I know Japanese cities are crowded, but they are the cleanest, safest and "least ghetto" cities I have come across in the world, with amazing clean transport systems and urban culture that flow seamlessly. If aliens wanted an example of a perfect human city I would give them Tokyo.

What do you guys think?

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9057/25017161042fa93f3c58b.th.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/my.php?image=25017161042fa93f3c58b.jpg)
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2279/3158468881d6871f436ab.th.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/my.php?image=3158468881d6871f436ab.jpg)

i totally agree, i visited tokyo and yokohama 4 years ago and i was shocked... i didn't see litter basket (only few) and the streets were so clean... and no fear, no matter when and where

too crowded to be perfect...

:ohno:

Don't know if they are the best but they surely aren't perfect when some people have to live like this:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2092/2148659054_67099fa78d.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/1797545123_5470ae363e.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/70713763_53d45e4679.jpg

From what i've seen on Google Earth, i do think tht japanese cities are one of the best. They provide good density and are clean.

Probably the best, but they should be more vertical.

I can't tell you they are the best, because I haven't been there, but from what I have seen, they pretty much might be the most culturally educated... :)

To transport 30 million urbanites around a single city, then feed, house, keep in good health, employ and entertain them to some of the highest levels and available choices in the world (eg over 100,000 bars, 180,000 restaurants etc.) is a mammoth undertaking for every day. It's one thing keeping the residents of Zurich to such a high quality of life, liberal openness and social vibrancy, alongside such low levels of crime and poverty, its another doing the same to a megacity the size of Tokyo.

I think in those respects (but not in others), then Tokyo is definitely at the top.

For me, Japanese cities are on their own league, way above the rest (in terms of infrastructure, safetly, cleanliness, technology, etc.)

What about lack of diversity?

japanese cities seem to function better than cities elsewhere.

i wonder how easy it is to have a happy, personally fulfilling life in a japanese city. especially if you don't happen to be japanese.

Japanese cities have never stood out to me as being the best in the world, mostly because "best" is quite subjective. I'm sure Japanese cities are great, but according to a lot of rankings, such as Mercer and The Economist, Canadian, Australian and Swiss cities take top honours.

isnt the japanese life very stressful?

Don't know if they are the best but they surely aren't perfect when some people have to live like this:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2092/2148659054_67099fa78d.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/1797545123_5470ae363e.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/70713763_53d45e4679.jpg
ohh still organized and clean :)

Don't know because I haven't been there, but it sure seems like it has qualities and variation in terms of lifestyles. From what I seen on pictures, there are many good streets which provides for urban life.

Don't know if they're the best, but they're now the most expensive:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jX9wShRGKqq_qEdXCkpWpChQV1rw

at least Japanese cities are the best in term of the cleanness

Future's set to Tokyo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnPLv4AWLSY
TOKYO COLORS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WaurTeRpPI

It is beaten when boasting.

We can't say "Japanese cities are the best" because of various reasons.

First of all, each Japanese cities are different. Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Naha are all very different. We just can't describe them at once. And as others have said, "best city" is something subjective. For instance, Japanese cities may be "clean", but one might find "less clean" city more attractive.

The characteristics of Japanese cities in general may exceed the world average in some aspects (their public transportations, for instance), but miserably fail in some other aspects. Look at those electric wires, sarakin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarakin) neon signs, and atrocious looking pachinko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachinko) parlors. Clean? Maybe. Beautiful? Absolutely not. Japanese cities (sans Sapporo and Kyoto) use the worst addressing system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_addressing_system) on earth, not to mention their roads are too narrow and curvy. That's because these cities appeared before the era of cars? True, but they had a chance when they were completely burnt out during the war. (And in the case of Tokyo, they had two chances (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Kanto_Earthquake).) Nagoya did take the chance so their roads are OK, but others did not.

I do think most Japanese tried their best to cope with the geographical situations they were put. We can perhaps say Japanese cities are generally "above average". (Japan is supposed to be a developed nation, after all.) Having said it, though, they still could do better than this. In that sense, I can hardly think Japanese cities are the "best".

Since this is a skyscraper forum if we're talking about urbanity i've never seen cities as clean and efficient (in transportation and almost all "city" life) as tokyo and other japanese cities. That doesn't mean they're "the best" though cause alot of people especially in US like to have more space and green etc. Japanese cities are the best if you want to live 100% urban.

I think the Japanese countryside is the best

Japanese cities have many, many admirable characteristics but I find them extremely monocultural, to say nothing of drab (outside of the historic architecture and major modern buildings, that is).

Tokyo is probably the safest and most orderly city of any place its size in the world, for sure.

What about lack of diversity?

What has that to do with how good a city is?

I love Japanese cities - and while not flawless they are certainly top notch when it comes to urban enviroments!

What has that to do with how good a city is?

A lot of people in SSC believe multiculturalism makes a city great.

What has that to do with how good a city is?

added options in terms of arts, cuisine, sports and those sorts of things. I don't put diversity on a high pedestal as many on this forum do---but I think its important. Especially if you are going to say its the "best in the world".

We can't say "Japanese cities are the best" because of various reasons.

First of all, each Japanese cities are different. Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and Naha are all very different. We just can't describe them at once. And as others have said, "best city" is something subjective. For instance, Japanese cities may be "clean", but one might find "less clean" city more attractive.

The characteristics of Japanese cities in general may exceed the world average in some aspects (their public transportations, for instance), but miserably fail in some other aspects. Look at those electric wires, sarakin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarakin) neon signs, and atrocious looking pachinko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachinko) parlors. Clean? Maybe. Beautiful? Absolutely not. Japanese cities (sans Sapporo and Kyoto) use the worst addressing system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_addressing_system) on earth, not to mention their roads are too narrow and curvy. That's because these cities appeared before the era of cars? True, but they had a chance when they were completely burnt out during the war. (And in the case of Tokyo, they had two chances (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Kanto_Earthquake).) Nagoya did take the chance so their roads are OK, but others did not.

I do think most Japanese tried their best to cope with the geographical situations they were put. We can perhaps say Japanese cities are generally "above average". (Japan is supposed to be a developed nation, after all.) Having said it, though, they still could do better than this. In that sense, I can hardly think Japanese cities are the "best".

So according to you the overhead wires,narrow roads and addressing system have let the japanese cities down? come on

So according to you the overhead wires,narrow roads and addressing system have let the japanese cities down? come on

If these points are the only weakness you can find in Japanese cities, that proves they are "the best" in the world. :)

A lot of people in SSC believe multiculturalism makes a city great.

I think Japan is so multicultural
at first , Japan is a drift of various cultures like china, korea , south east asia,...
These were mixed.
then it seems it as single culturalism

http://www.japanfocus.org/products/details/2389

What about lack of diversity?
yeah...

i'm sorry dont even consider any Japanese city in TOP 10 cities. so being "the best". I dont think so...

Diversity makes a city great? What multicultural diversity? First of all i bet you and el mariachi have never even stepped foot on japan yet youre judging it. And second of all tokyo was recently voted have the best restaurants and cuisine in the world. Tokyo is a world city and just as diverse as any other city, except the racial aspect. If youre saying japanese cities arent great because theyre japanese then you have no point.

Cleaness you say? Check out Honolulu or Singapore, our cities are extremely clean.

Forum rules prohibit threads proclaiming "best" cities.