Tokyo: Living Small in the Big City.

[ricco67]

I happen to come across this show on my TIVO (it's still there, I miss my TIVO with a DVD burner) and it gave a good amount of information and insight as to how and why Tokyo is as croweded and yet has such a vibrant nightlife.

One of the things it points out is that people generally don't have enough room in their homes to host more than a friend or two, so they generally will go out to a small bar (that seats 4 or 8), or for more intimate outings a business that offers a full bed (with all sorts of interesting things that are offered in vending machines) and privacy, which is thought of differently there than here.

But it fully explains many things I haven't even thought about on our wanting Houston to have a "street life" and "night life."

I know this is short notice, but its going to be shown again on the National Geographic Channel at 3pm if anyone wants to catch it.

[editor]

I happen to come across this show on my TIVO (it's still there, I miss my TIVO with a DVD burner) and it gave a good amount of information and insight as to how and why Tokyo is as croweded and yet has such a vibrant nightlife.

One of the things it points out is that people generally don't have enough room in their homes to host more than a friend or two, so they generally will go out to a small bar (that seats 4 or 8), or for more intimate outings a business that offers a full bed (with all sorts of interesting things that are offered in vending machines) and privacy, which is thought of differently there than here.

But it fully explains many things I haven't even thought about on our wanting Houston to have a "street life" and "night life."

I know this is short notice, but its going to be shown again on the National Geographic Channel at 3pm if anyone wants to catch it.

It's interesting how some cities are "inside" cities, while others are "outside" cities. Tokyo is definitely an outside city -- where virtually everyone goes out after work and school and stays out.

You're right -- a lot of it has to do with the available size of the living spaces. The Japanese practice of being space-conscious is one of the reasons cited for Xboxes not selling well there compared with other consoles. And while the Wii is very attractive for its innovation and immersion, even the PSP outsells it most weeks.

In Tokyo it's the pressures of living small that encourage people to stay outside the home. In other Asian cities, it's more interesting.

In Singapore, bars and restaurants are really really cheap. People hardly ever cook at home or entertain at home. The government subsidizes the bar and restaurants to keep the prices down so people won't gather in their homes... in private.. where they can't be seen or heard planning things. I came across several articles about it when I was doing research before going to Singapore.

Interestingly, it was in public cafes that all of the big European revolutions were planned. But maybe that's old fashioned now.

[memebag]

Interestingly, it was in public cafes that all of the big European revolutions were planned. But maybe that's old fashioned now.

And there's a strong correlation between coffee import/consumption and the rate of revolutions.

[editor]

And there's a strong correlation between coffee import/consumption and the rate of revolutions.

That makes sense, because if I have more than three Starbucks in a day I get quite revolting.

[woolie]

You're right -- a lot of it has to do with the available size of the living spaces. The Japanese practice of being space-conscious is one of the reasons cited for Xboxes not selling well there compared with other consoles. And while the Wii is very attractive for its innovation and immersion, even the PSP outsells it most weeks.

Actually it's the fact the xbox has a weak selection of J-RPGs combined with a good bit of antiamericanism/japanese nationalism. The original PS2 and current PS3 are not small machines. The PS3 is double functions as a space heater. (I have a PS3 and a Wii.)

[ricco67]

For those that are interested (or new to HAIF) there is a showing tonight (7/17) at 7:00 and 10:00 and on the 19th at 2.

Sorry, this show explained quite a bit about the lifestyle there and why it hasn't fully taken hold here. Considering the past debates on here, this is a good report on the reasoning.

[lockmat]

very good to know, thanks!

[ricco67]

For those that are interested (or new to HAIF) there is a showing tonight (7/17) at 7:00 and 10:00 and on the 19th at 2.

Sorry, this show explained quite a bit about the lifestyle there and why it hasn't fully taken hold here. Considering the past debates on here, this is a good report on the reasoning.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it's on the National Geographic Channel.

DUH.

[Jeebus]

Channel 283 for those with ComcastHD, also at 7pm tonight.

[sowanome]

I went to Tokyo for business purposes three years back and it was "The Most Humid Place" that I've ever visited....And it was also Very Hot...But yet, it's Ultra Urban and this is why the "Houston is too Humid" to be an attractive city argument has never worked for me..(Here in Chicago, over the last week or so, the temperature and Humidity levels have been Identical)

If Tokyo can do be ultra urban, regardless of weather, Houston can be somewhat urban also...(Or I think??)

[moni]

Yes, Tokyo is very humid but also, the Japanese like their buildings very warm. Restaurants and hotels are kept very warm and I think people from the U.S. have a difficult time with this. The living quarters in Tokyo are very small and the furniture is almost miniature in size. Every time I have been there everything just seems to be getting smaller. We actually visited people in outlying areas of Tokyo, that could reach out their window and touch the house next door. No privacy whatsoever. I personally could not stand it. Right in Tokyo, mostly highrise apartments, and they are actually tiny. I know most people do stay outdoors and they do not invite people to their homes so much as meet them in restaurants. Tokyo is a perfect example of urbanism in the extreme.

