I absolutely hate how you need a car in the US just to 'live'. I studied abroad in Asia for a while, and the transportation could get you anywhere. I could play with my friends till 11pm and get home before midnight (cross-city). Everyone got on the same trains and you often could share a majority of the ride home. Making nightlife in the city very accessible and safe. If you wanted me to give a downside, that is, during rush hours it's absolute hell. You could have to wait 1-2 trains because they are full. They do come every 5 minutes though, which is still better than me waiting 20 minutes in the US just to go 6 blocks. Speaking of the US, this video reminded me of how horrible public transit is here... just going to a comicon without a car feels like I'm doing a cross country ride :/ I feel hermitted and trapped. I really hate how the system here is structured. Not only do you have to pay for a car, the gas, and maintenance, learn to drive, and insurance, you also need somewhere to park everywhere you go. You have to do everything AND pay for it. Contrary to Japan (and many other Asian cities), I feel the US wants the public transit to be less appealing :/ Just my opinion though.

As someone from Tokyo, please remember that there are hard working people behind the safe and precise transportation in Japan. Their service should not be taken for granted.

Nice video, but I do have one major issue: the title is totally misleading. You focused entirely on describing general aspects of the public transport system , but that does not tell me why Tokyo is well designed. At most, what one can gather from this video is that they have a good public transport system. I expected you to talk about urban planning, how the layout of the subway lines and the location of the stations make for a more efficient operation of the subway system, how other means of public transportation make up for the deficiencies of cars and subway (beside cost), city regulations regarding location and size of certain types of buildings, placement of public areas, etc.

I lived in Japan 20 years ago and the train/subway network in Tokyo was staggering. You could to almost any intersection in the city if you were willing to make a transfer or two. And it was affordable, fast, clean and super efficient, and a model for urban subway systems. I wish we had similar networks like that in Canada. I would argue the worst part about driving in Tokyo was not the traffic, which was far better than LA or Paris IMHO. It was finding parking, which was hard to find and very expensive.

As a non-Japanese speaking visitor, Japan public transportation is one of the best and visitor friendly. Its so easy to use and navigate. I freaking love it!

its amazing that Japan still has a well known and celebrated car culture despite all this, truly a demonstration of how making sensible decisions doesn't mean your hobby is ruined, because the sensible decisions don't restrict peoples freedoms, it grants everyone more freedom.

I've been to Tokyo few years back, and I can confirm that the public transport there are really great. it is so easy to navigate between places even if you have language barrier, to the point I'd say you almost couldn't get lost if you navigate in Tokyo.

One thing I admire about Japan - as an outsider of course - is that a lot of things seems to be well thought out - no random stuff and "well'll see if it works". And also a lot of emphasis on the "collective" vs "personal" good, perhaps to a fault.

I've lived in Tokyo for 3 years and I can say it is outstandingly well designed and highly livable. Tokyo is a city you can just walk for hours, and given its density, you always have access to shops, restaurants etc. The train system is also basically the best in the world.

I think it's underappreciated how typical Japanese train stations (the larger ones) are also shopping centers. For example Osaka Station and its surroundings are just mind blowing. What I found confusing though is to figure out which type of train to take - so many different ones.

Tokyo’s train network is astounding. I was able to use it to get home after many nights of drinking and partying in different parts of the city. The Yamanote line is very special to me as if you fall asleep on it you might wake up just before your station, having unknowingly ridden the whole loop.

Been living in Tokyo since I was born but never thought of these stuff. What I love about Tokyo the most is the number and cleanliness of the public toilets, and all kinds of food you can choose to eat, for a fairly cheap price

The most notable memory from my brief time in Tokyo was when my dad accidentally left his backpack (with our passports) on one of the trains. We went to lost and found and told them what had happened, and in 15 minutes the backpack was returned. Incredible

This deserves part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, ... It's a series that shows literally what good transport systems should be. We need true learning material like this.

