Please tell me what 5 things you would like to see built in Tokyo. But please keep it realistic no fantasy. It does not just have to be skyscrapers, it could be a new town square or a temple or stadium. It can be anything as long its realistic.

My five

1) New Tokyo Castle, I would love to see a new castle near the palace that would also be open to the public.Think about it tokyo is lacking on the tourist front of things,so it would be great for the city to have something as traditional as a Japanese castle what the public and tourists can go to visit.They could have many cultural events there and it could also house a musem.If they made one big and grand enough it could become a land mark.This would also give people a reason to go to the palace grounds because there isnt musch to see at the palace most of the time because it only opens its gates a few times a year to the public. I heard on NHK news that there might be some interest in building a new castle in Tokyo And why should Nagoya and Osaka have a catsle and not Tokyo?

2)Appoint a comercial city center that the public and tourists can recognise visually and stick with it. What i mean by this is that Tokyo changes an awful lot so places such as Shinjuku,Shibuya and Ginza are to me,losing it a bit as of the past few years.They just dont look as cool as the used to,It may sound a bit sad but these places to me were cool because of all the neon and advertising.It just seems that day by day more and more neon and cool adverts are being taken down and not being replaced and why i ask? (Are they trying to be green?) They have taken down at least 10 to 20 signs in both Shinjuku and Ginza and now it seems that Shibuya is starting to suffer the same fate, what with H.M.V closing down this year the iconic H.M.V sign is now gone(does anyone know what will replace H.M.V ?) Also the Samsung sign has gone same as the ask.jp tv screen that was next to it only to be replaced by posters and also the casio watch has gone too.Its a shame because these places that we recognise are slowly losing their identity where places such as Times square New York and piccadilly circus London Stay mostly the same and if not get better as time goes on.What i am basically trying to say is that Tokyo needs its own Times square where they can concentrate on putting all the neon signs and advertisement in that one place and stick with it.

If anyone has any info on new Tokyo neon and advertiseing such as any sites,blogs,forums,threads i would be very grateful.

3) 300m Skyscraper, Come on now lets not be stupid, we all know by now they could have easily built at least ten or even more 300m+ Skyscrapers.If they can have Tokyo tower and soon to be one of the top ten tallest buildings in the world the Tokyo sky tree, they can also have a 300m skyscraper in my eyes.:lol:

4) New multi purpose stadium, I think most of Tokyo's stadiums a quite old and a lot of other cities in Japan have far better newer more modern ones.

5) Western style housing area, Because i am from the west i am used to big western homes with garderns and a front porch this is something not just tokyo lacks but also most of Japan. But they are starting to be made though.
And as time goes by and Tokyo keeps on getting more and more 100m+ condominiums to house the majority of Tokyo met's 30 or so million, i think there would be enough space to start clearing out old low rise buildings and make some housing areas with big houses. But this can only happen when Tokyo gets taller.

#1 has a movement behind it..it's not a new castle but they want to rebuild the Edo Castle which was burnt 1657 and never rebuilt. It's rock foundations are still in place after all these years. You can read about it here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20100718x1.html

I disagree with your #5 though, I hope Tokyo never makes large western (in this case I am thinking of american) houses. It's a drain on resources and will make the city inefficient (car oriented). I hope the houses stay as they are which are sort of like townhouses...well I could agree with breaking down some of the old "commie blocks" and replacing them with (japanese) houses.

I really only have 2 I would like.

#1 Adding greenery everywhere, including rooftops, side streets etc.

#2 300m + tall buildings :)

Hi NihonKitty Thanx for the post. I would definitely agree with your first choice Tokyo does need as much greenery as it can get! And thankfully it is doing so, I like the idea of them taking away all the ugly utility poles and replacing them with trees.Tokyo's streets will be so beautiful in a few years time.I mean just imagine summer and autumm it would be so nice Tokyo's roads lined with trees that change with the seasons.

As you know i already agree with your 2nd I think we all want a 300m+ scrapers in Tokyo.

As for the western style houses,I dont want these to replace any houses that are already in Tokyo.I think the old housing streets in Tokyo are beautiful and have lots of character but at the same time look so cyber-punk and blade-runner,because cyber-punk is about low life living along side high tech and thats the feeling i get from these old streets to they appear very shanty town style but most of the houses are equiped with some of the fastest internet speeds in the world thanks to the over hanging telephone poles that can be easily be uppgraded,and also some of the houses have solar panels on as well. But a time will come when most of these streets will be destroyed either by a earthquake or by big corps like Mori who seize land which also contain many houses and then destroy everything and then build a big ass skyscraper on top of it, even though to me that is not such a bad thing because Roppongi hills mori tower is my favorite skyscraper in the world because of its sheer overall size mass.But sometimes i would prefer them to build some new bigger houses instead of another scraper,think about if they started making more 300m+ in the first place instead of all these 100m to 150m buildings they wouldnt need to build as many buildings giving more chance to get rid of the commie blocks and put some new houses there.Plus i dont want to argue because you have put a lot into this site and i thankyou for that but i just dont know what you mean by taking away the commie blocks and putting japanese houses there,whats a Japanese house? When i walk around Tokyo all the houses i see are of western design the only differenance i see is the roof tiles but the main body of the house is western.And i also live with about 80 Japanese people in a 11 story share house.Most of the Japanese people i ask say they would love to live in a big western style house but also want to live in the capital city.Alot of them say it can get quite depressing living in a tiny studio apartment and paying a lot out of there wages for it.So alot stay outside alot and there home for sleep and also dont have the relationship with their families as they would like to because there is just not enough room and also alot of them tell me they would not like to be one of the forgoten dead in a appartment block like what seems to be happening in Tokyo alot with its ageing population so from what i hear i think some bigger houses would be welcome in Tokyo,it doesnt mean they need to get rid of the old streets as well, because i would hate that to.

