes the crossing to go green. To get to the train station, I have to cross six lanes of traffic (plus the slip lane), and some of those cars are coming off the 100km/h highway. If you want to interchange between the train and tram you have to cross both, and it takes AGES if you don’t jaywalk.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the automated underground parking lots where you leave your car in an elevator and it stores your car underground. I see these a fair amount in the big cities. There's also those double decker parking lots where you leave your car on a small platform and it jacks it up to a second level.
One thing that I dislike about parking in some cities is seperate entities managing street parking and parking garages and the price difference that occurs, of course if parking is scarce you are forced to use the more expensive parking garages, but until that point people will hunt for street parking even when garages are more convenient.
I think this is one of the best videos you've made, it showcases a lot of the things about walkable urbanism packed into one video. It makes it a great video to show to people who are new to this topic and live somewhere car centric how possible it is to design cities differently
One of the best things about the Japanese zoning laws is how every zone* accomodates residential. It is painfully difficult to convert commercial, industrial or office zones into Residential in the US, but if a local business fails in Japan, it's incredibly easy to convert the building to some version of residential, allowing that new population to support the remaining commercial/industrial/office zones. Obviously this is less effective in the center of Tokyo where replacing a high-rise building with a single family home would be insane, but in areas of lower or median density, the administrative and construction cost is much lower.
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
Kyoto really surprised me. It is a city where history is incredibly well preserved but they have embraced the car like no other Japanese city I've seen
I think it's mostly taxi service for tourists who can't be bothered to walk a few kilometers to get from train stations to the various cultural landmarks
I chuckled at the 80,000 Hours promo, as it was-in large part-your very channel that inspired me to go back to school this year (at age 33) to pursue a career as a transport planner 🤓 so, thank you, NJB!
You're absolutely right that visiting Japan radicalized me in this respect. Seeing that there is another way to live that makes way more sense than what we have in North America was so eye-opening!
Normally I don't comment but this video hits too close to home... I am from Vienna and am currently in Tokyo for an exchange year, the older I got the more I disliked cars, but this feeling got boosted to another level since I am here... It's strange how looking back i never noticed that streets become so ugly if they are lined with cars left and right, but since I am here i just enjoy walking so much more because I am not confined to a small space at the side of the road next to uncountable metal boxes, instead there are interesting buildings left and right. Streets have more space for greenery and the most interesting thing I see all day on a road is not a bicycle parking spot anymore, but some nicely designed and very green wood building. In one of your last videos you talked about how great the Public transport is, and i don't wanna say its bad, but coming from Vienna where I can drive with everything, everywhere in the city for 1€ a day, this here is very expensive, especially when you need to switch from one train company to another. And the best thing you can get for riding the trains regularly is a commuter pass, which is only valid for a specific route instead of the whole network. Nevertheless, i think this video finally motivated me to try to get some change into my city once I come back home.
Taiwan, a former Japanese colony, shares many urban features praised in this video, like narrow mixed-use streets, relaxed zoning, and excellent public transport. However, Taiwan's streets are notoriously dangerous, earning it the title "pedestrian hell" from CNN. I believe @NotJustBikes lived in Taiwan, and I'd love to see a video exploring why similar design choices succeed in Japan but fail in Taiwan. Additionally, Taiwan has unique urban features not found in Japan, Canada, or the Netherlands that urban design fans might never have seen before, like dedicated scooter lanes, hook turns, and island-wide bicycle/electric scooter networks.
Due to australian import laws changing recently, there’s been a massive boom of people importing second hand kei cars for regular everyday use. Oftentimes the cost of buying and importing them is cheeper than buying a car locally.
I visited Japan with my parents last year, and my parents and I all felt that Japanese cities were some of the most pleasant cities we’ve ever been in. And that’s coming from Dutch people! What’s funny is that I recognized the street at 7:08, since our hotel in Tokyo was that yellow-ish building with the green roof in the back there! It was a very pleasant place, and like you said, all of Tokyo was easily accessible. I just finished my first year of studying Urban Planning in Leeuwarden, and I hope to move to and work in Japan once I’m done, as challenging as that may be.
I was stationed in Okinawa in the 1990's and was able to do some training in Tokyo/Yokohama for a few weeks. I was blown away by the ease of getting around and the trains and subway system. It is so easy to utilize and get around Tokyo, as it's huge. I would love to go back some day to see just how much it's changed. Great video, as usual.
22:19 You _should_ mention that this is nowhere near as expensive as car parking. Those were around 500yen/h or like 1500/6h. While this bicycle one is 2500 for a _month_ (2000 for students)
For the record, that's the only bike parking whose price I could read, that's why it's the one I timestamped. There's also the one at 21:53, which I'm pretty sure says 12時110円, aka 110 yen for 12 hours. Not quite as cheap as the monthly rental, but still significantly better than for cars. It's about the same price as 22:26 in the Netherlands (after the first 24 hours, of course). And based on those prices, I think 21:45 says 100 yen for 5 hours. With the first hour being free, and the price being double for bikes; these are very legible.
From my experience typical price for a day is between 100-200 yen, with monthly being in the 2000-3000 range pretty much anywhere. Cars can go from 100 yen/ hour (pretty rare and rare to see it) to 1000/hour (and sometimes even more in a few places.
Something small I have admired about Japanese road design for a few years now are the intersection markers for blind junctions. Markers for T-junctions are visible at 3:56 and a marker for a cross-roads is at 17:18. I just think this is a really neat solution to the visibility problem and I'd love to see them introduced to narrow streets and laneways where I live here in Melbourne, Australia.
One UA-camr I watch lives in Japan, and every spa or salon she features describes their location as "X minutes from Thus-And-such train station". So cool.
You can actually draw a lot of parallels between why Japan has Kei vehicles to why America has big SUVs and pickup trucks. It's all about government policy, in Japan you are given tax breaks for buying Kei class vehicles and they are not subject to the same safety regulations as normal cars. These policies drive their price down a whole lot. In America you instead get benefits from buying bigger vehicles, with the "light truck" category having less strict emissions and safety standards, and with potential tax breaks by being a "work vehicle". Sure, narrow streets also contribute to people buying Kei class vehicles, but there's no denying that the main reason is government policy which has been designed to increase demand for small and efficient cars
My wife and I walked around neighborhoods in Tokyo and Kyoto. We saw hundreds of unattended bikes. We saw only two that were locked. You can leave an unlocked bike outside your house and it will still be there in the morning. Try that in the US or where we live now, Costa Rica.
@jim2376 you can in the suburbs where the delinquents can't afford to live..but can't in the cities where they are concentrated. That's why there is push-back on the author's choice of urban living styles. Many people in the US don't want to live in the cities he's describing because they would also have to deal with far more criminals who could afford to live there.
@jim2376 - My husband and I were amazed by this, too! We were sitting in a small shop drinking coffee one morning, and we saw this woman pull up with her bike, lean it against a street sign, and walk into a store. She didn't lock up the bike. We were so concerned. But when she walked out 15 minutes later, she hopped right on and left. We saw this more and more and were amazed. Also, no throwing trash on the ground there. Everyone carries their trash with them if there isn't a bin. Such clean cities!
lol in some parts of my country you need to take the lock wire not only through the bike frame but also through the wheels cause thieves will take them off. You can only prey they don't steal the saddle. But locking them is standard. I am simply jealous of countries like japan or the netherlands
Me and my elder brother went to Japan back in 2016. We absolutely loved walking around. Those streets are a treasure trove of hidden gems that are easy to miss if you are part of a tour group, or rely on taxis/buses as your primary mode of transportation.
Interestingly enough, these types of streets are common across Asia, including my home country. When I was visiting it, I never realised that, albeit there were haphazardly unenforced speed limits on the roads, how walkable and close by everything was. Looking back at it now, when staying at my grandparents place, I was in walking distance from a barber, a vegetable market and a butcher. I cant believe it took me a NJB video to make me realise that. Great video btw, now when I visit again I will lookout for streets like these.