My entire life I grew up in the US seeing cities as chaotic messes that were noisy, crowded, and dangerous. I saw public transit as inefficient, irregular, and similarly unsafe. Then I lived 4 months in the largest megacity in the world, and realized within a week that I was falling in love with an urban center for the first time. Everything was efficient, and for the first time in my life I found myself in a place where there were locations I wanted to go to, and I actually had the means and freedom to go there. Public transit was cheap, easy, and stress free (as long as I didn't need to travel during the morning rush). I wasn't bound by a car, or traffic, or parking spaces, or the fear that I was going to get into an accident. On top of everything else streets were also very clean despite there being far fewer trash can than anywhere I had ever been to in the USA. I wanna add a disclaimer here that I'm not just a starry eyed foreigner who only sees the good in Japan. The society has as many issues as any other in the world. There are many legitimate reasons why many young (and now aging) people become hikikomori and just don't want to have to go outside and deal with the stresses of the outside world. On the topic of urban planning, however, Japan just cannot be beat -- Tokyo cannot be beat (although people I know who have been to Osaka scoff and beg to differ).

My first night in Tokyo (with serious jet-lag) I walked everywhere, all night long. I had no idea where I was going. I just walked. And in retrospect, I did it right, staying on well-lit commercial nightlife streets and crowded ally-ways. I played Pachinko in a colorful bright-lights gaming area straight out of Blade Runner. I ate snacks from carts. I passed many Izakayas and bars, as well crowds, couples, singles and hawkers. At one point I even entered an area filled with strip clubs and little hotels. If it was a red-light district then it was like none I'd ever seen: no street walkers, no adult bookstores, and no porn-movie screening-bunkers. But it was lively so I went into a club. I won't describe what I saw, but the scene was loud, crowded and crazy. After that I continued my walk until dawn, when I ended up at a Shinto Shrine set in a huge beautiful garden-park. I rang the bell, ate a snack at a noodle cart, and took the METRO back to my hotel where a morning buffet awaited (along with my mother). Later, after reviewing a map, I realized that I had covered many miles and numerous designated areas; even though it was just a tiny portion of Tokyo Metropolitan. So, is Tokyo a good walking city? For me it was. It really was.

The last point is so true - when I was in the heart of Tokyo, despite the sheer number of people and things going on, it never once felt chaotic or overbearing to me. London's West End in comparison does though. It's horrible. There's something about the fact that in Tokyo even crowds of people make sure to walk in such a way that it's not manic - as in one direction keeps to one side of the pavement and the other keeps to the other side and queuing at the crossings etc. It's really quite something, you have to experience it firsthand at least once.

Great video but must nitpick a quick fact correction, the Tokyo subway system is only a small part of the train system and only covers a small part of the city. There are about 8 other train systems in the Tokyo metro area including the huge JR East train system which has elevated lines throughout the metro area. The subway only covers a small part of central Tokyo. These are all separate systems but share a same payment mechanism the Suica card which also makes transferring between systems easier.

Tokyo has the best transport system I've ever experienced. Also, people always show videos of Shinjuku or Shibuya, that are crowded because it's the business center, but if you go anywhere else, it's way less crowded. I was surprised how peaceful and empty it was. And the best part is that even when it's crowded, for example in the train during rush hour, it's still quiet!! People respect the right for others to be able to relax or sleep or just have peace. Amazing times, and I'll definitely go back ASAP.

Japans rail system is definitely something to be admired. When I was there for a few months I was able to get around across the country by rail with minor difficulty. However there are some things not mentioned here. The random city comparisons kept changing to better paint a better comparison e.g., the car to person ratio is .23 in NYC vs the .54 in Tokyo. In order to do that nightly Maintenance in japan all rails in major cities tend to shut down around midnight. NYC is 24/7 as to allow people who work or just need the train overnight access. Furthermore japan charges by distance. Not great for those living in the outskirts who tend to have lower incomes vs NYC that has a flat rate no matter where you live. NYC rails are generally much cheaper to ride if you travel over 15 mins by rail.