Lastly what do you think about my 2nd choice?

I don't have an opinion on your #2. Actually I kind of like how Tokyo has many centers instead of one...

As for houses, I don't know the houses in Tokyo seem the same as the house of my grandparents which is 250 years old in Fukuoka (before any western influence). I guess some of the material is more modern, but they're still mostly made out of wood, similar roof tiles and many houses still have the sliding doors and rooms to be used "on the floor". By western I mean american, which are the huge houses. I live in the american suburbs right now (while I study) and it was nice at first...but I absolutely despise it now...actually most of my japanese friends who hated "dense" japan now hate american suburbs after living there. I think a balance between the 2 is good..which you can already find in the Tokyo suburbs and cities like Sendai etc. I don't mind getting rid of the commie blocks and replacing them with house, as long as they are not in the american cookie cutter style, Tokyo always needs to stay urban with rail everywhere..otherwise it's not Tokyo. Just move to Sapporo then (or the US) :P

BTW about the green, it is sort of happening now. Maybe you've noticed. I already noticed they added grass to many elementary schools this summer :)

10 Year Project for Green Tokyo. It started in 2006/2007

• To double roadside trees in Tokyo to 1 million
• Formation of a “green road network” connecting large scale plots of greenery with roadside trees
• Creation of a green island in Tokyo as large as the Imperial Palace’s grounds (Development of Umi-no-Mori)
• Creation of a green space with a size of 1,000 ha (equal to the total area of 1,500 football fields)
• To wage a “green movement,” a Tokyo-wide campaign to gather momentum for greening and to encourage action

BTW if you're curious how they will double the roadside trees in Tokyo, read this. For all you people who hate the roadside utility poles and electrical wires everywhere..

• Roadside utility poles will be replaced by trees. Roadside trees will be increased to approximately 700,000 trees in four years. They will be doubled to 1 million trees by the end of fiscal 2015.
• All utility poles along metropolitan roads within a central core area will be removed by the end of fiscal 2015. Utility poles along metropolitan roads mainly in commercial districts outside the central core area will also be removed. After removing the poles, trees will be planted to create a beautiful urban landscape and form a corridor of abundant roadside greenery, making Tokyo into a more livable city.

This picture shows where the Umi no Mori island park is being built on landfill (trash)
http://tokyogreenspace.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/umi_no_mori_windpassage_t_w.jpg?w=510&h=465

http://www.vulgare.net/wp-content/uploads/cg.jpg

You can read all about this 10 year plan for a green Tokyo here (in english).
http://www2.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/pdf/F/10-year_project.pdf

Also buildings larger then 1,000 m2 have to use 20% or more of roof the usably roof space as green roofs.

More info:
http://www.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/
http://www.toshiseibi.metro.tokyo.jp/index.html

I totally agree that Tokyo needs to stay urban thats one of the reasons why i live here because it feels like everytime i step out on to the street i am steping on to the set of Bladerunner lol Tokyo is what every other city will look like in about 20 to a 70 years time just a mass of buildings. Tokyo is so amazing in sheer volume i love it. But i also think that a city like New york is a good example of a city that as the ubanism of Tokyo but also have beautiful housing areas as well.The reason why i cant live in New York is that i love Japanese music so much that its my dream to make it in a band in Tokyo and also the otaku stuff lol and the best food in the world and the girls are so nice and cute if i could have a wife like Mariko Shinoda i would be the happiest man alive.Tokyo has better shops and entertainment as well,such as game centers and karaoke.On the most part Tokyo is really safe and the trains are never late.


To put a different spin on my 2nd choice i think that they are taking away tokyo's gritty urban look by taking down a lot of its Neon signs i dont know if it matters to you if you are from Japan but to a foreigner its something we identify with Japan at night like the famous
neon wall in Osaka's Dotonbori //te.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B0%A6%E0%B0%B8%E0%B1%8D%E0%B0%A4%E0%B1%8D%E0%B0%B0%E0%B0%82:Osaka_dotonbori_canal.JPG[/IMG] If there were no lights there no one would take pics of it right? So i just want to know if you have any idea why they seem to be taking alot of these signs down are they trying to go green?