[lockmat]

I went to Tokyo for business purposes three years back and it was "The Most Humid Place" that I've ever visited....And it was also Very Hot...But yet, it's Ultra Urban and this is why the "Houston is too Humid" to be an attractive city argument has never worked for me..(Here in Chicago, over the last week or so, the temperature and Humidity levels have been Identical)

If Tokyo can do be ultra urban, regardless of weather, Houston can be somewhat urban also...(Or I think??)

Is it really foggy/smoggy or overcast there? If it is, I wonder if the absence of continual direct sunlight helps it feel not so hot. Hot is hot, but direct sunlight does make some difference.

[editor]

Is it really foggy/smoggy or overcast there? If it is, I wonder if the absence of continual direct sunlight helps it feel not so hot. Hot is hot, but direct sunlight does make some difference.

In my experience Tokyo isn't any foggier than any other port city. About the same as Houston, I'd say.

As for smog, well that's something else entirely. Let's just say it's a good thing Tokyo is on the water or the sky would be a lot uglier than it is.

I went to Tokyo for business purposes three years back and it was "The Most Humid Place" that I've ever visited....And it was also Very Hot...But yet, it's Ultra Urban and this is why the "Houston is too Humid" to be an attractive city argument has never worked for me..(Here in Chicago, over the last week or so, the temperature and Humidity levels have been Identical)

If Tokyo can do be ultra urban, regardless of weather, Houston can be somewhat urban also...(Or I think??)

Part of Tokyo's problem with temperature and the air is the fact that wind has a hard time clearing out the old air. This is because the city's streets are a spider web of alleys. The few long, straight boulevards were made by the American military after the war.

The streets were intentionally designed with no names and no plan in order to confound invaders. But once you get a good map and understand how it works, you can find your way along OK, though you may have to circle a block more than once to find the right building since they're not numbered in sequential order (1, 2, 3, 4...) but rather in the chronological order the building was built (1, 167, 93, 16, 8...).

The time before the last time I was there I had the pleasure of being in the middle of the first snowstorm Tokyo had seen in decades. One day it was 90 degrees and humid. The next morning there was snow everywhere. The newspaper headlines the next day were all about the weather and the number of people who slipped and fell (168, IIRC) because they weren't familiar with walking on the white stuff.

[lockmat]

The streets were intentionally designed with no names

um, excuse me, what was that? No street names. How does that work?

[editor]

um, excuse me, what was that? No street names. How does that work?

The streets simply don't have names. A few of the main ones do, mostly (again) because the American military demanded it and in some cases named them.

Here's a brain-bender: Don't think "Why don't the streets have names", think "why do my streets have names?"

The best guide for getting around Tokyo (IMO) is the Tokyo City Atlas. It has great maps and all the numbers are legible even in the more densely packed areas.

So, let's say you want to go visit the Apple Store. The address is 3-5-12 Ginza Chuo-ku

Start with the "ku" which means "ward" -- it's a large sector of the city. Look on your map for Chuo-ku (page 66 in my book).

Now... turning to the Chuo-ku map we next look for the neighborhood, which in this case is "Ginza."

Looking at the Ginza area on the map we find sector 3 (Labeled "Ginza(3)"). Then we look for block number 5 (the blocks are in order), and then head on out. Once we arrive at block 5, we walk around the block until we find building #12. And there we are.

There are signs posted all over the city letting you know where you are (Ginza 3, Kyobashi 2, Nishi-Shimbshi 1). Block numbers can be a little harder to find except in the very old and very new neighborhoods.

Unlike New York where whipping out a map will make you a target for muggers, in Tokyo it is very common to see locals walking around with maps, too.

[editor]

Here's a scan of the book I was talking about.

You can see the streets labeled "dori" -- that means "avenue." There are a lot of named streets in this area because this was the headquarters of the American forces after the war. They took over the Wako department store. But as you can see the majority of the streets have no names.

The dark blue shapes under the streets are subway stations and you can see the different exits labeled with numbers so when you get off the train you know which exit to use to be closest to your destination.

You can see how (in the big type) we're in Chuo-ku. Next to it you can see the Ginza(3) neighborhood. And each block is labeled. In this case, block 12 is next to Magazine House, and behind the Hotel Ginza Daiei on Matsuya Dori. Since the Apple Store is huge, there's no problems finding it. But on the other blocks you may have to walk around the entire block once or twice to find the right place. I've done this a number of times.

On this map some of the more prominent buildings are highlighted in yellow or orange and their Engrish equivalent listed. There's a huge industry around cartography in Japan. Now you know why.

Oh, and the reason there are so many subway stations is that in Tokyo they have a number of competing subway and surface rail companies, each with their own stations. It's not the sort of thing you'd expect there to be competition in, but there is. A couple of the lines honor each other's tickets, but for the most part they don't.

Getting around by subway is a little more expensive than in the United States, but it's at least clean, fast, safe, and reliable.

[20thStDad]

I like that. It is basing the map on the actual entities that are present instead of the road, which technically is just the lines between them. I'm not saying it's easier, but I like it. U.S. cities have block numbers and wards too, but no one knows them except the tax assessor's office. I live on lot 42 block 82 Houston Heights, or something like that. I guess if our signage was centered around that instead of streets it might be just as easy, but it's all street based.