Tokyo commuters don't only use PASMO IC cards. Suica is also commonly used. PASMO cards are mostly developed and used by non-JR (Japan Rail) lines like Tokyo Metro or Seibu, whereas Suica is used mostly by JR East lines. However, both cards are interoperable with each other. Other regions in Japan use different IC cards, e.g., ICOCA by JR West in Kansai, TOICA in Nagoya, and SUGOCA in Kyushu. But, you guessed it, they're all interoperable with each other. It's actually interesting to see where people are from based on the IC card they use. My cousin from Kyoto uses ICOCA while my Okinawan friend uses OKICA

I think it all started with the Yamanote Line, which is a circular system, and the Chuo Line, which runs horizontally through the middle. The inner part of the Yamanote Line, which is a circular system, is developed by the government, while the outer suburbs are developed by private railroad operators. Then, as the towns develop, they are connected to each other by subways that allow vertical movement while connecting the developed towns. Basically, this is how Tokyo's railroad network developed. An easy way to understand this would be to look at cities adjacent to Tokyo, such as Chiba. The railroads are built in a horizontal manner, so it is easy to move horizontally, but not enough to move vertically. If more investment was made, like inside the Yamanote Line, it would be easier to move vertically by building a subway, but we have not yet reached that point. To move vertically, one must leave the station and rely on buses.

I have lived in Tokyo for a few months and fell in love with the city. Even pedestrians use lanes on sidewalks making moving around the city efficient and pleasant. Trains arrived within seconds precision and my personal favourite, you have tables to what car to embark for a more efficient exit at each station on the route 🥰. Not to mention the cleanliness and respect of travelers ❤.

Ive always said: if the entirety of america could use Japan's transit system for a day or two, there would be overwhelming support to support train building in every city and a national line connecting these cities.

In the whole country of Japan, they managed to build skyscrapers and high-rise buildings on soils prone to liquefaction. They have some of the best structural engineers on the entire planet.

I remember visiting my older brother in Tokyo (who worked in japan. My family had spent 6 years (3 before and 3 after I was born)). We went to take the train because I wanted to see Shibuya and other places. I want to make it clear, I cannot either speak or read any Japanese. Yet, understanding which lines to take to get to where I wanted was actually not that hard!! Sure, my brother was with me and was acted as a safety net, but damn! Incredible place. Never felt easier to go from one place to another. Even better, I didn’t feel scared on the streets at any time of day, unlike back home.

I did my urban and regional planning course from a little country in Lesotho… I can tell I can really learn a lot from Japan’s urban/town/city planning program

The Shinkansen bullet train was amazing when I went to Japan in 2018. I went from Osaka down to Hiroshima and back up to Kyoto via the train. The smoothest train you’ll ever ride and the videos I recorded facing out of the window were unbelievable from the sheer speed you travel past houses and buildings.

As someone living in Tokyo, the train is always the preferred method. However, I use my car to reach places trains cannot outside the greater tokyo area. Besides, everything you need is almost always around a train station. Since drinking and driving is illegal, this also forces everyone who wants to enjoy the night life to take the train since most bars are around train stations. Also, the majority of train stations have a shopping mall built on top of them or very near to them.

I had the pleasure of visiting a company that’s inside that big building directly connected to shinjuku station. Seeing the area from above was quite impressive but walking around made so much sense, everything seemed well planned and divided considering just how massive the city is.

One thing this video doesn't touch on is that while the hubs are very well designed for mass transit, the residential streets are a confusing maze where you easily get lost, unlike the grid-pattern streets of Kyoto, which are really easy to navigate. This is due to the smaller streets being carryover from the feudal Japanese period, where streets were confusing by design to confuse invading feudal warlords into Edo.

I lived near Tokyo and I didn't know anyone with a car. It was amazing to navigate (minus the crowds during peak hours). It is clean, prompt, easy to navigate (mostly), and far superior than any other rail system I've encountered.

New York City is built on the model of a north-south grid of mostly numbered and lettered streets, which makes it easy to walk and to navigate without even needing a map. Tokyo it seems is built in circles (similar to Rome and Boston) which requires a different type of thinking in order to navigate it, or especially to perfect a transportation network that can get a rider from any departure point to their destination-location, wherever it is, with the least number of transfers, connections, and wait times. This requires a massive accumulation of major hubs, and a precise schedule followed to the T. Japan has done this, and nowhere is it more apparent than in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, with its 39 million inhabitants and its 3.9 billion subway rides per year. This achievement is the modern equivalent of building the pyramids, painting the Sistine Chapel, Circumnavigating the globe, or going to the moon. Tokyo's system should be used as a model for all major public transportation designs in the future of the world. And I believe that the best place to put this into practice is Los Angeles, which is of similar size to Tokyo Metropolitan, LA is also built in relative circles due to the many mountain ranges, and most enticing, Los Angeles is almost a clean slate when it comes to having a comprehensive public transportation network. Plus, California has the money to do it (if California were a country it would be the ninth largest economy in the world). And most important of all: Los Angeles is in the process of designing and constructing a massive rail-line infrastructure including hubs, stations, and even a highspeed train from the south of the state to the north of it. Tokyo did it first. Let's see if Los Angeles can do it next.