Tokyo has enough high class residential areas, like Aoyama, Akasaka, parts of Ebisu, they are just too expensive for regular people especially if you want a big house.

~~~~~~~~

My first proposal.

1. A new fast Yamanote Line

A high speed commuter line inside of Tokyo that will ease the pressure on the Yamanote Line that brings all the main sub-centers closer together.

I will try to think of some more when I'm at work.

Jōetsu Shinkansen to Shinjuku

No harm in making Tokyo's already amazing railway even better than it is.They need to keep adding new lines and faster trains to keep it one of the worlds best.

Not quite in Tokyo, but there is Disneyland. So we need a NINTENDOLAND

HA HA good call, that would be the best thing ever. The good thing is that alot of people keep pushing at Nintendo to make one, Satoru Iwata said it may become a Reality one day

I was thinking almost the same thing, then just a Anime Theme Park.

I was thinking almost the same thing, then just a Anime Theme Park.

Anime theme park would have a lot of troubles related to the complex web of copyrights and stuff. Nintendoland is a lot easier, especially given that Miyamoto Shigeru is up for it and all it takes is that Nintendo lets their stuff to Oriental Land Corp (the operator of Disneyland). The legal infrastructure is already in place.

Yep i agree with 2co2co, The copyrights would be a tough one to get in place for a anime park.Plus a lot more people recognise nintendo characters worlwide.Quite a lot of people think Mario is an American creation (lol) not Japanese.I guess its the same as a few of my Japanese friends think mcdonalds is Japanese.

Really? I have never heard of anyone who think mcdonalds is japanese :lol:

Well. Mario is Japanese created. American named.

Isn't Mario italian, not american?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Segale#Nintendo_Mario_series_legacy his namesake

and he's been an Italian-American plumber since his debut

Just like solid snake, he is a Japanese creation but in the Metal gear story he is from America.

And about the Mcdonalds thing i do know at least two people from Tokyo who thought Mcdonalds was Japanese.And i wouldnt say that was that dumb,if you think about it Mcdonalds has become so ingrained in to popular Japanese culture, because they get a lot of cool concept eateries and burgers what not many other countries get.
And for some reason Mcdonalds in Japan seems like a good hang out spot, especially in Shibuya for the Gals, Some people practically live in Mcdonalds in Japan.According to 118 118 in England that can answer most questions.If you ask it which city has the most Mcdonalds it comes up with Tokyo at about 850, and i think that is true because i live in Kiba Koto-ku and on my street alone there are four Mcdonalds with about 2 to 5 mins walking distance of each other (THATS CRAZY) The city where im from which is a big tourist city, only has four Mcdonalds for the entire city.

And if you go and watch a lot of the Youtube gaijin vloggers most of them say they have encountered Japanese people who thought Mcdonalds was Japanese and that even KFC was to.

Its just the same as some of my friends in England who think that Sharp,JVC,Cannon,Sony,L.G (Lifes Good),olympus and Maxell are all western companies because they all have european names.

So maybe if i was born in Tokyo and had a Mcdonalds on most street corners, then maybe i would think Mcdonalds was Japanese to until told otherwise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Segale#Nintendo_Mario_series_legacy his namesake

and he's been an Italian-American plumber since his debut

In the games he just sounds like an italian straight from Italy. I see he was named after an italian american though. I don't think any japanese except a few think mcdonalds is japanese because it is written in Katakana which is foreign. I grew up in Japan all my life and this is the first time I heard about japanese thinking mcdonalds is japanese :P. Maybe in Tokyo it's more common :dunno:

Edit: well now that I think about it Moss Burger uses a foreign name but it's japanese.

In the games he just sounds like an italian straight from Italy. I see he was named after an italian american though. I don't think any japanese except a few think mcdonalds is japanese because it is written in Katakana which is foreign. I grew up in Japan all my life and this is the first time I heard about japanese thinking mcdonalds is japanese :P. Maybe in Tokyo it's more common :dunno:

Edit: well now that I think about it Moss Burger uses a foreign name but it's japanese.

Maybe it is more common in Tokyo.But like i said its only two people who think this,i know more Japanese people who know its American :)

I wish in the US they had the teriyaki burger though, that's actually good :)

Well Mario speaks with a stereotypical thick Italian American accent. Miyamoto never had an ethnicity in mind when he created him outside of being a plumber. Nintendo was planning to release him with the name "Jumpman".

I read the wikipedia and they said "Miyamoto decided to "put him in New York" and make him Italian, lightheartedly attributing Mario's nationality to his mustache."

It says his nationality is Italian O_o. BTW what do you mean by italian american? Do you mean an italian from Italy who received american citizenship? I think the accent is still called "italian". Most Italian-Americans (2nd generation) from NY just have a gangster NY accent lol.

BTW I love how offtopic this thread is now :(

stereotypical Italian-American accent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM4mJv_NBnA
Plus even decades after they come from ellis island or before. People still use Italian-American, Irish-American, Japanese-American, etc. They call the "gangster accent" New York accent. Which is really overdone in Mafia movies, tv shows.

