4 ms·

> Tokyo comes joint fourth, but its population is larger than the combined populations of the others (Adelaide, Auckland, Osaka and Wellington). Having lived i

by ehnto 5y ago

> Tokyo comes joint fourth, but its population is larger than the combined populations of the others (Adelaide, Auckland, Osaka and Wellington). Having lived in Adelaide and visited Toyko, Osaka and a bunch of other Japanese cities, I can take a crack at the difference: Adelaide is a great lifestyle city, if you don't actually want to live in a city, love car enabled lifestyles and the outdoors. Tokyo would be great if you just love city life and have an insatiable desire to discover city culture, and you want to spend most of your time as a pedestrian. You just can't run out of things to discover in Tokyo or Japan in general, and everything is easy to get to in Japan from Tokyo. In Adelaide, you need a car to get out of the burbs, it's very car centric, and because you'll eventually run out of stuff to do in the city since it's quite small, you'll need the car to drive out to new places. Public transport is spotty, or non-existent. Trains aren't too bad, if you move here, move near a train. I would recommend Adelaide if you're pretty content with a median lifestyle, and just want to focus on hobbies, sports and don't mind going to the same handful of cafes every year. I think you'd get more mileage out of Tokyo if you want to dive headfirst into city life and city culture. The other difference is that with a low population, hobby groups in Adelaide are small, and what you love may not even be in Adelaide, getting supplies for things can be difficult. Lots of new things don't make it there due to that issue as well. It can feel a bit dead-end in that way. In Tokyo, if you like it, there's a group for you somewhere, and what you want is probably sold nearby.

bedobi 5y ago
I honestly don't understand how "cities" like Adelaide, Auckland and Wellington keep making these lists of "most liveable cities". Their low populations mean they just don't have much of the things that make cities desirable. (like, lots of culture, lots of diversity, lots of options for dining and activities etc etc) Granted, that can make them comparatively pleasant and peaceful, with good access to outdoors and fresh air, but yeah, it's disingenuous to even include them in a comparison that includes Tokyo, London, New York, what have you. In case anyone thinks this is me being uncharitable, I currently live in Brisbane Australia, which is hardly a cosmopolitan global elite city either, so this isn't me throwing shade, I'm just saying.
- ehnto 5y ago
  It's a really hard thing to be objective about I think, the lists are never going to be particularly useful. There are definitely parts of Tokyo life that don't score well, like house pricing, size and type. The concrete jungle isn't for everyone either, there is an amicable amount of greenery but it's mostly concrete. The lists seem to bias toward those things you mentioned, family homes and access to nature, so I think they're targeting a really specific demographic with that. I'm big on urban wandering, dining out and social stuff but I can see why someone might retire in Adelaide instead of Tokyo if they want to relax their retirement away. I think I'd rather Tokyo, just because of the public transport. You'd be able to go anywhere even after you can't drive.
  - throwaway2037 5y ago
    It is interesting you wrote <<house pricing>> when the post above specifically mentioned Adelaide, Auckland and Wellington. Compare Tokyo house price inflation in last 10+ years to those others. Tokyo is a steal by comparison. It is a myth that Tokyo is still crazy expensive like in the 1990s. And when publications like The Economist talk about housing prices, they are looking at how senior executives live in the center of the city. They are not looking at middle class housing, which is in abundance throughout most of the city.
    - ehnto 5y ago
      The other stereotype is that housing is very small by comparison to a city like Adelaide, is that not true still? For example in Adelaide, a 3 bedroom home with a garage, front yard and large back yard is pretty common. But mostly I see two story narrow townhouses, or small apartments in Tokyo.
- brigandish 5y ago
  I live in Osaka and I have no idea whatsoever how it made second on this list. I like things about Osaka, some a lot (though I do complain), and the people I've met here will always be in my heart, but second? I couldn't be sure it's even the second best city in Kansai. Worthless list.

by ehnto 5y ago

bedobi 5y ago

I honestly don't understand how "cities" like Adelaide, Auckland and Wellington keep making these lists of "most liveable cities". Their low populations mean they just don't have much of the things that make cities desirable. (like, lots of culture, lots of diversity, lots of options for dining and activities etc etc) Granted, that can make them comparatively pleasant and peaceful, with good access to outdoors and fresh air, but yeah, it's disingenuous to even include them in a comparison that includes Tokyo, London, New York, what have you. In case anyone thinks this is me being uncharitable, I currently live in Brisbane Australia, which is hardly a cosmopolitan global elite city either, so this isn't me throwing shade, I'm just saying.

ehnto 5y ago
It's a really hard thing to be objective about I think, the lists are never going to be particularly useful. There are definitely parts of Tokyo life that don't score well, like house pricing, size and type. The concrete jungle isn't for everyone either, there is an amicable amount of greenery but it's mostly concrete. The lists seem to bias toward those things you mentioned, family homes and access to nature, so I think they're targeting a really specific demographic with that. I'm big on urban wandering, dining out and social stuff but I can see why someone might retire in Adelaide instead of Tokyo if they want to relax their retirement away. I think I'd rather Tokyo, just because of the public transport. You'd be able to go anywhere even after you can't drive.
- throwaway2037 5y ago
  It is interesting you wrote <<house pricing>> when the post above specifically mentioned Adelaide, Auckland and Wellington. Compare Tokyo house price inflation in last 10+ years to those others. Tokyo is a steal by comparison. It is a myth that Tokyo is still crazy expensive like in the 1990s. And when publications like The Economist talk about housing prices, they are looking at how senior executives live in the center of the city. They are not looking at middle class housing, which is in abundance throughout most of the city.
  - ehnto 5y ago
    The other stereotype is that housing is very small by comparison to a city like Adelaide, is that not true still? For example in Adelaide, a 3 bedroom home with a garage, front yard and large back yard is pretty common. But mostly I see two story narrow townhouses, or small apartments in Tokyo.
brigandish 5y ago
I live in Osaka and I have no idea whatsoever how it made second on this list. I like things about Osaka, some a lot (though I do complain), and the people I've met here will always be in my heart, but second? I couldn't be sure it's even the second best city in Kansai. Worthless list.