Even for the shortest distance the minimum fee for getting onto the Shuto Expressway is 1300 yen or 10.50 USD. The Suica card (JR) is arguably more popular than the Pasmo card (Metro) but they are now interchangeable. In fact they are interchangeable with the other 10 or so IC payment cards used in cities around the country.

I worked as an intern at a public train company in southern Brazil. There is also preventive maintenance here. Every 6 months a composition is dismantled, parts documented and the entire train is reassembled. Culture inherited by a partnership with Japanese private companies. Thanks for this video.

For such a big city I found it super peaceful and easy to navigate especially the trains and stations. I love that people walk on one side of staircases and escalators, leaving a row for faster people to overtake. In most other cities it's a s*** show.

being in tokyo metro was a treat. it was so easy to understand even though i don't know japanese. i could get from point a to point b with little to no hassle. they had alot of electric mover for ease of walking and i love that all of them were underground so each stop felt like a minicity/mall in itself and i could spend a day there, since i was there during june/july which was the rain season. Drawbacks was the ticket card is a charger and not a monthly subscription or such and that at midnight the train stops so if you stuck in one area then you are stuck there til 5, thankfully there are places that are open 24/7.

I arrived Tokyo for the first time during evening rush hour in Shinjuku. Despite the hundreds of thousands of people, it was a BREEZE! I was marveling at how incredible their public transit system works! Only thing to keep in mind is that they do not run 24hrs which was a bummer since I am a night owl. But there's so much to see even within the district that you are in that the need to travel is greatly reduced. Excellent city planning!

wow i didnt know the train cars get the same level of maintenance of commercial airlines planes! Thats absolutely amazing! They truly are one whole dimension ahead. Also i have heard they got help designing how the train stations should be connected by the amazing organism that is the Slime mold.

I lived in Tokyo before the 2011 earthquake. I went home drunk one time, took a seat on a beach when I got off the train. When I arrived home, I realize my bag was missing. I went back hurriedly and found my bag on the same beach. Tokyo subway is the best - efficient, clean and safe.

This also really is not limited to Tokyo. I stayed with a friend in a suburb (a subway accessible suburb, of course) outside of Osaka a couple years back. It was just so easy to get anywhere . When we took a trip to Tokyo, I was amazed that the same card worked. Imagine that in America

I think this is one of the things that are heavily reliant on culture. I could imagine this kind of intercity system only working in Japan or Germany. Ok, maybe some Scandinavian countries like Finland too? Everywhere else you'd have to spend a lot of money and accept a much higher risk factor if you're going to rely on humans for this kind of continuous sensitive monitoring of the subway systems and trains. I know for a fact that a high-speed train system in my country would be ill-advised and badly risky.

Transit in Japan isn't really as stressful because of environmental factors. The trains are well maintained, cleaned, the passengers are generally quiet (talking on the cell is a 'no-no', at least it used to be), and people don't eat onboard (save for kids and just drinks). Whereas in North America, there are a-holes who treats the trains like a toilet, who litters, act like animals, and make the entire experience very unpleasant.

Could you cover how tokyo imports goods/supplies all its shops with ingredients? I feel like this is a key topic to city planning

Resident of Tokyo here! Just want to say that the Tokyo train system is not smaller than New York’s. The “Tokyo Metro” system is smaller than the MTA but that does not account for all of the train lines available in the Tokyo metropolis, which seems to be more what this video focuses on. The NYC metropolis has 47 lines including LIRR but Tokyo metropolis has over 150! The complicating factor is that all of the trains in the Kanto region are operated by different companies and therefore it’s difficult to find a comprehensive list of all the Tokyo metropolis area lines.