So if I become an american then my accent is no longer japanese but japanese american?? That's interesting and I've never heard of that before lol. I thought it would just be called a japanese accent. I am sure my kids would just have a normal american accent though if they were to be raised in the US.

I thought of 2 more projects I would like.

#1 Adding public trash cans especially around parks and stations. Tokyo is clean but it could be cleaner and I honestly don't believe in the so called "terrorist threat"...afaik american cities have public trash cans in all the big cities and they have a larger terrorist threat.

#2 Public benches/seats. I would like to see more of these especially around parks, stations and areas with alot of restaurants. To create a semi parisian atmosphere with people being outside :)

I thought of 2 more projects I would like.

#1 Adding public trash cans especially around parks and stations. Tokyo is clean but it could be cleaner and I honestly don't believe in the so called "terrorist threat"...afaik american cities have public trash cans in all the big cities and they have a larger terrorist threat.

#2 Public benches/seats. I would like to see more of these especially around parks, stations and areas with alot of restaurants. To create a semi parisian atmosphere with people being outside :)

These two are really good.:) I was thinking last year, where the hell did all the trash cans go? :lol: I am not sure about this but i think when i first came to Tokyo in 2007 they had trash cans.But i just cant remember:dunno:

It can get quite annoying to have to look out for a convenience store just to throw away some rubbish :lol: I to think the terrorist threat thing is a load of BS to.

1- The prolongation of the future Maglev line to Hakata through Shikoku, through Awaji-shima, Naruto, Yoshino gawa valley, Matsuyama, Sadamisaki peninsula and Chikugo gawa valley. And still one stop per prefecture.

2- Then, the long-awaited Japan-Corea tunnel between Hakata and Busan. I would see it as a rail-only tunnel, with two tubes(of course both double-tracked), one with conventional rail mostly for freight, and one... to extend the Maglev further to Busan and Seoul.

After reunification of the corean peninsula, that will happen sooner or later, it could be extended to Qingdao and eventually Shanghai, creating a East Asia Megapolis by connecting with very high speed already-huge metropolis.

I did a sketch. (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=fr&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=203709336832180573752.000497d4f9548eb03370d)

3- Supertalls in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. I'd like to see real tall building in Tokyo, I mean 500 or 600m. tall.


Theses ARE Tokyo-related projects, because it would make Tokyo the Eastern part of the biggest Metropolis of the world (well, I know it is already the biggest one with 35mios but it would make it ten times bigger.

1- The prolongation of the future Maglev line to Hakata through Shikoku, through Awaji-shima, Naruto, Yoshino gawa valley, Matsuyama, Sadamisaki peninsula and Chikugo gawa valley. And still one stop per prefecture.

2- Then, the long-awaited Japan-Corea tunnel between Hakata and Busan. I would see it as a rail-only tunnel, with two tubes(of course both double-tracked), one with conventional rail mostly for freight, and one... to extend the Maglev further to Busan and Seoul.

After reunification of the corean peninsula, that will happen sooner or later, it could be extended to Qingdao and eventually Shanghai, creating a East Asia Megapolis by connecting with very high speed already-huge metropolis.

I did a sketch. (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=fr&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=203709336832180573752.000497d4f9548eb03370d)

3- Supertalls in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. I'd like to see real tall building in Tokyo, I mean 500 or 600m. tall.


Theses ARE Tokyo-related projects, because it would make Tokyo the Eastern part of the biggest Metropolis of the world (well, I know it is already the biggest one with 35mios but it would make it ten times bigger.

Wow the Maglev line would be cool,but how long would it take to get from Tokyo to seoul? And then to Shanghai for that matter?

The channel tunnel was 4 years in the making,which is England to France.
How long do you think it would take to make this line-Maybe 3 years Tokyo-Busan/Seoul? And then 10 years Shanghai?

This would be the best thing ever if something like this went ahead,connecting all my favorite cities together. And then imagine if it could then go to HK-Macau and then round up to taipei and then Okinawa.

HA HA but the last bit is just complete fantasy :)

This would be the best thing ever if something like this went ahead,connecting all my favorite cities together. And then imagine if it could then go to HK-Macau and then round up to taipei and then Okinawa.

HA HA but the last bit is just complete fantasy :)


Yes, a high-speed line to Okinawa is complete fantasy, but maybe not a 500km/h+ very-high-speed line, ideally Maglev technology, to Guangzhou/HK. In my dreams, I even see it reaching Singapore (through Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia).

I think we need new transports to compete, or even replace, air traffic. For me Maglev is the way. I'm sure that its technology will get faster and faster in the next decades. It just needs to be implemented, to go from theoretical research to real use. The Chuo Shinkansen will be the first inter-city Maglev in the world, so now it really starts. :banana:

