Tokyo really proves that it isn't historic architecture that makes a great city... it is the people that make a great city. Too many other cities have become museums to the past

Pretty well researched except one thing: The Godzilla attack of 1954 wasn't mentioned.

As a Spaniard researcher in City Science who has lived in Boston (USA) and currently lives in Tokyo, I feel my story can add some value.
I could condense all my opinion into a very distinct feeling I've had between the two cities. In Boston, I constantly had the necessity to use a car for usual chores and basic leisure, but didn't have one. Moved to Tokyo, no need at all, much more liberty to move, commute, discover and enjoy the city and my surrounding community, it's liveliness is what Boston (and NYC depending on the borough) lacks.
Tokyo NOT pivoting towards car-centric city planning was the gold move of the century, and it shows.

When I visit Tokyo and my friends there the thing that stands out the most is simple:

No matter where any of my friends live in Tokyo, I can get there with public transit and some walking.

In Texas, I couldn't even walk to the grocery store that was less than a mile away because the apartment I stayed in was along a freeway.

Just last night I left a wine bar in the Jingumae neighborhood, walking through the clean quiet backstreets towards bustling Aoyama dori, and I thought to myself, damn I love Tokyo. I love that I can walk past temples and small shops next to Michelin starred restaurants and corporate headquarters, all on one street. Ive lived in Japan for 8 years, and while not perfect, it really is an amazing place if you just go with the flow.

The title should really be "Opposite of every major city *in the West, especially North America". Other Asian cities like Shanghai, HK, Seoul, Chongqing, and Singapore are all extremely well-run—mixed use zoning, world class public transit, clean and safe streets, walkable 10-15 min circles, etc.

Very thorough explanation. You can't underestimate the power of zoning regulations and the depreciation in building value as social and market forces. I'm a permanent resident who built a house in Kobe two years ago. The  zoning regulations have resulted in an area that that has everything from $300/month rentals, small 4-6 unit buildings, modest family homes, and million-dollar properties interspersed with small shops, businesses, and service providers. The convenience is hard to wrap your head around if you haven't lived here. We have seven supermarkets within a 10 minute bike ride, dozens of small produce shops, and more restaurants than we could patronize in a lifetime. We have two major train lines that can get us to downtown Kobe (18 minutes), Osaka (65 minutes), and Kyoto (75 minutes) just an 8 minute walk away. And we abut a mountain with ocean views. Japan is an amazing country. I wouldn't ever want to live in Tokyo again (or any big city, tbh), but it should be a model for the rest of the world.

4:03 I live in Tokyo and one of my favorite things is being within 8-10 minute walking distance from my supermarket, dentist office, internal medicine clinic, skin clinic, drug store, and so much more. I literally wake up 30 mins before I need to be at my appointment sometimes lol.

日本は100年企業が世界で最も多い。
短期的な儲けより長期的な安定をより重視するからです。
明治神宮なども東京の中心にありながら100年後を想定した自然のオアシスです。
皇居も含め、自然を生かす東京て不思議と安心感がありますね。

As Tokyo resident on and off since 1988, I can attest to what an amazing and evolving city it is. This video does a great job in providing a timeline and narrative that explains many aspects of Tokyo’s enduring success, but the backbone of it all is the Japanese culture. While it definitely has its issues, the Japanese culture’s foundation in community and mutual respect is ultimately what makes the city so safe, clean and comfortable to live in.

One of the secrets to Tokyo's growth as a huge city is the way Edo Castle's moats were constructed. With a normal castle, you first decide on the area and then build the moats and walls, making it difficult to expand that area. However, Edo Castle's moats were built in a spiral shape, so if the population grew and it became necessary to expand the city, it was possible to do so by simply expanding the spiral with Edo Castle at the center. As a result, Edo had the largest population in the world at the time, larger than Paris, London, or Beijing at the time. This was the wisdom of the samurai.

Its quiet (laws mandate), its walkable, it's homes are homes, not investments.

Urban planning in Japan is structured through several layers:
1. Urban planning areas, quasi-urban planning areas, and areas outside planning control
2. Within urban planning areas: urbanization promotion areas, urbanization control areas, and non-zoning areas
3. Zoning districts (including special purpose districts)
12:45
4. Regional districts
5. District plans

Most people live in the urbanization promotion areas under category 2.

These areas account for only about 4% of Japan’s total land area (around 145,000 hectares), yet more than 70% of the population resides within them.

They are strictly regulated and fully controlled under the rules established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

I am Japanese and work for a construction company in Japan.
When we build something, we must clear a variety of detailed rules and strict standards before we can obtain a building permit.

In Houston, a private home might exist next to an amusement park. In Cairo, no one finishes the last floor of a building because it is then that taxes kick in (rebar sticks up out of high rise after high rise). Older homes in Europe may have ten rooms but over five stories because taxes were based on how much square footage it covered on the ground (nothing more "cardio" than carrying suitcases up five flights of steps). Tokyo stands out with its cleanliness, order, and friendliness.

there is an important detail lacking here: the railway infrastructure and the Yamanote Line expecially. Anyone who visited Tokyo knows that the metro is just one piece of the railway transport infrastructure and the urban rail lines are the real masterpiece of Tokyo mobility.
but what's overlooked is how important they were to develop Tokyo polycentricity. after WW2 the buildings were destroyed but the railway infrastructure was there, albeit damaged, once quickly repaired the railways and long before cars were available the city began to organically develop around those stations (Ueno, Akihabara, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Station.. just to name some of the most important "centres" of Tokyo).
this created a poisitive feedback loop. as more people move to live close to the stations more people will us the train to move around and thus the land around the stations will be more sought by, leading to more density, more service, more people moving from station to station by train and less general car dependecy.

I visited Tokyo for the first time last year and was blown away.  Easily the most interesting, vibrant and creative city in the world.  And the Japanese people are a class act.  Thoroughly enjoyed Tokyo and japan.  I realize that visiting and living there are two different things

東京は江戸時代にすでに上下水道がありました、同時代の花の都パリと比較すると分かりやすいでしょう。

Tokyo native here! Thank you for creating a great video - Very insightful! Technically, Tokyo is more like a U.S. state (think Washington State, where my family and I live) than a single city. Within Tokyo, the 23 central wards each function like individual cities—my hometowns are Shinjuku-ku and Koto-ku. Beyond that, there are dozens of other municipalities, all under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which combines executive, judicial, and legislative powers similar to a state government. As for population, Tokyo can swell to about 37 million on weekdays with commuters, but the actual resident population—those who live there full-time, like my family back home—is about 12–13 million, just a bit larger than NYC. Hope that helps clear things up!

17:13 This just makes you think how tough, resilient and determined the Japanese people are to still rebuild after each disaster. Incredible!

I loved living in Japan in the 90s. The zoning laws really make a big difference in what is where, but the culture is what makes things clean and safe.