As a Malaysian guy, i love the design of japanese cities. It was a great honor to be able to visit Japan

Ironically cities often benefit by disasters. THE San Francisck earthquake of 1906 allowed for a lot of redesign. The great Chicago fire destroyed a lot of slum livestock areas and helped Chicago become a leading center of urban architecture. Tokyo was largely destroyed in 1944-45 and that allowed a lot of newer redesign. This isn't saying those events were good, its just a fact that sometimes events that destructive lead to amazing rebirth. If you watch a forest over time after a fire, its the same effect.

While I enjoyed this video and found it quite informative, I can't help but feel like we could have gone into more detail on what these design ideas/principles were going into Tokyo's train system. It felt more like a comparison than an explanation of the system. Still an informative video, would like more :)

As a Tokyo resident, I am envious of NYC subway's quad track lines which enables separation of express and local operations, and of Paris Metro's and London Tube's density and proximity to nearest stations. Each city has its good and bad.

I can say this because I'm Japanese, but the big stations in Tokyo are really labyrinths. The first time I went to Shibuya, it took me about an hour to get out of the station. I felt like I was playing an escape game or something.

People who travels in Japan usually do the trip apart from the luggage, that is dispatched through takkyubin. It makes very easy to get a shinkansen from city centre to city centre with no need to carry a lot of weight. The idea that passenger and luggage travel independently is a cornerstone of the higher efficiency, since it allows the optmization of transport means (automobiles included) in order to spare space and energy.

I envy those sidewalks not randomly cutting off and the trafic being timed to actually allow for someone to walk across rather than give them a second to get into the crosswalk while cars also have a signal that can completely block you from walking

I love the trains in Japan. Doesn’t take too long to figure out and so convenient. Plus, the bullet trains are AMAZING. Despite their speed, it’s such a smooth ride! It kills me knowing that we’ll probably never have train systems even CLOSE to Japan’s (Or China or Germany’s) in the US thanks to lobbyist and oil companies. 🙄

As a Japanese, I'm happy to receive praise for our city's railways. But you should know a fatal problem (or you may already know it, but), the deadly crowd of the morning and the evening. It's a hell time of the day.

I was in Tokyo 2 weeks ago. I totally agree about the efficiency of their public transport system. But damn, I found the orientation inside the stations being a nightmare. I don't know, maybe with the time one gets used to it, but I think it could be done better. The shinjuku station imo it's literally a maze built with the sole goal of trapping people inside for the eternity lol

What I like the most about Tokyo and Japan in generally is obviously how great their transportation is and what drives the most curiosity is of course their public transformation and I'm in love with it.

It's quite genius what a good architecture can make, I also believed that only because they were more advanced in tech they could make transport more efficient, here in mexico is a living hell to use metro, it's insane how much can they screw people just overseeing basic problems.

Totally agree, Japan's mass transit system is total genius. I've been stationed here for 3 years, and totally love it. You really do not need a car to get across Japan at all. The way their system is interconnected, you could get across the entire country in a day just from how efficient it is.

In terms of Volume it states Tokya has the most number of passengers using public transport compared to any urban cities in the world, I bet it could be more than New York. However, It would be interesting to see the comparison made with Mumbai, India and how off is Mumbai’s local train which is claimed to be the heart of the city.

Been working on a fictional city for an urban fantasy game. After watching some urban design videos like yours, I have to restrain myself from making it too nice for the setting.

As a person living here for a pretty long time (around 10+ years) I can confirm most comments and it’s nice to see the love for Japan.

Biking in Tokyo is easy and very safe. I rented a bike when I was there and biked all around Tokyo with no difficulties and no trouble at all. The subway is fine too, but the stations are so big that as a tourist you're easily disoriented and will spend a lot of time just looking for the right exit.

The development of Tokyo's railway system is closely linked to the development of suburban residential areas that began before the war and resumed during the period of high economic miracle. These railroad systems are in place to deliver office workers from suburban residential areas to central office buildings. The land in Tokyo is extremely small, the land prices are very high, and it is very difficult to find a parking lot in the city. Moreover, the road expansion plan was attempted as the "Great Kanto Earthquake Imperial Capital Reconstruction Plan" after the Great Kanto Earthquake, but was struck down by the political dispute. Even during the postwar reconstruction, the "war damage reconstruction plan" failed because GHQ interfered with the city's finances. In fact, Tokyo's city planning had great plans, but many haven't been implemented. Tokyo has a great transportation network today because the individual urban development plans that have been carried out one by one with the regrets of those predecessors miraculously meshed. Against this background, the main means of transportation in Tokyo is the train, not the car.