An anime theme park would give wet dreams to all those otakus out there. Anime and manga fans will definitely have a field day with this.

Anyways, I'm sure you guys know what's going on with regards to the ultimate plans of Japan regarding rail transportation.

For instance, look at high speed rail and bullet trains. This map provides an idea of what is going on

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Shinkansen_map_20101204_en.png/581px-Shinkansen_map_20101204_en.png

You can use the bullet train as down south as Kyushu up to the North. In regards to the extensions on south and north, we can see that they are adding branch lines like the one to Nagasaki in the South as well as what is going on up north with the recent opening of Tohoku extension as well as the upcoming Hokkaido Shinkansen which will take the bullet train to the capital of Hokkaido.

After that, it may possible to send it all the way to the northern most tip......which will bridge the gap between Sakhalin and Hokkaido (inline with long term ambitions to improve transport between Russia and Japan).

So for me, it's this:

1) Japan-Sakhalin-Russia tunnel

2) Japan-Korea undersea tunnel

3) Tokyo Shimizu Megacity Tri-Pyramid

4) Aeropolis 2001

5) X-seed 4000 (no wait, make that an X-SEED 10000 instead :devil::hilarious)

The last three are obviously arcology projects.......but the first two would be possibly built not later than year 2100.

I could've mentioned something else BUT.........think about it. When you look at the most epic construction projects in Japan, the surface seems to have been scratched so far.
-You have Tokyo Sky Tree coming up
-the bullet train will complete its North<->South connection and that's where the first two points will definitely come into play
-more and more rail connections are being setup (and to think that the current rail transport network of Japan is obviously more than sufficient)
-road infrastructure is also on-going

So with that, the stakes become higher

(Post will continue in the next few days)

These ideas aren't epic like some mentioned above, but they are realistic & would make a difference to the city, I think:

1) Build the shinkansen to Narita Airport (OR better still, bulldoze Narita, give the land back to the farmers & move all international operations to Haneda).

2) Landscape & develop some of the rivers/canals through Tokyo -- there is miles of great river frontage, most of it hidden behind buildings & under freeways. I would love to sit at a riverside cafe in Tokyo.

3) More rooftop developments -- Restaurants, parks, sports grounds, pools either for exclusive use or open to the public. Looking at the city from above, you see how much wasted space there is on all those flat roofs. I know a few buildings with rooftop BBQ areas/beer gardens & they're great in summer, especially for watching fireworks.

4) A landmark apartment tower cluster in Odaiba. There is a lot of vacant land there just waiting to be turned into a living city. The apartments already there look a bit lonely & could use more everyday facilities like supermarkets.

5) More public seating. Very simple and cheap too. I don't know why there's hardly anywhere to just sit down & kill a few minutes in Tokyo. Everywhere there are actually seats (go to Omotesando) the seats are just round bars, deliberately uncomfortable. Maybe it's to stop homeless people moving in, but there are plenty of other ways to prevent that & still have good seats.

6) sorry, thought of one more: More and bigger TV screens for Shibuya. Q-front used to be awesome but it's showing its age. We need TV screens covering the whole side of a skyscraper... or the whole building... drool

These ideas aren't epic like some mentioned above, but they are realistic & would make a difference to the city, I think:

1) Build the shinkansen to Narita Airport (OR better still, bulldoze Narita, give the land back to the farmers & move all international operations to Haneda).

2) Landscape & develop some of the rivers/canals through Tokyo -- there is miles of great river frontage, most of it hidden behind buildings & under freeways. I would love to sit at a riverside cafe in Tokyo.

3) More rooftop developments -- Restaurants, parks, sports grounds, pools either for exclusive use or open to the public. Looking at the city from above, you see how much wasted space there is on all those flat roofs. I know a few buildings with rooftop BBQ areas/beer gardens & they're great in summer, especially for watching fireworks.

4) A landmark apartment tower cluster in Odaiba. There is a lot of vacant land there just waiting to be turned into a living city. The apartments already there look a bit lonely & could use more everyday facilities like supermarkets.

5) More public seating. Very simple and cheap too. I don't know why there's hardly anywhere to just sit down & kill a few minutes in Tokyo. Everywhere there are actually seats (go to Omotesando) the seats are just round bars, deliberately uncomfortable. Maybe it's to stop homeless people moving in, but there are plenty of other ways to prevent that & still have good seats.

6) sorry, thought of one more: More and bigger TV screens for Shibuya. Q-front used to be awesome but it's showing its age. We need TV screens covering the whole side of a skyscraper... or the whole building... drool

2) Nakameguro does this quite well. Lots of little cafe's along the cherry blossom tree lined Meguro River.

4) The thing that struck me most about walking around Odaiba when I visited Japan last year was the sparsity of the area made it almost eery. Definitely needs more density.

6) Can't agree more! Loved all the giant screens in Tokyo, especially Shibuya, so the more the better! I especially like your idea of covering the whole facade of a building with a video screen, much like the proposed Grand Indonesia Tower in Jakarta. Very Blade Runner-esque :)