I took SO much footage while I was in Japan. The vast majority of the clips in this video I filmed myself. It took a lot of effort, but I just don't think the story would be as good if I had to rely only on stock footage, so thanks to my Patreon supporters (like you ;) ) for making it possible for me to do this!
I always hated living in a city, my dream was always to move into the country side, but than when I travelled to Japan I was blown away, I actually loved living in a city for once. Being able to go anywhere I wanted in the city by simply walking and catching a train was incredible and it didn't take hours going from one side of the city to the other. The small alley ways felt cozy instead of suffocating. Just everything felt different. I really cant get over the trains, that I have access to the entire city and very quickly by just walking and catching a train. Incredible.
Has OP ever considered checking out Sapporo? It's a Japanese city that was originally built with planning assistance from the U.S. Government in the late 19th century. May be an interesting comparison as to how American cities could be adapted into a less car-dependent form.
The 'Life Where I'm From' video on Japanese zoning is a must-see! Thanks for adding to the content about cities here - I really enjoy life in Tokyo and a big part of that is the convenience afforded by the way things are laid out. FYI about parking lots in front of convenience stores - I see them used mostly by taxi drivers, so I feel like it's mostly catering to that market.
Love the Life Where I'm From shoutout! Since my first visit to Japan I've been obsessed with these streets, but I could never put my feelings into words. Thank you for detailing that feeling so well here!
I've lived in Tokyo for many years now, and I've seen a few pedestrian bridges being replaced with a set of traffic lights which is a nice improvement. I believe this is mostly for accessibility reasons tho as some people don't have the luxury of being able to easily climb up/down stairs.
Wow man thanks so much for these videos. I really think that the future is a car-free one. Atleast not DEPENDANT on cars for everyday travel/shopping/working etc. So well done with the editing, scripts and your depth knowledge about urban planning and car infrastructure. These footage are great, I wonder how much time it takes to travel to and record all these shoots. Since I heard you say you dont use stock footage 🙂
Thanks! This video has clips from about 2½ weeks of travelling across Japan, though some of that was tourism with the family. This video probably took about 50 hours of filming, and travelling around to film at specific locations, which, yeah... it's a lot of effort. But I think the end-product is worth it! I'm thankful for my Nebula and Patreon supporters because there's no way I could afford to do this without them. This is why I always laugh when people complain that I don't talk about enough different cities. They have no concept of how much effort goes into filming on location. It would be so much easier if I just used stock footage, but I think the quality would be way worse.
@@NotJustBikes Yes, I had a great trip. I was here for nearly a whole Month! Started with Tokyo for 3 days, went to Kyoto via Shinkansen for 2 Weeks (with my University) and then I took the local route (Tokaido-Main-Line) back to Tokyo (via Osaka-Nagoya-Hamamatsu-Shizuoka-Mt.Fuji-Tokyo) to stay for another 4 days. [Some of these places realy don't have great transit...] Now its the last full-day and my flight takes of at 9 in the morning. Greetings from Japan (Usually Germany)
@@daniel_ghaxby not great transit do you mean connectivity? cause i know they rely on trains a lot in many small cities and towns but don’t use any other mode of transport so cycling to and from the station is super common
@@jabindahed The cities had a trainstation connected to a bushub. Some didn't accept the Transit Card (IC) that worked everywhere else. You could really see the decline of walkability/bikeability and the focus on cars in others.
I’ve been saying for years that what makes the difference here in Japan is people consider street a shared space for everyone, not just for cars, so this means drivers are mindful of cyclists/pedestrians, and (mostly) everyone is going at a reasonable speed. This mindset makes it a lot safer and a more comfortable environment for pedestrians and cyclists
I have a house in Japan and I love how convenient it is where I live. A five quiet walk to a bus which takes five minutes to get to the subway which takes 10 minutes to get to work. Then I take a 15 minute bus ride that takes me in walking distance to my house.
I agree with all points of the video, but after living in Japan for almost a year now, I realized how gray most Japanese cities are. Small streets rarely have Trees or any kind of plants and even Parks are often just a small afterthought. If you just want a place to rest and relax finding a place to just sit down can be incredibly difficult.
@@socks_cat356 well first, I don't. second: most parks are just tiny areas of a little bit of green, something i would not really classify as a good park for relaxing. Maybe I am just spoiled by the area I lived before but I kinda need more green around that is relaxing and usable. Just my preference (taste) though, so you're free to disagree.
@@gamerwolf-ne1yl The guidelines for the operation of the Urban Parks Act include descriptions of access and distance to parks. Specifically, the following standards are set: Ensuring access: Ramps, stairs, elevators, and other routes must be secured to make urban parks easily accessible on foot. It is desirable to ensure access in an appropriate manner, taking into consideration use by the elderly and physically disabled. Attraction distance standards: Block parks: 250m Neighborhood parks: 500m District parks: 1km These standards are set flexibly according to local conditions, to ensure that residents can access urban parks at an appropriate distance.
@@socks_cat356 I find ten minutes a lot for finding the closest park. Though I live in Stockholm, which is only some 1.5M people, depending on how you count.
@@AnotherDuck This is the case of the core area of the Tokyo metropolitan area, which has the world's largest metropolitan population. Distance standards: Block parks: 250m Neighborhood parks: 500m District parks: 1km These standards are set flexibly according to local conditions so that residents can access urban parks at an appropriate distance.
Also what is worth noting is that Tokyo is made in a way that it is accessible by car or small truck everywhere. Even including pedestrian streets and open plazas there are not closed areas not accessible by car or any emergency vehicle. Meaning that small elderly business owner can always get his fish to his small ramen shop
The biggest complaint I have about Japan's cities is the extreme lack of trees and other greenery. Roads have no trees along them and even most public parks are dirt instead of grass. The urban heat island effect ends up causing the summers here to be a lot more unbearable than they should be.
I agree but Japan’s climate is super humid so more green means endless maintenance. Maintaining green is super hard in humid place like Japan, it could be jungle forest in a minute.
Japan's ubiquitous efficient affordable public transit really makes it stand out amongst developed nations. You can not gloss over such extraordinary blend of convenience and great walkability.
I've always had a fascination with Japanese urbanism, particularly in their residential areas. Everything feels less like being outside and more like being in a kind of outdoor room.
Thanks for the tip on the Fietsersbond. Just became a member! Funny how I needed a Canadian Amsterdammer to make me do this, after living in the Netherlands for over 45 years and being an avid biker all my life!
Thanks for finally talking about the JP street. Every walkable cities might have good trains, few cars, dense buildings, but NONE have the narrow one-lane only streets on EVERY blocks like Japan
Having visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Fukushima for 12 days back in March, every aspect Jason was talking about in this video is absolutely true! Japanese cities are indeed some of the best built in the world, and as a Norwegian, Japan oddly felt culturally similar! 🇳🇴❤️🇯🇵
Visit 80000hours.org/notjustbikes for free advice and information about finding a career that provides an opportunity to have a positive impact on the world.
Since you have so much praise for Japan, are there city design feature in Korea that you really like/dislike?
Ok
what secret? japan has been rich for
decades + lower governmental corruption compared to a lot of countries
"40h per week, 50 weeks per year" *laughs in European*
It's more typical to work less then 1700h per year in a typical full time job, but I guess 67,200h is less of a catchy name.
@@johanneskurz7122 you visit South America?
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.
You hit the jackpot having a ramen factory on your doorstep!
Fresh ramen! Awesome! That's great that you have so much in your area within walking distance.
But so you have designated parking for your ramen?
I landed in Shakujii-koen in 1992. Didn't know I was starting at the top in Japan and it'd only be downhill from there, LOL
Steps? Not ramps?
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.
Sorry for the late reply, but could I ask you why you made the decision to move away from Tokyo to Seoul?
I love your comment. Thank you for telling us your story
Yep, I'm an American that has also lived abroad (in first world countries, that is) and it was the biggest red pill experience ever. The food tasted better, people were more social, more affordable, walkable cities, my goodness.. living in the USA has never been the same for me.
This is the most glorious comment!
Why did you move to Japan? And why switched to Korea? What will be the next step? Singapore?
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.