Additional things the video doesn't touch: - Tokyo's many transport hubs came about from a previous ban on railways from going inside the Yamanote Loop, so they all terminate on the Yamanote Line and the areas became CBDs. Kinda like how London's King's Cross, Euston, Waterloo, London Bridge came to being. - Zoning, which the video almost touches. Japanese zoning is way more flexible, and allows for mixed use by default, thus making doing chores really convenient. In this regard it's actually less designed than the overly rigid Euclidian zoning that pervades America. - Transit service patterns, which should be more important than the trains as the video focused heavily about. While the metro stops at all stations, JR has some express services on the commuter lines. The private rail companies have even more express service patterns. - And the creme de la crop that makes Tokyo's transit network #1 is the integration in infrastructure. Many private railways have compatible track gauge, loading gauge, and electrification with each other and the metro, or rather, the metro specced their lines to be compatible with the private railways on the periphery. This allows the metro to physically connect and integrate their lines and stations with the private railways, resulting in through running between the lines. Therefore, metro trains can run beyond their trackage and onto the private railways and goes into the suburbs, and likewise private railway trains can go beyond their termini and into the metro tunnels in the center of the city, oftentines to the other end and onwards onto a _third_ railway company's tracks. This reduce the need to transfer between trains, thus help avoid overcrowding on stations. Not that those didn't happen though. On the Asakusa Line, you could have like 6 companies using the metro tracks, including the inter-airport service between Haneda and Narita simply because the rails are physically connected via the Asakusa Line. - Lastly, let's touch on storm management. Edogawa River was manmade, diverting water from Sumida River which flows through the city center. Further upstream, they diverted the majority of the flow from Tone River eastward to Ibaraki instead of southward to Edo Bay, artificially making Tone River the longest in Japan. And, of course, the giant underground cistern. That said, parts of Tokyo are actually below sea level and would be affected by sea level rise.

As an indian living in delhi. Tokyo is the ideal city model for us. We hope to become anything like it one day🥲🥲

I’m Japanese and I can now appreciate how practical and efficient the Tokyo transportation is. You can also visit major cities within 30 minutes.

From a Tokyoite who constantly hears why japan is bad (with many of its negatives e,g, less foreigner / immigration frendliness) , a huge thanks to show how Tokyo train system has made transportation so easy and pie peasy !

this is really interesting to watch. One small suggestion to level this is to connect or summarize the main points, since it's really complex and therefore easily distracted by the details it holds.

Lived in NYC as a kid and visited Japan and Tokyo in '19. There public transportation namely trains have go to be the best in the world. Stations are actually pleasant places, restaurants, shopping safe, lots of restrooms and clean. On time and efficient the trains made driving not needed for our whole trip.

Cool video. I didn’t know that Tokyo is such well-designed city. But it might be greater if the video explains which part of Tokyo made the city well connected.

That's exactly what it felt like being there. I found the Tokyo metro to be easier to use and navigate (even with the language barrier) than the Oslo metro in my own capital which is way smaller yet i can never find my way there. Japan seemed like a nice place to commute in, i was impressed by the railways as they even had any railways built outside of occupation... we have not (very few at least).

The transition from paper tickets and point to point prices and all Japanese signs (pre football World Cup) to Pasmo and the finest metro signage in the world. Well you just had to be there. It went from an chaotic alien world to accessible to anyone with English in 2 years. Add that to the route planning apps and GPS I cannot tell you. I don't even think Tokyites knew half the city before that. (for those that don't know there are no addresses in Tokyo, each neighbourhood has a map - until this was available on apps finding anywhere was a real task).

As someone who was born from East Asia where public transport is the norm just like Japan, I could never understand North American's addictions of car dependent cities, especially when most people seems to actually hate driving there.

I love the underground malls at the train stations here. Whole city blocks underground where you can escape the rain and cold or excessive heat at times. However, one thing I'll point out is that in most parts of Japan a car is still faster and cheaper. In Fukuoka, for example, it'll cost me almost ¥1000 to take the train to Tenjin for a day for one person. I can drive there and park for roughly the same amount, but I can take up to four other people with me.