Anyways, I'm sure you guys know what's going on with regards to the ultimate plans of Japan regarding rail transportation.

For instance, look at high speed rail and bullet trains. This map provides an idea of what is going on

You can use the bullet train as down south as Kyushu up to the North. In regards to the extensions on south and north, we can see that they are adding branch lines like the one to Nagasaki in the South as well as what is going on up north with the recent opening of Tohoku extension as well as the upcoming Hokkaido Shinkansen which will take the bullet train to the capital of Hokkaido.

After that, it may possible to send it all the way to the northern most tip......which will bridge the gap between Sakhalin and Hokkaido (inline with long term ambitions to improve transport between Russia and Japan).

So for me, it's this:

1) Japan-Sakhalin-Russia tunnel
2) Japan-Korea undersea tunnel
3) Tokyo Shimizu Megacity Tri-Pyramid
4) Aeropolis 2001
5) X-seed 4000 (no wait, make that an X-SEED 10000 instead :devil::hilarious)


Well, of course this thread allows fantasy, but honestly a rail link between Hokkaido and Sakhalin will probably never ever be done, even though it's technically very feasible. The problem is that it would not link much. There's not much in Northern Hokkaido, but there's even less in Sakhalin (mainly forest, gas, and crumbling nuclear submarines - I've seen them with my own eyes there and it's quite scary.), and it's still a long long way from there to mainland Russia.

The main cities of Russian Far East are Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, and they are gradually having tighter connexion with Ex-Manchuria, meaning China's Dongbei where 350km/h HS rail will arrive in 2014 (in Harbin).

So for me, the Japan-Korea tunnel is the only realistic link with the continent, linking dynamic South Korea in a first time, but also China and Russia, and farther, once North Korea would be absorbed in th South (which will happen sooner or later).

But then if Karafuto (Sakhalin) were still Japanese, I have no doubt that by now there would already be a tunnel connecting it with Sakhalin!!!:)

But anyway, nobody who has the power of taking decision on whether building it or not is reading us...:lol::lol::lol:

P.S. Shinkansen is not yet arrived in Hokkaido!! To reach Sapporo, it will take at least another 10-15 years it seems! Passed Sapporo, there's no big city, and there's already express train that do the job well, so I think it will never go farther than Sapporo. Having that said, it wouldn't be a waste to extend it to Asahikawa, which is the second biggest city in the Island, before Hakodate. As it is in the heart of the island it would be an ideal hub. Plus the valley between Sapporo and Asahikawa is fairly populated.

So for me, the Japan-Korea tunnel is the only realistic link with the continent, linking dynamic South Korea in a first time, but also China and Russia, and farther, once North Korea would be absorbed in th South (which will happen sooner or later).


It won't happen.

Seoul says undersea tunnels with Japan, China economically infeasible (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2011/01/04/39/0301000000AEN20110104010300315F.HTML)

^^ Thanks for the article. Well, it doesn't surprise me much. It IS very costly to build it, and having Korea handling it alone would have been extremely surprising. It needs full cooperation of both nations.

Furthermore, it is viable only as a long-term investment. It may be a big deficit for the builder, but would surely prove to be a very strong investment at the country-and-regional-scale. It would save 30% cost of transport goods between the 2 countries. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Korea_Undersea_Tunnel) Think of all the planes and the ships that wouldn't be needed anymore for the passenger and freight transport!! It is also a huge step towards a greener economy!

But yes, it won't be started in this decade. The two countries aren't ripe for it yet, I guess.

P.S. What is funny is that you almost never have both government supporting it at the same time. Now Lee Myung-Bak is quite keen so support it, but Japanese gov is in a belt-tightening stage, while before it was Japan supporting it and Roh Moo-Hyun against it. One day, sometime in the future, both nations will be determined to build it, but it still needs some time.

1- I would like to see an area full of new skyscrapers 600 M+ (Contains at least 10 to 15 skyscrapers) .
2- To build a huge bridge next to Rainbow Bridge! Contains 6 lines each side.
3- I would like to see more Parks in Tokyo, and a NintendoLand.
4- A new stadium. I think Ajinomoto Stadium is good, but when you see Like the Sapporo Dome and the Toyota Stadium, Tokyo definitely
needs a new futuristic Stadium.

These projects will make Tokyo like a dream city.

I think these Futuristic projects are so realistic when you talk about the land of Japan, the land of future.

Let's see.

PS: I didn't mention the X Seed 4000, but if it's ever built, it will be at least in 2050. Way more to go. (I hope not ^^)

[...]
As for the western style houses,[...]

What you were talking all the time was about "American style" houses, not western. Because the European house neighbourhoods are diffent from what you are talking about (in fact it's closer to the Japanese styles) yet they are still western.

1- I would like to see an area full of new skyscrapers 600 M+ (Contains at least 10 to 15 skyscrapers) .
2- To build a huge bridge next to Rainbow Bridge! Contains 6 lines each side.
3- I would like to see more Parks in Tokyo, and a NintendoLand.