Yeah, and a surprising (to me) amount of scenes are shot (drawn?) within trains
Modern Family does pretty well. American sitcoms can be pretty close to slice of life.
@@SuperTommox There is an American slice of life anime based in the suburbs - King of the Hill
@@snackmanultra7715 god dangit Bobby
It could work depending on the suburb. There are rare exceptions in the USA. Norco, CA would be cool since a lot is built for horse riders.
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.
This is typical asian cities design they make for aesthetic and feel like in balad drama
But how else would you be forced to buy a car to move 4 miles away from home to buy some food?
One of the strangest part about traveling in big asian cities for the first time as an american was not knowing whether I was at ground level or not because of how well connected everything was at multiple heights.
@@Hinotori_joj that’s just chonjing
@@EthanPlays8 is that a different spelling of Chongqing? Because I might actually have an opportunity to go there soon.
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
@@bababababababa6124 yeah you’re right, Guatemala and Cuba gotta get their act together!
(You meant them right?)
it's called invisible infrastructure
As Chris from Modacity says, "the best cycle network starts with a good car network".
In order to get people to ride bikes it's more important to control car volumes and car speeds, so that people feel safe cycling.
The narrow streets of Japan do this well.
This has dozens of other benefits over just promoting cycling too, which is why cities trying to improve things should probably start with something like a traffic circulation plan.
@@NotJustBikes In essence, to make safe cycling infrastructure, you should aim for good car infrastructure first? No wonder it's been so difficult to make these kinds of cities.
The bigger cities are constantly adding bike lanes where the sidewalks are wider.
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.
Yes, it works very well if the streets are devoid of cars. But most streets in Japan are not.
@@gmalcolms is there a solution to this? does there need to be more car space?
@@lighting7508 In some parts of Tokyo at least, there are regulations that say that when you build a new house, you have to construct it further back from the street so that they can put a sidewalk in.
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.
My grandfather drived past the age he should not have, but no one could take his keys away, and without the ability to drive he would not be able to access food, medical care, or other needs. I was terrified he was going to kill someone. This is a common and inevitable problem the US just closes its eyes to. how many innocent people have been killed by elderly drivers? Why does the US not plan for this? It drives me insane. The US doesn't care about providing a good place to live for its citizens, just about corporate profits.
I don't even know why I'm watching this, it just makes me wanna cry. I live in LA. Seeing a walkable street is heartbreaking 💔
Another reason for having so many small shops within or near train stations in Japan is that rail companies there are real state companies as well. Renting all those shops provides a lot of income to rail companies, instead of stations being just a tax burden.
Yeah many lose money on the trains but make it back with the shops.
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.
It feels like cars and buses accelerate a lot faster in Hong Kong than in other countries, making biking a lot more dangerous on proper roads. There is a decent network of bike paths in some places (e.g. around the TKO area), but it is very much a leisure activity rather than a proper means of transport, especially since public transport is really, really dense, and many places want to just funnel people into/between malls and travel outside as little as possible
There's also rarely bike parking at destinations, mostly only at the beginning and end of some bike lanes, adding to the sense that biking start and ends at the designated bike lanes.
Come to Zhejiang to ride a bike. We have a mountain bike path here.
@@木鱼老汉半夜敲 a mountain bike path isn't for commuting or running errands
There is the same criticism in Japan.The driver is quite aggressive.
HK is very congested. Not to the point of real traffic jams, but the space is a premium. There is simply no space for bikes on the road. Compare this to Taiwan that has dedicated lanes for bikes/scooters (aka slow-moving vehicles). Also, there is no bike infrastructure (outside of places like Mui Wo). Realistically it is just a leasure thing.
It's not just bikes, e.g. HK doesn't have standing scooters anymore. We used to have them for rental for some time, but it only caused troubles for pedestrians and were not popular enough, so (rightfully) they are gone now.
Interestingly, in my experience, in HK most bikers consider themselves pedestrians, drive on pedestrian roads along the car lane (have to use car lane by law), don't stop with cars on the red signal.
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.
@@Bloodworia Where do they park though?
@@Qasibr at home xD
@@Qasibr He says it in the video: Paid parking lots and garages.
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.
Same. I used to live in a suburb of Osaka, and am fond of the urban design and train networks. Whenever I think about what a subway system could look like, or what walking to a grocery store is like, I think about Osaka.
the best part... you can go on a day trip to kyoto, kobe, himeji, nara, wakayama, etc. and be home in time for dinner.
Isn’t this like a lot of European cities except instead of local trains there are trams?
In some places in the States, you can do that. I can walk to a number of stores and restaurants and to the Metro station. I could get to most of the places I've worked on foot or via Metro.
@@FrancesStewart-h7t but aren't those spaces the most expensive to live in, rent wise?
The first thing I noticed when arriving in Tokyo was how ridiculously quiet it was. It's a gigantic city with a dozen million inhabitants, yet it was often as quiet as my hometown...
I would like to also mention the benefit of city that is pedestrian friendly is how easy it is to stay fit. Try going to pedestrian friendly city such as Florence, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Singapore and etc. and see how easy it is to hit like 10k steps within a day.
That's basically free workout for ya, plus it's more fun walking around the city while chatting with your friends rather than walking on treadmill on a gym in my opinion. There are also some research that you can google yourself regarding the correlation between pedestrian friendly city and low obesity cases.
I will say that I don't walk that much as a resident of a major city in the Netherlands, but that's also because I just bike everywhere
@@FeeshUnofficial Which uses up even more calories
@@abdullahrizwan592 true. Although less so than walking at the speed and distance I do it
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.
@@onetwothreeabc yeah, because other places haven’t invested in public transportation, like they have
@@onetwothreeabc why wouldn’t it work outside of Japan? Many countries already have similar walkability
@@coffeecupwithtea or 100 million people aren’t stuffed in a single island
With how schools are in the US, I don't see this being a real problem. @@onetwothreeabc
@@invinciblemode It doesn't work anywhere, the TFR is unsustainable.
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
Yeah, it's great to just be able to pick up what you need on your way home. Then grocery shopping isn't a "trip" in and of itself.
This is something that car-centric suburbanites have a hard time understanding. The number one question I get when they hear that we don't have a car is, "but how do you buy groceries?!" insane.
I talked about this in my old grocery shopping video from the early days of the channel:
ua-cam.com/video/kYHTzqHIngk/v-deo.html
@@NotJustBikes yeh this was a real eye opener and a habit I've been able to continue do to some degree back living in Australia, I currently work in the CBD and have a bus stop right out front of my home so obviously use that service every work day, between my office and the bus station there are three supermarkets so I often pick up items I need on the walk between the office and station, a small bag carries enough for making dinner and a few necessities without getting in the way of other commuters, I still have to do an occasional shopping centre car run for bulky or heavy items like cat litter (and also these city supermarkets have a very limited range of goods)
@@NotJustBikes yes! As a person who (unfortunately) relocated from the city to the village (thank god at least not suburbia) a while ago it frustrates me to this day, that we now *have to* plan our grocery shopping. It was so nice to be able buy things when you need to, not when you need AND have a chance.
@@NotJustBikes This is something I didn't know I needed until I actually experienced it. I did a summer study abroad in Japan about 10yrs ago, and lived within walking distance of a train station that had a grocery store on the 2nd floor. Being able to stop by the grocery store every day and pick up fresh ingredients for dinner that night was life-changing.
I hate the cycle of grocery shopping that I'm forced to participate in in the US. Making a grocery list, planning the trip, buying ~2wks worth of food at a time... and then trying to get through all of that food while it's still fresh, while my appetite for some of the things I've already purchased has waned in the time since I bought it, all while it's also getting less fresh... and then forcing yourself to get through other things so you can justify another shopping trip, just because you ran out of something you actually need, like eggs or something... ugh I hate it so much.
@@lizzyp1414 I can't even imagine living like that. Having a grocery store within walking distance, usually nearby the closest metro, has always felt like how grocery shopping is supposed to work. You can still take the car for major things, like if you're planning a Christmas dinner, but the day-to-day shopping literally is day-to-day, not weekly.
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.