Another small nitpick: There are more cards then just Passmo. You can also get a Suika card, which works in stores, vending machines and on the JR lines and subways (But not private lines, buses, ect). The downsides of the Japanese transit situation really comes down to the average house salary per month, which was 3800 USD back in 2015 (When I used to live in Japan). This results in more people having to live in Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, and having to take a hour and a half commute to work in order to start thier working day. And considering how the average working day is about 12-15 hours a day, on a 6 day cycle (Most employers for Japanese only operate a day shift or a night shift, 2nd shift is a rare thing unless you are working for a franchise store) and the company drinking culture in Japan, you end up with a situation where Men will be gone for 16-18 hours a day away from thier families. This is why teachers have to take on parental roles, along with patrols of neighborhoods once school is out. It does not help that house rent in central Tokyo is impossible except for company provided housing or business owners. So while trains are awesome and more efficient, it's that same low income per Capita that causes the continual cycle of poor familial structure and depression to take root.

The world should really use Tokyo as a blueprint on city design. Ingenious, efficient, clean, timely, walkable, safe, etc. Amazing place.

As a Tokyo resident, I agree with everything stated in this video. One thing to add though is that the pandemic of the last couple of years has tested the usage of public transport as a main transportation mode. Of course it helps that good zoning means that outside of commuting to work you can mostly do all your daily necessities within walking distance.

I live in New Zealand and our public transport is so unreliable get a bit of anxiety around getting public transport cause of it. Went to Tokyo a few years ago the 1st day had a bit of anxiety getting public transport, but there system was so reliable everything on time, and frequent had no anxiety around it the rest of the trip. It was also soooo easy to get around with so many options withe the trains and subways.

the thing about making having cars to be so unattractive is a really interesting thing. as someone in a country who has a lot of cars that was so mind-boggling but at the same time it makes so much sense

One thing most videos like this overlook is that Japan is a high-trust society with generally well-mannered citizens, whereas the United States is a mixed-bag at best. Meaning that riding public transit is generally safe and pleasant for everyone in Japan, even solo children, whereas in the United States it can often be a harrowing experience. So, in the United States, travel by car within cities is more valued, meaning that investment in roads is higher and public transit has not become totally dominant in cities.

I lived in Asakusa for two years while training and studying Japanese. I used to tell my friends and family back in the U.S. that the train was so efficient, it could get you to the restroom on time.

Berlin's public transportation is equally if not better than Tokyo. There are trams, subways, regular train stations all over the metro area. But both Tokyo & Berlin are two of my favorite cities to visit / live in. I speak and read German so I don't know how hard it would be for non-German speakers though.

It's so interesting how Tokyo, Japan has so few cars in comparison to its population, when Japan itself has a booming car manufacturing industry with Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and so many more car companies.

*Tokyo's rail system is insanely well design Most of Tokyo's streets were built like mazes to make access more difficult and slow down attacks during the Edo, since it was where the shogun lived. This is in stark contrast to Kyoto, a city with an almost perfect grid plan with streets aligned with north-south/east-west axis Different of Tokyo, Kyoto was the home of the emperor, which had no real power and therefore was not target of attacks.Combining those two factors, we have an incredibly well designed city… which still suffers with a terrible public transportation system based mostly on often delayed buses with overpriced tickets

One of the things I loved the MOST about Tokyo subways is that there's a toilet station/bathroom at almost every station and they're almost always CLEAN, immaculate. Unlike when I'm in most other big cities, I have to be careful not to drink too much or else I'll have to use the bathroom every 30 minutes. In Tokyo I can get off at almost any station and be assured there's a restroom. Unlike where I currently live in NYC, its a JOKE. There used to be restrooms at some stations back in the day but as the years went on, people just didn't know how to take care of them.

Something that deserves to be mentioned, one huge reason why it works so well is that it's actually an extension of Japanese culture. A system that relies upon people behaving in a way that allows for cooperation and conformity to rules and standards, such a system would never work here in the US because we're a nation of assholes.

It's truly an amazing city, it's so easy to get around and do your business. You're never far from a rest spot with delightful food & a nice/cosy atmosphere. The generally low crime rate is also a huge plus that contributes to the experience. But like all concrete jungles, you eventually start to feel the pressure of city life. At the end of the day, Tokyo is still an unnatural creation.