4- A new stadium. I think Ajinomoto Stadium is good, but when you see Like the Sapporo Dome and the Toyota Stadium, Tokyo definitely
needs a new futuristic Stadium.

These projects will make Tokyo like a dream city.

I think these Futuristic projects are so realistic when you talk about the land of Japan, the land of future.

Let's see.

PS: I didn't mention the X Seed 4000, but if it's ever built, it will be at least in 2050. Way more to go. (I hope not ^^)

This all sounds very good! :)

What you were talking all the time was about "American style" houses, not western. Because the European house neighbourhoods are diffent from what you are talking about (in fact it's closer to the Japanese styles) yet they are still western.

I was actually talking about American and European housing as a whole,The U.K (where i am from) has many suburban housing areas with a front drive and and a garden.And so does most of Europe,so i don't know what your talking about.Do not forget that American housing came from England and France,York the city where i am from has a lot of New York style architecture (Hence why New York is named after my city)

Most Tokyo housing is mixed in with high rise buildings and other functional spaces on very narrow streets,most where you cant even park a car.These houses are often small in size,as NihonKitty said they are town houses.I am sorry but Tokyo doesn't really have many true suburban housing plots.

And at the end of the day i am talking about size more than anything.So even small western housing is still often bigger than Japanese housing.And the thing i am trying to get at is that suburban housing can work in Japan,because there are some places such as pal town(search pal town Japan on Google) All they need to do is put an area like this on the outskirts of Tokyo (Maybe it would Suit Yokohama more) Just destroy all the low-rise Danchi what have small rooms and what are far to overpriced and plus i cant Imagine these old apartment blocks surviving the big earthquake which is so many years overdue.

Thats why it makes sense,if they start building higher in newer safer earthquake tolerant buildings,they can then house more people upwards and then clear out some of the older unsafer buildings and replace them with big family homes which a hard working family deserve.Also with Tokyo's amazing metro/rail having big housing area's wouldn't really make the city less efficient.

Japanese average house size is larger than in many western european countries. From what I looked up York is a small city and can't compare to Tokyo maybe you should compare it to Ibaraki or something.

As for Tokyo itself I found some data.
http://www.demographia.com/db-japanmethousing.htm

It has the average size of Tokyo core, suburbs and exurbs. If the data for England is correct (91 sqm) than Tokyo's suburbs house size is the same as the average size in england (and I imagine London has smaller houses than England's average) and the exurbs are larger.

I think your problem with Tokyo housing is more a problem with "cities". Most large cities in the world don't have detached houses in their core or if they do they're super expensive.

Japanese average house size is larger than in many western european countries. From what I looked up York is a small city and can't compare to Tokyo maybe you should compare it to Ibaraki or something.

As for Tokyo itself I found some data.
http://www.demographia.com/db-japanmethousing.htm

It has the average size of Tokyo core, suburbs and exurbs. If the data for England is correct (91 sqm) than Tokyo's suburbs house size is the same as the average size in england (and I imagine London has smaller houses than England's average) and the exurbs are larger.

I think your problem with Tokyo housing is more a problem with "cities". Most large cities in the world don't have detached houses in their core or if they do they're super expensive.

Im sorry but England has a lot bigger houses than Japan on average.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_siz_of_hou-people-size-of-houses#definition

As you can see England comes in 3rd and Japan in 13th.

Most housing areas in England i have seen have far bigger houses than Japan,
even my mums terraced house has 4 bed rooms,living room,dining room,kitchen,upstairs/downstairs bath room and a garden,thats on a block of 8 streets that comprise over 800 terraced houses of the same size, and thats just one block there are about 30 other blocks in that area just like it or bigger.

And i said build these areas on the outskirts of Tokyo not the core.I don't know how you can say that York is a small city at 105 square miles,Thats a little bit under half the size of Tokyo.And if you want to include Yokohama and other such cities in the met,then i will include Leeds which is 213 square miles and Harrogate and hull which makes up another 70 miles.All of these cities are only 15 to 20 minutes away from each other by rail.It is also all built up mass between each of these cities.

Nationmaster is not reliable and the definition they use is "proportion of houses with 5 or more rooms" not the size of the house. York is a small city with a population of 195,400 I don't think it's fair to compare that to a city like Tokyo..

http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBAProfessionalServices/ResearchAndDevelopment/Symposium/2008/MikeRoys.pdf

You can see here the average dwelling size in England is slightly above 80m sq which is provided by the housing statistics of the European Union. Judging by that the Tokyo suburbs are identical to the housing in England and the housing in the exurbs are larger. You are probably comparing your city to Tokyo, I'd rather see a comparison of London to Tokyo. In fact according to Bradford & Bingley the average house size in England is 76m sq, while in Japan the average size of a house is 121.7m sq. Maybe you just came here to complain about Japan and give us a hard time :lol: <- this is a joke btw lol!