Visit Denmark, or Northern Europe in general, it's common etiquette in loads of places.
Compared to a North American city like Toronto, the average Japanese driver is vastly more patient and disciplined. That difference was the biggest reason I rode a bike just about every day in Japan compared to now in Toronto where I haven't touched my bike in years because I don't feel safe around 3000kg SUVs with distracted drivers.
@@Sushi227 I grew up in Ottawa, so I can’t relate. But I understand that it’s way worse in other parts of Canada. I was also lucky enough to live in Georgetown, Washington DC, but am fully aware that cycling in America is terrifying.
Everywhere I have been in Japan is way better than Canada or America for cyclists. But I feel insanely lucky to be in Denmark, it’s incomparably good for cycling.
Blocking intercestions constantly? You must live here in the US where it's all about cata and all about me, me, me.
Blocking the intersection is the most frustrating thing here (Seattle area) - there's a couple intersections that are notoriously clogged all the time (esp. a freeway exit ramp onto a main stroad). So many times I've had to sit through multiple green lights without going because asshats keep clogging the intersection and the exit flow doesn't clear enough cars out of the lane that I can cross the intersection without doing the same, and then the next cycle has more asshats that clog and the cycle continues.
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 was there for three weeks a few months ago. I was getting ice cream and junk food, but I walked so much I lost 5 pounds. It was absolutely amazing.
@@bkirkpatrick6187 I went two times last year, dropped from 199 to 173 thanks to all the walking
What strikes me about them is their humanity, you look down one of these streets and immediately feel how easy it would be traverse, how pleasant it would be to just reside here.
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.
both sad and true...
@@Philoreason I an exile from California to a city north of Tokyo and I soooooooo appreciate what you’ve said. In LA I once had 5 cars for only 2 drivers. That’s a sign of how sick I became.
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.
Parking space is very expensive here. If residents could be convinced that they do not need a vehicle, everyone could save a lot of money. And we could live in a much friendlier environment.
@@PaulVanDyke-z2i what do you do for work in order to travel this much?
@@Mkrabs h
FYI I'd suggest against putting your full name and city of residence (and profession) in a publicly-visible youtube comment. You may want to edit your name out here for safety.
There are examples in Macao of people driving to the city from the suburbs, then parking their car in the outskirts, and taking a motorcycle to the city center. They pay for two parking places, one for the car and one for the motorcycle. All of this is done so they can arrive one-half hour earlier to their job and avoid a very crowded trip on a bus.
The busses are very crowded during rush hour. You often have to let two, three or four busses pass by in order to board one because there are so many people pushing their way into the busses before the door closes.
I do not blame the car/motorcycle alternative. I thought of everything possible as well to avoid the crowded busses. The solution I chose was to board the bus two hours before everyone else. So I arrived at work at 6 a.m. and began work at 8 a.m.
Clearly, there must be a better solution.
FYI that video by "life where i'm from" on Japanese Zoning is FASCINATING.
and i still think zoning laws sounds and IS very boring.
trust me check it out it's so interesting
Dude, it opened my eyes at how things could be. I hate suburbia.
@@lainiwakura1776 Same here, eye opening indeed. That video should be part of many schools' curricula, and then also show how bad it can get elsewhere for some contrast.
I lived 4 years in japan. 1 in Saitama, 1 in Osaka and 2 in Tokyo (Hachiouji). Never had a car and didn't need one. everything I needed was within walking distance from where I lived. Train stations were less than 10 minutes away from all the apartments that I lived in. Great country and I'm going back this year to live the rest of my life there.
I went to Japan last year and this year, and I'd want to go again next year. Japan has changed how I feel about cities. I wish we had trains and walkable streets.
Tokyo and Yokohama definitely showed me a positive example of what a city can be.
It’s what happens when cities are legitimately just ancient and people had to walk around before the cars even existed. The just continued to build in the same way bc they are on a tiny island with no way to move out. Where USA for example is just massive and people want their space and their super nice cars. One isn’t just better than the other but I do know which I prefer for sure.
It just makes so much sense that real blue collar workers would want Kei trucks. Modern, american pickups aren't working vehicles anymore, they're luxury vehicles larping as working vehicles. Some people might be able to use them for hauling or towing, but they are vastly overpaying for that ability (one they likely only use irregularly, even). Yeah, a blue collar worker probably would want a little pickup! Small. Cheap. Fuel-efficient. Easy to repair. Of course someone who works hard to barely earn a living in a "masculine" profession would prefer a small, functional truck to a FORD F150!
They have nothing to compensate for.
Me and the boys are gonna get a k truck soon. They’re dirt cheap on Facebook marketplace and they do their job for us. Perfect first car for a bunch of teenage farm workers
Truck value is overinflated by all the wannabe rednecks. I was looking at 5-10yo ram 1500s. Up to 25k for one in decent condition. Ended up buying a 6yo top spec grand Cherokee for 10k. It’s got the same engine can still haul my boat all 2 times a year but it’s infinitely nicer car. All leather interior Android auto adaptive cruise control blind spot detection lane assist 200w inverter moon roof variable air suspension- if this car had rolled off the assembly line with a pickup bed it’d 50k
Agree! Living in Tokyo, I love how almost everything I need is within walking distance from my house, and everything else is a short train-ride away.
Same here in Singapore!
When you have 38 million people living in a single metro area, by definition they better have everything you need within close walking distance.
@@Sacto1654 Its true in Japan for sure. Literally everything is always within a 5 minute walk
I remember Vtuber IRyS saying she like living in japan of how close everything is and can go anywhere with a car because of the train system
Except Costco :p
I lived in Japan for 5 years in the late 90’s. This video hit on many key characteristics about Japan. Last year, I visited a friend in Kofu, Shimosuwa, a fairly big city for about a month. We biked on regular streets to do everyday shopping all over the city. Like your video showed, these streets were sometimes too wide and consequently too sunny with too much traffic. The smaller streets, nearer to my friend's house, were much smaller with no cars at all; the five meter wide streets you talked about. All the video showed this very well. Furthermore, in my month stay, I never once got into a car. In fact, we took low-cost trains to Tokyo, about an hour way, and we took them to an astronomical observatory and a Buddhist temple high up in the mountains, too. We even took local trains (about one day ride) to a small town up along the north coast. Even though when I lived there it was in a smaller place, Okaya-shi, a small convenience store, or grocery, was only a 5-10 minute walk from my home! I hope the car lobby fails in Japan. Car-centric planning has really destroyed the USA.
0:23 I'm such a train nerd when I see the specific train passing here and immediately know that it's not a station in Tokyo 😅
I like how there's a random Ferrari 308gtb waiting for the stop light at 12:10, you can have great walking and cycling infrastructure and that does not mean that cars will just disappear.
Yeah, I actually paused on that frame too.
If you truly love cars and driving, you want trains to completely usurp driving as the best mode of travel. Then the nice empty roads are purely for your enjoyment.
I think narrow lanes and too few lanes is a major issue some places and I would rather have overbuilt roads than underbuilt ones, however 14 lanes might be a bit excessive and it is important to have wide lanes for semi-trucks and buses to avoid cyclists being run over by them, this also needs to be combined with proper cycle lanes. An example of a street I consider too narrow is Dronning Eufemias Gate in Oslo, where there are eight lanes consisting of two cycle lanes, two bus lanes, two car lanes and two tram lanes. The wide sidewalks do not help either, the issue is that the bus lanes should be wide, but that would impact the cycle lanes so the car lanes shrunk and the intersections are also dangerous because the buses could run over cyclists and that is why the bus lanes must be wide enough for the buses not to drive into the cycle lanes.
I noticed that too - I was like "hey, nice Ferrari"
@@Josh_Quillan Honestly, it would be nice to drive less and relax on the way to my destination sometimes.
I live in Japan, but I live in rural Okinawa, so I’ve never been more car dependent in my entire life. Everytime I go to the mainland I seethe in jealousy at all their wonderful public transit.
Life Where I'm From did a video about Okinawa's traffic, too! ua-cam.com/video/d6h_Dy7VY1Y/v-deo.html
*cries in Hokkaido* My boss was worried that a new hire didn't have their drivers license (wasn't the case though) and was going to hate living there. The only transit that really existed was going to or from Sapporo.