Dude its Japan, its Japanese efficiency. The whole country is built using genius level innovations and ideas. Love Japan what an amazing culture and people.

As a resident of Tokyo, i have to say that it's way more expensive to own a car. In Tokyo, we must have a proof of parking lot in order to literally buy a car. The parking garage or lots are super expensive. Almost the price of a Studio apartment. On top of that, insurance, tune ups, oil changes,monthly payments and gasoline ⛽ or electric car charges. In other hand, in Japan, companies pay your monthly public transportation fees as a part of your employment benefits. So it really doesn't matter where you live, and majority of married or families live outskirts of Tokyo where housing are affordable. So it was common for people to commute 2 hours each way to their jobs. But things changed with COVID, and now a lot of people can telecommute and want to live further.....for better lifestyle, more spaces and nature.

When I drove up to Tokyo, I expected a nightmare, but it was actually very fun and easy to get around. Parking was a nightmare, but actually getting around Tokyo was not. Now Osaka . . . THAT's a nightmare.

I went there December 2019 . I am directionally challenged and I was able to travel on transit with no internet and with minimal help! It's the best public transportation system I've experienced.

I find it interesting that Japan has bullet trains and elevated rail, but also is home to many major car companies. It's like 2 different parties in one country

Good video, but a couple of comments: - Tokyo's subway system is smaller than New York because the majority of Tokyo's train travel is done on "commuter" train lines rather than "subways" - while New York has LIRR and Metro North which carry a small percentage of total rail passengers, Tokyo has 9 large commuter railways (5 of them serving Shinjuku are mentioned at the beginning of the video) plus literally dozens of smaller railway companies which in total carry the great majority of rail passengers. Most of the large commuter railways actually operate a "through service" onto subway lines so you catch a train in the suburbs which goes onto a subway line through the inner city areas then most run out the other side of the city onto a suburban line of another railway company. - PASMO is not the only smartcard. Suica was introduced 6 years prior and has around 3 times as many cards on issue. Both cards are interoperable with each other and with similar cards in other cities.

I am Japanese, but Shibuya station is really a strange place. Because sometimes when I was lost and walking, I was at the next station. And if you include the construction blockades and pathways, it's possible that no one knows all the streets.

I lived in Japan for a year and went to Tokyo twice. I ended up being the one in charge of getting myself and my fellow friends around where we wanted to go because they didn’t feel comfortable trying to interpret the language barrier in order to get from point A to point B. Well, in fact, Tokyo is incredibly easy to get around even if you don’t know how to speak or read the local language because they usually have a lot of English accommodations, but most importantly the color coding system they use is incredibly intuitive. I thoroughly enjoyed mapping our way around and it was such a pleasurable experience navigating through such a profound metropolis. My wife and I have plans in the future to visit Tokyo, and I can’t wait to go back and show her the unrivaled joy that is experiencing Tokyo. From the countless convenience stores with really yummy snacks and foods, to the endless amounts of goods and services that are also provided along the way, all with a hospitality that is a novelty in and of itself, it is by far one of the best experiences I’ve had in my 27 years of life. I love Tokyo.

The one gripe I have with Tokyo is if you live in area around it. For example saitama, Chiba, Yokohama etc. The train system mainly heads towards Tokyo. So something that should be like 20 minutes on the train is like 45 to an hour with multiple changes. I used to have to head from saitama to Tokyo and back to saitama to get to work 🤣 . But yes as a whole it's a fantastic system

I have lived in Tokyo for 25+ years and New York City for 30 years. I'd say Tokyo is much better than the city to live in with the fun. Safer, cleaner, nicer ppl, and much better food!

Moscow has a world class public transportation system that is actually the 2nd busiest in the world behind Tokyo. Melbourne, AU also has arguably some of the best public transit on the planet as well.

I enjoyed the high-level description of Tokyo vs other cities. I Would have liked to see you go more in-depth about makes Tokyo public transit more efficient compared to NYC for example

Tokyo is simply insane. 9 million people in the core city, 37.5 million in the metropolitan region and since the region also administers a shitload of islands, what counts as "Tokyo" (e.g., even Iwo Jima), technically means an area over a thousand kilometers in length!