4 ms·

(b) is the biggest one. It doesn't make second hand unlivable, it just stops putting a premium on things which clearly aren't premium (unlike say Europe). It a

(b) is the biggest one. It doesn't make second hand unlivable, it just stops putting a premium on things which clearly aren't premium (unlike say Europe). It also makes it easier to tear things down in case of future needs, whereas Europe tends to "lock" itself in, creating a market which is very inflexible. >(c) Keep in mind 1LDKs (living room, dining room, kitchen) come with everything you'd expect a full apartment to come with, and are still very cheap in Tokyo compared to most metropolises and big cities. Many DKs also come with personal shower, small kitchen and toilet. Their spaces are generally on par with what you'd get in bigger European cities, for an equal or lower price. Not bad considering it is Tokyo. >(d) I mean, between the US and Japan, Japan isn't that much more difficult to immigrate to, unless you expect to get by with just English. Decreasing population also isn't a problem considering population numbers are getting far too big for comfort among developed countries.

yokoprime 5y ago
> (b) is the biggest one. It doesn't make second hand unlivable, it just stops putting a premium on things which clearly aren't premium (unlike say Europe). It also makes it easier to tear things down in case of future needs, whereas Europe tends to "lock" itself in, creating a market which is very inflexible Could you elaborate on what this paragraph means? How do we "lock" ourselves in here in Europe? I can go out _today_ buy a rundown house and tear it down. If the cost of renovating it exceeds the cost of building new, it's financially sound to do. Unless i'm buying some historically important building there are zero restrictions.
- BlargMcLarg 5y ago
  If you can buy a rundown house, yes. Now place yourself in the shoes of the generation who can't reasonable buy a rundown house in a place close to work, and are expected to commute to work. They are dependent on laws and profit margins for anything to happen. When the profit margins say "building apartments isn't profitable" and the laws say "well whatever", nothing's gonna get torn down for apartments. Turns out when you build things to last and the mentality is that a 30yo house should still be in good shape, there's not a lot of profits to be gained tearing it down and building an apartment complex compared to renovating it a little and selling it to some upper middle class family with more dough to spend. And yes, there are ways around this, e.g. turning that SFH into a sharehouse. Why that isn't happening more is a whole different story.
seanmcdirmid 5y ago
The USA is about 12% immigrants, Japan is around 2%. I mean, it is definitely no China, but it has the lowest immigration rate of the all the developed countries.
- BlargMcLarg 5y ago
  That's not what I was pointing to. Check the visa requirements for various visas for the US, Japan and other developed countries. They follow similar thought patterns: skilled workers with demonstrated experience and/or knowledge, who won't be a burden on the state. The biggest boon being most skilled workers from developed countries already know English at an okay level, and most developed countries accommodate non-native language speakers better than Japan does when it comes to immigration.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
nine_k 5y ago
USA is a "salad bowl", it expects immigrants and varied cultures. Basically, coming from anywhere in the world, with some getting used to, you can blend in. Japan is much more homogeneous culturally, and as an immigrant you will always be a stranger. Even if people will be nice and polite towards you, they likely won't be able to treat you as they would treat a Japanese, because you'd miss the cultural context which builds up from early childhood on.

yokoprime 5y ago

> (b) is the biggest one. It doesn't make second hand unlivable, it just stops putting a premium on things which clearly aren't premium (unlike say Europe). It also makes it easier to tear things down in case of future needs, whereas Europe tends to "lock" itself in, creating a market which is very inflexible Could you elaborate on what this paragraph means? How do we "lock" ourselves in here in Europe? I can go out _today_ buy a rundown house and tear it down. If the cost of renovating it exceeds the cost of building new, it's financially sound to do. Unless i'm buying some historically important building there are zero restrictions.

BlargMcLarg 5y ago
If you can buy a rundown house, yes. Now place yourself in the shoes of the generation who can't reasonable buy a rundown house in a place close to work, and are expected to commute to work. They are dependent on laws and profit margins for anything to happen. When the profit margins say "building apartments isn't profitable" and the laws say "well whatever", nothing's gonna get torn down for apartments. Turns out when you build things to last and the mentality is that a 30yo house should still be in good shape, there's not a lot of profits to be gained tearing it down and building an apartment complex compared to renovating it a little and selling it to some upper middle class family with more dough to spend. And yes, there are ways around this, e.g. turning that SFH into a sharehouse. Why that isn't happening more is a whole different story.

seanmcdirmid 5y ago

The USA is about 12% immigrants, Japan is around 2%. I mean, it is definitely no China, but it has the lowest immigration rate of the all the developed countries.

BlargMcLarg 5y ago
That's not what I was pointing to. Check the visa requirements for various visas for the US, Japan and other developed countries. They follow similar thought patterns: skilled workers with demonstrated experience and/or knowledge, who won't be a burden on the state. The biggest boon being most skilled workers from developed countries already know English at an okay level, and most developed countries accommodate non-native language speakers better than Japan does when it comes to immigration.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

nine_k 5y ago

USA is a "salad bowl", it expects immigrants and varied cultures. Basically, coming from anywhere in the world, with some getting used to, you can blend in. Japan is much more homogeneous culturally, and as an immigrant you will always be a stranger. Even if people will be nice and polite towards you, they likely won't be able to treat you as they would treat a Japanese, because you'd miss the cultural context which builds up from early childhood on.