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I'm sorta surprised by your statement. I've lived in Seoul, Tokyo, and NYC for various periods of my life and I'd definitely say Tokyo feels the most "modern" w
by keykoo 5y ago
I'm sorta surprised by your statement. I've lived in Seoul, Tokyo, and NYC for various periods of my life and I'd definitely say Tokyo feels the most "modern" when you scratch beneath the surface.
For example, I'd say the basic subway system between Seoul and Tokyo are pretty similar but you also have the advantage of a vastly superior rail network that serves Greater Tokyo and the rest of Japan. KTX and SRT in Korea are improving every year but don't really compare yet. Additionally, the new subway stations in Seoul are quite nice (Line #9) but you also have really old lines (Line #1) where many of the stations are so badly maintained they feel inferior to their counterparts in Tokyo (Ginza, Hibiya).
I can't really speak to the english speaking issues in South Korea, but in Tokyo I never really had any issues even though I don't speak Japanese. Most places in Tokyo will have english menus because it's a tourist centric city. Neighborhood family owned dives probably don't speak english very well but they wouldn't in Seoul either.
The thing that makes Seoul fall short for me is the standard of building maintenance. Although things are changing, it was generally the case that for several generations of building maintenance they just expected to tear them down and rebuild. Tokyo has a similar problem, necessitated by constant building damage and updated building codes from earthquakes, but the biggest difference is that a lot of these buildings in Seoul are 10+ stories tall. Most of Tokyo's building stock is <10 stories. It's become cost prohibitive in Seoul to actually tear these buildings down and rebuild them.
One of the worst things for me is how car centric Seoul is. It's rare in Tokyo to have 3+ lane roads that aren't toll road/expressways. They're all over Seoul and the side roads are packed full of "valet" parking for restaurants that don't actually have parking lots. The entire car culture feels way more chaotic there than Tokyo. In Tokyo, you can't buy a car unless you prove you have a registered parking spot. In Seoul, you just double park your neighbor and put your phone number in case you need to move your car.
Lastly the air quality in Seoul is way worse than Tokyo. Feels like you constantly have to stay indoors for weeks during the bad "yellow dust" season.
- eatonphil 5y agoUpvoted for the opposing observations. I have taken KTX but I have not taken (non-subway) rail in Japan. The KTX train I took was similar in quality to German inter-city rail or American regional rail lines. That is to say, it wasn't that special. The air quality issues are a huge pain for sure.
- cyberlurker 5y agoThe yellow dust is commonly thought to come from China. It’s not good but isn’t an issue South Korea can address alone.
- pcurve 5y agoI think there are pros/cons of car culture and systems in both countries. Japan's car-ownership experience is rather hostile. Expensive tolls, Shaken inspection, and higher price tags than SK. In a way, this benefits tourists because streets are cleaner, cars are newer, and people tend to drive less. In Korea, it's flipped. It's great place for car ownership. But from tourists POV, it's chaos. As much as I love Japan, I'd prefer to live in Korea while visit Japan as tourist. Seoul isn't so bad once you go outside from central Seoul to new cities. Everything is more spread out, cleaner, and very modern.
- mrpopo 5y agoAlmost everywhere in Japan is accessible without a car. Car-ownership doesn't make sense for most people.
- pcurve 5y agoWithin metro areas? I agree. Go outside a bit? Cars are mighty convenient.
- mrpopo 5y agoAnd Japan's urbanization rate is 92%, so car ownership in Japan doesn't make sense for most people. I've been to tons of tourist spots and onsens in Miyagi by train/shuttle bus with no issue. In Korea, because of the high car penetration rate for young people and new families, many attractions are inaccessible without a car.
- fomine3 5y ago"Urban area" doesn't mean people don't need car for living. Maybe threshold of "urban" is too low than we think. You're just a tourist so you may can't see everything, but didn't you saw many small/family cars run on Miyagi at trip? Sendai city in Miyagi, maybe ranked TOP 10 city for great public transport in Japan, 75% of family still buy at least a one car. Rest of the place is far worse than Miyagi for transport. Of course they buy cars becaues it makes sense. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1027885/japan-share-car-ownership/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1027885/japan-share-car-... https://www.eidaihouse.com/support/column/334/ https://www.eidaihouse.com/support/column/334/