Rural life in almost the entire world is car dependent. Distances are just so large due to it being rural. Although at least here in Sweden bikes are popular there, even if you often don't see them due to the low density of people living there. Though I fear that's shifted towards cars the last few decades.
@@AnotherDuck There are a few(just a few) walkable rural areas. But those are really just local trips and absolute basic necessities. Anything else will require commuting.
@@neurofiedyamato8763 Well, with rural communities there's usually a small area where shops cluster, so right there things are walkable. Roads also tend to not have much traffic, so you can walk on them relatively safely.
I was more talking about more remote houses where even neighbours are at a fair distance.
Honestly things like kei cars and trucks are what most people probably should have in non-rural areas.
I bought a kei car almost 2 years ago, and it has done everything that a much larger car can do.
All while using very little fuel.
Even highway use is fine, i drove it 1800km with the entire back packed with stuff when I moved house a couple of years ago.
And yet, even with it being probably the best city car ive had.
It spends most of the time in my garage while I cycle or catch the bus to work.
@@HKSkansei I don’t know where your at but I have noticed in York (England) more people have started using them because they can fit along the very small roads for delivery. I have also seen it the city council use something similar for street cleaning.
@deficientduck3003 I'm in Australia
The truck and van versions are getting popular here for small business owners, especially landscaping.
But they have also started to build a cult following for people into camping, who are adding awnings, beds and all.manner of things to the back.
My one is just a regular hatchback though, since that suited my needs better.
I hired kei cars a few times while in Japan - - they actually handled a lot of long distance driving quite well (and as an Australian "long distance driving" mean 6+ hours) from Kyoto to Niigata, Osaka to Sendai, Tokyo to Hiroshima but honestly I would have preferred to take the Shinkansen just I was traveling with someone who was a bit of a hikikomori, had agoraphobia, and couldn't handle more than about 20 minutes in a train or in busses and local trains once we arrived at our destination
Also Kei car and truck show how oversized car especially Pick Up and SUV I don’t think Kei side cars will the norm in some places around the world but cars should have a size limit so their no arms race of ever increasing size that are now approaching to a tank
Kei cars, and esp trucks are at least as popular in rural areas.
My 91 year old mother can’t drive anymore so I take her shopping and to the doctors for her. But she sorely misses the relative independence she could have enjoyed if she was still living in Japan. She’s Japanese but has lived in the States since she got married in 1956. I got to go to college for a year in Tokyo. It was amazing how easy it was to get around- much easier than in the States.
The narrow streets of Japan have always been the one I like the most to navigate. Usually not many tourists are there and you can get a feeling of the calmness of those places.
One thing i noticed, that even if its not on purpose. Japan is so damn picturesque for having such nice streets
Japan having picturesque streets is probably a result of them making the streets for pedestrians. If you are designing a street for people to walk down, you'd want it to be pleasant.
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
Currently living in Japan walking to the store has been the best experience ever. Dreading having to go back to America and drive to the store 🥲
There are so many _konbini_ in Tokyo that you're literally within 5 minutes of one from almost anywhere if you're talking that national chains like 7-Eleven, Lawson Station, Family Mart or Mini-Stop. 7-Elevens are particularly convenient because you can do things like pay utility bills, cellphone bills and even buy event tickets in one; they even can do fuil banking with Seven Bank ATM's inside the store.
@@Sacto1654 yeah I was able to pay for my I believe it was medical insurance at a Lawson. Was super convenient!
The way to describe it I think is that, and this is a huge commentary on the irony of North American design, ultimately, Japanese urban design is capitalistic in nature rather than out of some altruism. They have found that these layouts are simply more efficient, particularly for facilitating commerce. Time on the road is time wasted.
There's no free parking, but this same capitalistic basis is how you get things like a lack of free bicycle parking, or if you notice, there aren't many public bins or places to sit down along the streets unless they belong to a business of some sort such as a train station or shop.
Of course it's capitalistic. People who blame North American car dependency on capitalism are ridiculous. Walkable Europe and Asia are just as capitalist as the States, and businesses in walkable cities are very profitable indeed.
I think someone else mentioned how it is ironic that zoning reform (in North America at least) comes mostly from the left even though people on the right are the ones most opposed to government overreach.
That's funny, I've lived in Japan since 2012 and I think it is socialistic. As the video says, the central government controls zoning and urban planning in general. In urban and suburban areas, there are free clean public toilets all over the place. I used to live in NYC and I spent a lot of the time looking for a public toilet; they are almost non-existent there. When Thatcher became PM in my native UK she made everything user pays, including public toilets. Now it's almost impossible to find a public toilet there - now that's capitalistic.
@@fidomusic Good points well made. Interesting to hear about public toilets. I'm probably in the minority here, but I actually think free public toilets are a great measure of how progressive a society is. I'm Australian, and in Australia free public toilets are usually quite easy to find, and are clean. I currently live in Santiago, Chile, and public toilets basically don't exist here. If you need to use a toilet outside your home or workplace, you need to find a mall or restaurant/cafe, and except for large malls, you'll need to buy something to use the toilet. There are some public toilets around, but you generally have to pay to use them. Unsurprisingly, public urination/defecation is a major problem, but nobody seems to have figured out the blindingly obvious solution.
The public bins were largely reduced after a terror attack utilizing them in Japan
I LOVE the duality of the video, showing how great the infrastructure is in many places, but still bringing up how car centric other areas are, and even the paid parking for both cars and bicycles. I live in Osaka, and just realised as you talked about stroads that there is one I used to go by quite often before I moved, that is very uncomfortable, I just never realised why. For reference, it's the southern side of Nagai park
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.
Yes, Japan is actually very car-centric once you leave the big cities. However, I still think they achieve a fairly good balance of being both accessible by car and by walking/cycling, and always being well connected to other places via rail lines. Everything still tends to be closer together, roads are smaller and people drive slower than in North American cities.
I think Japan is in general a fairly bike friendly place by accident for these reasons.
If you don't have a high paying job, you either have to live in a tiny place with shitty isolation that would make having kids very difficult (unless you want to piss off your neighbors), but if you want something better you will have to go far away from stations and a 20 min walk in summer is horrible (plus you will get the shittiest train conditions, cause JR is too cheap to give you more than one train per 6 mins during rush hour and they're full af).
There are also so many things that could improve traffic, like typically crossing the busy roads in a car is extra painful because most people want to turn into the road (and half to the right) but they can't go through because cars on the other side are crossing too, it quickly turns into huge lines. Some crossings will have tunnels that help a lot but it's really far from common.
@DanielVanderwel I think because smaller cities outside main metro cities probably just didnt have huge population density for it to sustain its own rail infrastructure. Japan is actually more rail networks on regional areas, though those were like small 2 car trains or even 1 car train that is akin for more a tram or bus in rails. So those were being replaced by buses now and serving pretty much the same capacity.
But even with those rather car centric cities, their city center can be still dense and walkable. It just the suburbs tends to be car centric. Unless you live to nearest regional train station.
I guess Japan did at least find the balance considering their shrinking population and after the economic bubble. Maybe once Japan return to its economic glory and population, they might able to change that.
Japan is actually still rather big for island nation. The size of the country many not be as massive as US or China, but still massive for archipelago that may rival some European countries in size.
Japan are built like Norway but 25x the population and with all the natural disasters. You can't really get anywhere in Norway without a car except maybe in the 3 biggest cities. Being mostly mountainous is actually a curse considering you can't really plan a central city location where most people live, everything in a small town will have to be usually spaced out because of the flat ground unless you live in southern norway
@kornkernel2232 you just exactly explained why there is not much public transportation in the US. Our density is nowhere close to Europe or Japan so we can not support such infrastructure due to low ridership. A city like Boston only has 650K people and struggles to pay for upkeep. How can the even less denser suburbs support it.
you talk about the maintenance of infrastructure being easier because of physical density, one thing that stood out to me owning property in Japan was also the cost of maintenence and very importantly the hassle of maintenence of the housing itself is extremely low - every 20 years the building gets a full inspection, refurbishment, and structural repair. The cost is a small fee you pay on the property that comes out to be extremely low for the individual due to the cost being paid over 20 years by the 900 residents of the building while allowing maintenece of really high quality safety and utilities.