to a foreigner its something we identify with Japan at night like the famous
neon wall in Osaka's Dotonbori If there were no lights there no one would take pics of it right? So i just want to know if you have any idea why they seem to be taking alot of these signs down are they trying to go green?

If they took away the signs it would look like Washington DC

Major Osaka street (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=34.675001,135.500338&spn=0.012017,0.026457&t=k&z=16&layer=c&cbll=34.675001,135.500338&panoid=wuB3SX4vj-OGnbgG0xL7Fw&cbp=12,359.73,,0,-4.64)
Major DC street (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.902514,-77.044906&spn=0.005719,0.013229&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=38.902514,-77.044906&panoid=LJ06cTIr7RzkLZIzPcY57Q&cbp=12,274.57,,0,-2.52)

Actually there are signs in the Osaka street but its hard to see in day time. Did you ever see Black Rain, it is set in Osaka!

Dunno about house sizes, but this one looks like fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3swYsxRlxI

Anyway, I want to see a futuristic or at least very tall building in Odaiba :)

Another city to compare York with from Japan maybe could be Kasukabe? It has plenty of houses with gardens and its population is around 200,000 people (similar to York).

It actually reminded me to certain cities sourrounding Madrid (such as Coslada or even Daganzo).

Hull and Leeds are both fairly similar in area size - York is much smaller and Harrogate is relatively tiny

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=53.820922,-0.97641&spn=0.456403,1.582031&t=h&z=10

-I would love to see more green space especially roadside trees like omotesando, and some more parks

-Also, continued redevelopment of the not so attractive buildings that were thrown up after WW2

-I'm happy to see that there are many redevelopment plans in the works, and that they are integrating green space into these projects

-Another excellent thing is the project to replace utility poles with trees, and the umi no mori park replacing the landfill

-I would like to see some traditional Japanese buildings and homes being built again

-Also I would like to see some more expansions on the ever growing underground commercial areas near metro stations

-Another thing I wish there was a night service for public transit, even if it's very infrequent

Anyway, I want to see a futuristic or at least very tall building in Odaiba :)

I tihink this Skyline would look great with about 4 or 5 300m scrapers.
This pic was taken near the statue of liberty.

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff443/Neonamja/SkylinefromOdaiba.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff443/Neonamja/OdaibaDusk.jpg

These are couple of my Odaiba photo's i have just uploaded to Photobucket

Did you ever see Black Rain, it is set in Osaka!
I have seen the movie Black Rain, probably one of michael Douglas's best films lol. The sondtrack was great to.
Ridley Scott sort of made this film as homage to one of his earlier films-Blade Runner,Because a lot of the look
and street scenes for Blade Runner was inspired by Shinjuku and Osaka's dotonbori.Ridley Scott also said that
he loved the way that a lot of Japanese buildings wear the guts of the building on the outside,which i also love
to.So my next thing i would love to see in Tokyo is a 200m plus building with its guts on the outside,it would be
ugly yes but it would be a architectural marvel.

Japan is the leading developed country in Asia & Tokyo is the leading developed capital city in Asia. I want to see an 'Asian Village' in Tokyo. You walk into it & you see Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Indian, Korean culture & way of life. This 'Village' has to be self-sustaining, so commercial activities is a must. The center of this 'Village' will be a giant 'Asian Food Court'. Come to Singapore & see how this 'food court' should be like, only it will be many times bigger, with all kinds of Asian food. I think Japan should look at Asia in it's next stage of evolving development. Go East!

Japan is the leading developed country in Asia & Tokyo is the leading developed capital city in Asia. I want to see an 'Asian Village' in Tokyo. You walk into it & you see Indonesian, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Indian, Korean culture & way of life. This 'Village' has to be self-sustaining, so commercial activities is a must. The center of this 'Village' will be a giant 'Asian Food Court'. Come to Singapore & see how this 'food court' should be like, only it will be many times bigger, with all kinds of Asian food. I think Japan should look at Asia in it's next stage of evolving development. Go East!

An Asian village concept would be interesting. Still, Tokyo would be a great choice but it doesn't necessarily have to be in Tokyo (cause other places in Japan are also welcome to host such a concept)

:)

I don't know about "culture" and "way of life," but I think if it's mostly (or at least substantially) food-oriented, I could easily see it working. Both Thai and Korean food are already fairly popular in Japan, other Asian cuisines less so, but if designed right, the place could definitely attract lots of グルメ (foodies).

Ridley Scott also said that
he loved the way that a lot of Japanese buildings wear the guts of the building on the outside,which i also love
to.
I know, I have the collector's edition of both movies:)
I'm not sure what it it means though.

the First Tsunami/Earthquake Proof City in Japan? This could me a major feat.