Politically it also helps to shield the individual owner from corner cutting since a major problem that comes up is suddenly a huge single issue voting group in a very geographically localized area which gets politicians hopping
I think it's worth knowing the reason why the electric wiring is above ground is also due to the frequent earthquakes that happen. above ground they have some slack to compensate for the moving grounds instead of it snapping when underground
Also I can’t believe you filmed in Koiwa (9:40) haha I regularly commute through that street
Yeah, it still isn't appealing visually, but fair point.
Never thought about the poles for earth-quake resiliency, but it makes complete sense!
@@YoJesusMorales I don't mind the looks, but that's subjective.
i assume the maintenance is also cheaper and faster too
@@Ryalu_ Where I live we have it this way and I always think it's kind of an impediment for having trees and stuff like that, but could be a false assumption.
Japan getting hit with hurracaines/typhoons I would think it would also be safer underground but I guess not.
@@YoJesusMorales Where I live the wires tend to be so close to trees that they're practically in them, covered in leaves. It isn't really an issue.
I lived in Japan for several years and now live in North Am. I miss Japanese zoning!! I only had a mini fridge because my local grocery store was only a 5 minute walk away so I was able to go a few times a week. Restaurants and most other needs were within a 10 minute drive, so even when I did drive I wasn't driving as far or as often. Even though I was a foreigner, I felt way more connected to my community in Japan than anywhere I've lived in North Am because in North Am everyone just stays in their houses and then schleps 30min-1hr away to work. My mother has lived in the same house for 20 years and I could only tell you the name of one of her immediate neighbors, and I only even know that because he's a bad neighbor.
In regards to street safety, it's common for Japanese kids as young as 3 or 4 to go on minor errands on their own (you might have seen the show Old Enough, which follows kids on their first solo outings). Good street design, strong communities, and way more regulated driving education makes this feel absolutely safe. By comparison, I'd be terrified to let a 10 year old walk to school in, say, the US. Hell, even when my adult friends leave my house we tell them to text when they get home. Every country has its own strengths but when it comes to the stuff in this video, Japan definitely has it down pat.
I'm a Dutch native, and just last month I came back from a 3-month stay in Tokyo. One thing that was really remarkable to me is just how much more convenient living was for me. There's shops, conbinis and train stations almost around each corner and the Matsuya around the block was open until 2 am. In the Netherlands, I'd have to bike 5-10 minutes to find the first shop or grocery store. Even as an area with lots of residential space, there was still a lot of foot traffic just from the sheer volume of people living there.
Some things made it much less ideal to live there though. This of course doesn't count for every place in Tokyo, but the high buildings and busy streets get quite suffocating if you live in a busy area. Coming back to the Netherlands I was surprised by how much green my neighbourhood had compared to Tokyo. If I showed my neighbourhood to someone from Tokyo they might be convinced I'm living in a park, even though it's just a residential neighbourhood.
Also, you'd be surprised what Japanese taxi drivers would try to pull off in a street like the one at 18:18
Yeah, Japan does always feel quite "gray" in terms of having not a lot of greenery in these denser neighborhoods. It seems that when you get to small towns and villages it ofc does have that, but thats also as the houses there typically are a bit further from the road.
Its perhaps the main disadvantage of those 5m wide roads in Japan: its hard to implement much green into them. You could *perhaps* narrow the road down to 3m or so at some spaces for boxes where trees, greenery etc can grow, which leaves juuust enough space for cars and pedestrians. Then again theres probably some underlying reasons why that aint done, would be curious if anyone knows why greenery on streets isnt a part of Japanese urban planning.
NL tends to take a bit more space for roads, and often there still a sidewalk and more car/cycling dedicated lane which pedestrians can also use. And since on street parking is common in NL, if greenery is added its often placed in places where parking spots were.
@@sheeple04 There are some narrow streets that do have a lot of planter greenery, but I think it's a contribution from homeowners rather than planning. Though with those community meetings NJB mentioned, maybe it's both, a community agree to go put out potted plants.
I stayed in a hotel that was basically a reformed nuclear bunker and at the end of one of the underground tunnels was a Lawson. Not like, a conbini operated by the hotel with sky high prices, but an actual Lawson with normal prices. On a peninsula, in an underground tunnel system. As an american I can't comprehend that kind of 'zoning'
Thank you for the Fietsersbond shout out! I recently read their Cycle Vision 2040 which is so inspiring.
I have been living in Japan for a few months now, I am 8 minutes away from my train station by foot, but there are one of these "stroad-adjacent" roads in the way, so I have to walk through a boring pedestrian bridge every time... However, even the local residents know this sucks, so a lot of people prefer to jaywalk through the stroad when there is no traffic instead of walking the pedestrian bridge, even though there are huge signs saying "no jaywalking, please use the bridge" ! lol
I was in the same situation, where I either had to cross a 6-lane road or use the huge 4-way pedestrian bridge to get to the JR east station. Fortunately though there was a Tokyo metro station entrance on my side of the station which connected to the JR east part as a convenient shortcut
I live in Melbourne, Australia and have to do the same thing. To get to the tram stop directly across from my house, I have to cross three separate bits of road (including a slip lane and four more lanes) just to get to the middle of the street, so I often jaywalk to avoid waiting three minutes the crossing to go green. To get to the train station, I have to cross six lanes of traffic (plus the slip lane), and some of those cars are coming off the 100km/h highway. If you want to interchange between the train and tram you have to cross both, and it takes AGES if you don’t jaywalk.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the automated underground parking lots where you leave your car in an elevator and it stores your car underground. I see these a fair amount in the big cities. There's also those double decker parking lots where you leave your car on a small platform and it jacks it up to a second level.
Yeah, those are pretty cool. I saw those, had no idea how those worked, and had to look it up on UA-cam.
One thing that I dislike about parking in some cities is seperate entities managing street parking and parking garages and the price difference that occurs, of course if parking is scarce you are forced to use the more expensive parking garages, but until that point people will hunt for street parking even when garages are more convenient.
I think this is one of the best videos you've made, it showcases a lot of the things about walkable urbanism packed into one video.
It makes it a great video to show to people who are new to this topic and live somewhere car centric how possible it is to design cities differently
One of the best things about the Japanese zoning laws is how every zone* accomodates residential. It is painfully difficult to convert commercial, industrial or office zones into Residential in the US, but if a local business fails in Japan, it's incredibly easy to convert the building to some version of residential, allowing that new population to support the remaining commercial/industrial/office zones.
Obviously this is less effective in the center of Tokyo where replacing a high-rise building with a single family home would be insane, but in areas of lower or median density, the administrative and construction cost is much lower.
My dad and I went to Japan in June and we loved the train system and the pedestrian and bike infrastructure.
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
Kyoto really surprised me. It is a city where history is incredibly well preserved but they have embraced the car like no other Japanese city I've seen
embraced the bus five decades ago and failed to stop the car in the last five years
I think it's mostly taxi service for tourists who can't be bothered to walk a few kilometers to get from train stations to the various cultural landmarks
I don't know how the island Okinawa relates to it but cars seem extremely prevalent all over
You should see NAGOYA with its GIANT "American style BOULEVARDS" -
my least fave city in Japan
LMAO
It’s tourists creating demand for cars inducing changes in the urban landscape.
I chuckled at the 80,000 Hours promo, as it was-in large part-your very channel that inspired me to go back to school this year (at age 33) to pursue a career as a transport planner 🤓 so, thank you, NJB!
Good Luck! I entered university at 30 after working as a labourer for 10 years to save for the tuition. Best decision I've ever made.
You're absolutely right that visiting Japan radicalized me in this respect. Seeing that there is another way to live that makes way more sense than what we have in North America was so eye-opening!
Normally I don't comment but this video hits too close to home...
I am from Vienna and am currently in Tokyo for an exchange year, the older I got the more I disliked cars, but this feeling got boosted to another level since I am here...
It's strange how looking back i never noticed that streets become so ugly if they are lined with cars left and right, but since I am here i just enjoy walking so much more because I am not confined to a small space at the side of the road next to uncountable metal boxes, instead there are interesting buildings left and right. Streets have more space for greenery and the most interesting thing I see all day on a road is not a bicycle parking spot anymore, but some nicely designed and very green wood building.
In one of your last videos you talked about how great the Public transport is, and i don't wanna say its bad, but coming from Vienna where I can drive with everything, everywhere in the city for 1€ a day, this here is very expensive, especially when you need to switch from one train company to another. And the best thing you can get for riding the trains regularly is a commuter pass, which is only valid for a specific route instead of the whole network.
Nevertheless, i think this video finally motivated me to try to get some change into my city once I come back home.
Calling that abomination of Euclidean Zoning disrespects Euclides somehow :D
Vastly underrated comment.
Poor guy. It's all because he got a town named after him.
At least plenty of nerds know him for respectable things.
It also implies the possibility of non-euclidian zoning, which I assume would involve streets built like a Möbius strip.
@@SamWickens Japan embraces non-euclidian zoning, people have no idea where they're going, but they can get to a place that is 1 km away in only 10 m.
11:46 lol
Couple to the right
That's one way to massage the gluteus maximus
good spot
she's hungry for cake, look at how she grabs that thang
also came here to find this time stamp in the comments lmao
Taiwan, a former Japanese colony, shares many urban features praised in this video, like narrow mixed-use streets, relaxed zoning, and excellent public transport. However, Taiwan's streets are notoriously dangerous, earning it the title "pedestrian hell" from CNN. I believe @NotJustBikes lived in Taiwan, and I'd love to see a video exploring why similar design choices succeed in Japan but fail in Taiwan. Additionally, Taiwan has unique urban features not found in Japan, Canada, or the Netherlands that urban design fans might never have seen before, like dedicated scooter lanes, hook turns, and island-wide bicycle/electric scooter networks.
Due to australian import laws changing recently, there’s been a massive boom of people importing second hand kei cars for regular everyday use. Oftentimes the cost of buying and importing them is cheeper than buying a car locally.
I visited Japan with my parents last year, and my parents and I all felt that Japanese cities were some of the most pleasant cities we’ve ever been in. And that’s coming from Dutch people!
What’s funny is that I recognized the street at 7:08, since our hotel in Tokyo was that yellow-ish building with the green roof in the back there! It was a very pleasant place, and like you said, all of Tokyo was easily accessible.
I just finished my first year of studying Urban Planning in Leeuwarden, and I hope to move to and work in Japan once I’m done, as challenging as that may be.
Veel success in Japan!!
A foreigner is extremely unlikely to develop a carrier in a Japanese company. Choose carefully.
I was stationed in Okinawa in the 1990's and was able to do some training in Tokyo/Yokohama for a few weeks. I was blown away by the ease of getting around and the trains and subway system. It is so easy to utilize and get around Tokyo, as it's huge. I would love to go back some day to see just how much it's changed. Great video, as usual.
22:19 You _should_ mention that this is nowhere near as expensive as car parking.
Those were around 500yen/h or like 1500/6h.
While this bicycle one is 2500 for a _month_ (2000 for students)
For the record, that's the only bike parking whose price I could read, that's why it's the one I timestamped.
There's also the one at 21:53, which I'm pretty sure says 12時110円, aka 110 yen for 12 hours. Not quite as cheap as the monthly rental, but still significantly better than for cars.
It's about the same price as 22:26 in the Netherlands (after the first 24 hours, of course).
And based on those prices, I think 21:45 says 100 yen for 5 hours.
With the first hour being free, and the price being double for bikes; these are very legible.
From my experience typical price for a day is between 100-200 yen, with monthly being in the 2000-3000 range pretty much anywhere.
Cars can go from 100 yen/ hour (pretty rare and rare to see it) to 1000/hour (and sometimes even more in a few places.
Something small I have admired about Japanese road design for a few years now are the intersection markers for blind junctions. Markers for T-junctions are visible at 3:56 and a marker for a cross-roads is at 17:18. I just think this is a really neat solution to the visibility problem and I'd love to see them introduced to narrow streets and laneways where I live here in Melbourne, Australia.
One UA-camr I watch lives in Japan, and every spa or salon she features describes their location as "X minutes from Thus-And-such train station". So cool.
Your channel inspired me quite a lot.
I am studying Urban Planning in Japan right now.
You can actually draw a lot of parallels between why Japan has Kei vehicles to why America has big SUVs and pickup trucks. It's all about government policy, in Japan you are given tax breaks for buying Kei class vehicles and they are not subject to the same safety regulations as normal cars. These policies drive their price down a whole lot. In America you instead get benefits from buying bigger vehicles, with the "light truck" category having less strict emissions and safety standards, and with potential tax breaks by being a "work vehicle". Sure, narrow streets also contribute to people buying Kei class vehicles, but there's no denying that the main reason is government policy which has been designed to increase demand for small and efficient cars
Plus the US basically bans importing Kei vehicles.
Half an hour videos from Not Just Bikes. And also about my most favourite country! This is truly a blessing!
favorite country? not shocking considering that profile picture haha
My wife and I walked around neighborhoods in Tokyo and Kyoto. We saw hundreds of unattended bikes. We saw only two that were locked. You can leave an unlocked bike outside your house and it will still be there in the morning. Try that in the US or where we live now, Costa Rica.
@jim2376 you can in the suburbs where the delinquents can't afford to live..but can't in the cities where they are concentrated. That's why there is push-back on the author's choice of urban living styles. Many people in the US don't want to live in the cities he's describing because they would also have to deal with far more criminals who could afford to live there.
@jim2376 - My husband and I were amazed by this, too! We were sitting in a small shop drinking coffee one morning, and we saw this woman pull up with her bike, lean it against a street sign, and walk into a store. She didn't lock up the bike. We were so concerned. But when she walked out 15 minutes later, she hopped right on and left. We saw this more and more and were amazed.
Also, no throwing trash on the ground there. Everyone carries their trash with them if there isn't a bin. Such clean cities!
lol in some parts of my country you need to take the lock wire not only through the bike frame but also through the wheels cause thieves will take them off. You can only prey they don't steal the saddle. But locking them is standard. I am simply jealous of countries like japan or the netherlands
Me and my elder brother went to Japan back in 2016. We absolutely loved walking around. Those streets are a treasure trove of hidden gems that are easy to miss if you are part of a tour group, or rely on taxis/buses as your primary mode of transportation.
Interestingly enough, these types of streets are common across Asia, including my home country. When I was visiting it, I never realised that, albeit there were haphazardly unenforced speed limits on the roads, how walkable and close by everything was. Looking back at it now, when staying at my grandparents place, I was in walking distance from a barber, a vegetable market and a butcher. I cant believe it took me a NJB video to make me realise that. Great video btw, now when I visit again I will lookout for streets like these.
This is fantastic B-roll, and there's tons of it!
I took SO much footage while I was in Japan. The vast majority of the clips in this video I filmed myself. It took a lot of effort, but I just don't think the story would be as good if I had to rely only on stock footage, so thanks to my Patreon supporters (like you ;) ) for making it possible for me to do this!
@@NotJustBikes The American mom and dad were chef's kiss though. :D
@@NotJustBikes We must have walked past each other in Osaka, then! I'm the white guy walking on the right side of the shot at 7:42. Kinda trippy.
This makes me wanna go back to Japan. One of the best experiences of my life.
I always hated living in a city, my dream was always to move into the country side, but than when I travelled to Japan I was blown away, I actually loved living in a city for once. Being able to go anywhere I wanted in the city by simply walking and catching a train was incredible and it didn't take hours going from one side of the city to the other. The small alley ways felt cozy instead of suffocating. Just everything felt different. I really cant get over the trains, that I have access to the entire city and very quickly by just walking and catching a train. Incredible.
Has OP ever considered checking out Sapporo? It's a Japanese city that was originally built with planning assistance from the U.S. Government in the late 19th century. May be an interesting comparison as to how American cities could be adapted into a less car-dependent form.
The 'Life Where I'm From' video on Japanese zoning is a must-see! Thanks for adding to the content about cities here - I really enjoy life in Tokyo and a big part of that is the convenience afforded by the way things are laid out. FYI about parking lots in front of convenience stores - I see them used mostly by taxi drivers, so I feel like it's mostly catering to that market.
Yesss. Thank you. I've been telling friends about the benefits of Japanese style zoning for years now. Canada needs this badly.
Being on an island makes a big difference.
@@brodriguez11000 That's a poor excuse for bad land use.
@@brodriguez11000 garbage excuse
I lived in Amsterdam for a little over 3 years, now this year I am moving to Tokyo 😂 double radicalised!
時々出てくるカナダとか海外の風景が綺麗すぎる
緑が沢山あって道もスペースも広いから開放的で気持ちよさそう
Love the Life Where I'm From shoutout! Since my first visit to Japan I've been obsessed with these streets, but I could never put my feelings into words. Thank you for detailing that feeling so well here!
I've lived in Tokyo for many years now, and I've seen a few pedestrian bridges being replaced with a set of traffic lights which is a nice improvement. I believe this is mostly for accessibility reasons tho as some people don't have the luxury of being able to easily climb up/down stairs.
Wow man thanks so much for these videos. I really think that the future is a car-free one.
Atleast not DEPENDANT on cars for everyday travel/shopping/working etc.
So well done with the editing, scripts and your depth knowledge about urban planning and car infrastructure. These footage are great, I wonder how much time it takes to travel to and record all these shoots. Since I heard you say you dont use stock footage 🙂
Thanks! This video has clips from about 2½ weeks of travelling across Japan, though some of that was tourism with the family. This video probably took about 50 hours of filming, and travelling around to film at specific locations, which, yeah... it's a lot of effort. But I think the end-product is worth it!
I'm thankful for my Nebula and Patreon supporters because there's no way I could afford to do this without them.
This is why I always laugh when people complain that I don't talk about enough different cities. They have no concept of how much effort goes into filming on location. It would be so much easier if I just used stock footage, but I think the quality would be way worse.
@@NotJustBikes Quality is appreciated. Makes it far more relevant to what you're talking about.
Watching this on while on my last day in Japan ❤
Did you have a good trip?
I heard there are too many tourists these days
@@NotJustBikes Yes, I had a great trip.
I was here for nearly a whole Month!
Started with Tokyo for 3 days, went to Kyoto via Shinkansen for 2 Weeks (with my University) and then I took the local route (Tokaido-Main-Line) back to Tokyo (via Osaka-Nagoya-Hamamatsu-Shizuoka-Mt.Fuji-Tokyo) to stay for another 4 days.
[Some of these places realy don't have great transit...]
Now its the last full-day and my flight takes of at 9 in the morning.
Greetings from Japan
(Usually Germany)
@@daniel_ghaxby not great transit do you mean connectivity? cause i know they rely on trains a lot in many small cities and towns but don’t use any other mode of transport so cycling to and from the station is super common
@@jabindahed The cities had a trainstation connected to a bushub.
Some didn't accept the Transit Card (IC) that worked everywhere else. You could really see the decline of walkability/bikeability and the focus on cars in others.
Not Just Bikes visiting Japan is a gift that keeps on giving
I’ve been saying for years that what makes the difference here in Japan is people consider street a shared space for everyone, not just for cars, so this means drivers are mindful of cyclists/pedestrians, and (mostly) everyone is going at a reasonable speed. This mindset makes it a lot safer and a more comfortable environment for pedestrians and cyclists
I have a house in Japan and I love how convenient it is where I live. A five quiet walk to a bus which takes five minutes to get to the subway which takes 10 minutes to get to work. Then I take a 15 minute bus ride that takes me in walking distance to my house.
11:20 you caught a guy littering on the left.
Something even more... strange... happens at 11:50...
I agree with all points of the video, but after living in Japan for almost a year now, I realized how gray most Japanese cities are. Small streets rarely have Trees or any kind of plants and even Parks are often just a small afterthought. If you just want a place to rest and relax finding a place to just sit down can be incredibly difficult.
If you live in central Tokyo, you can probably find a park within a 10-minute walk, or at most 20 minutes.
@@socks_cat356 well first, I don't. second: most parks are just tiny areas of a little bit of green, something i would not really classify as a good park for relaxing. Maybe I am just spoiled by the area I lived before but I kinda need more green around that is relaxing and usable. Just my preference (taste) though, so you're free to disagree.
@@gamerwolf-ne1yl
The guidelines for the operation of the Urban Parks Act include descriptions of access and distance to parks. Specifically, the following standards are set:
Ensuring access:
Ramps, stairs, elevators, and other routes must be secured to make urban parks easily accessible on foot.
It is desirable to ensure access in an appropriate manner, taking into consideration use by the elderly and physically disabled.
Attraction distance standards:
Block parks: 250m
Neighborhood parks: 500m
District parks: 1km
These standards are set flexibly according to local conditions, to ensure that residents can access urban parks at an appropriate distance.
@@socks_cat356 I find ten minutes a lot for finding the closest park. Though I live in Stockholm, which is only some 1.5M people, depending on how you count.
@@AnotherDuck This is the case of the core area of the Tokyo metropolitan area, which has the world's largest metropolitan population.
Distance standards: Block parks: 250m Neighborhood parks: 500m District parks: 1km These standards are set flexibly according to local conditions so that residents can access urban parks at an appropriate distance.
This video is just the perfect thing to watch while eating. It’s so comfy for some reason
@@user-kun2147 yeah, I completely agree with you. It has a comfortable atmosphere to it.
Also what is worth noting is that Tokyo is made in a way that it is accessible by car or small truck everywhere. Even including pedestrian streets and open plazas there are not closed areas not accessible by car or any emergency vehicle. Meaning that small elderly business owner can always get his fish to his small ramen shop
The biggest complaint I have about Japan's cities is the extreme lack of trees and other greenery. Roads have no trees along them and even most public parks are dirt instead of grass. The urban heat island effect ends up causing the summers here to be a lot more unbearable than they should be.
Living in Amsterdam, I really absolutely get the appeal, but that was my first thought as well
Yeah I noticed that
I agree but Japan’s climate is super humid so more green means endless maintenance. Maintaining green is super hard in humid place like Japan, it could be jungle forest in a minute.
It's a shame because they do public parks very well.
@@TauAlphaVu WRONG. There's trees in every shot.
16:07 finally a spot to fit my ramen
Japan's ubiquitous efficient affordable public transit really makes it stand out amongst developed nations. You can not gloss over such extraordinary blend of convenience and great walkability.
I've always had a fascination with Japanese urbanism, particularly in their residential areas. Everything feels less like being outside and more like being in a kind of outdoor room.
Thanks for the tip on the Fietsersbond. Just became a member! Funny how I needed a Canadian Amsterdammer to make me do this, after living in the Netherlands for over 45 years and being an avid biker all my life!
This is amazing, honestly. I feel like you consolidated a lot of your other videos into one. Thank you so much!
Thanks for finally talking about the JP street. Every walkable cities might have good trains, few cars, dense buildings, but NONE have the narrow one-lane only streets on EVERY blocks like Japan
Don't Taiwanese cities have narrow streets?
Though I guess the cores of them were built by Japan.
Enshrined in video games. Also in cities that predate the car, people only streets aren't unusual.
Fun Fact about Euclidian zoning, it's based off of my neighboring city, Euclid, Ohio. It's a (currently) white flighted suburb of Cleveland.
And here I was thinking "what does mathematics have to do with zoning rules" haha
@@frankwilson2607 i mean the city map is technically Euclidean ig
Having visited Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Fukushima for 12 days back in March, every aspect Jason was talking about in this video is absolutely true!
Japanese cities are indeed some of the best built in the world, and as a Norwegian, Japan oddly felt culturally similar! 🇳🇴❤️🇯🇵