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I am a perhaps extreme example of what is described in the article. I grew up in Southern California, but I have lived in Tokyo and neighboring Yokohama since 1

I am a perhaps extreme example of what is described in the article. I grew up in Southern California, but I have lived in Tokyo and neighboring Yokohama since 1983. I can’t remember the last time I rode in a privately owned car in the Tokyo area. Fifteen years ago? Twenty years ago? I’m not sure. I think the last time I rode in a private car anywhere in Japan was in 2017, when I went to Hiroshima for work and my host picked me up at the station in his car. I do take taxis occasionally, but mostly I walk or take trains. My three-year-old grandson, who lives with me, has yet to ride in any privately owned car. He has probably never even seen a child’s carseat.

m348e912 3y ago
Ok you are the best person to as a question that has lingered for some time. What do you do with your stuff when you are traveling around the city? I know it's frowned upon but there are still a lot of people who leave their shopping and personal items in a car instead of lugging it around to different places. Cars have become lockers or sorts. (with the inherent risk of them getting broken into)
- Symbiote 3y ago
  I carry it with me, in some sort of bag -- a carrier bag from a shop, a backpack, occasionally a bicycle pannier bag. Parents with young children will stow some stuff in the tray under the pushchair. Some places have lockers, for example a concert hall or art gallery where they don't allow you to bring in various things. That does mean I avoid buying something heavy unless I'm on my way home. (I'm in Copenhagen, not Tokyo.)
- tkgally 3y ago
  I take a medium-sized backpack with me when I go into town. I usually take a laptop and/or tablet, a bottle of water, and a few personal items, so there’s still space in it. Most things I’m likely to buy while I’m out—a magazine, a bento, etc.—fit into the bag with no problem. If I buy something bigger that’s not too heavy to carry, I’ll get it with a shopping bag with handles. Most people in Tokyo, I think, do something similar. If I buy something that’s too big or heavy to carry, I’ll have it delivered to my house a day or two later. All of the department stores, major electronic stores, etc. will deliver for their customers. If I need to leave something someplace and pick it up later, most train stations have coin lockers. Some of the larger stations, as well as department stores, have temporary storage services for luggage and the like. (I have had problems sometimes finding a locker or storage service when I needed one, though.) It’s not unusual to see people with wheeled suitcases on the streets and trains. Some of them are travelers, of course, but many of them are local people who have stuff that’s too heavy to carry. These methods don’t work for everyone, of course. People who have to carry around large things—repair people, musicians with large instruments, etc.—drive cars, as do people who live far from train stations and shopping areas. People without cars typically go shopping frequently and in small quantities. There are more than a dozen grocery and convenience stores within a ten-minute walk of my house, so shopping is not a problem for me. Most products are sold in small containers that are easy to carry. There are well-stocked convenience stores practically anywhere you go in Tokyo, so it’s easy to buy things when you need them. So I suppose the answer to your question is that because millions of people live their lives in the city without cars an infrastructure—lockers, delivery services, convenience stores, etc.—has arisen to support them.

m348e912 3y ago

Ok you are the best person to as a question that has lingered for some time. What do you do with your stuff when you are traveling around the city? I know it's frowned upon but there are still a lot of people who leave their shopping and personal items in a car instead of lugging it around to different places. Cars have become lockers or sorts. (with the inherent risk of them getting broken into)

Symbiote 3y ago
I carry it with me, in some sort of bag -- a carrier bag from a shop, a backpack, occasionally a bicycle pannier bag. Parents with young children will stow some stuff in the tray under the pushchair. Some places have lockers, for example a concert hall or art gallery where they don't allow you to bring in various things. That does mean I avoid buying something heavy unless I'm on my way home. (I'm in Copenhagen, not Tokyo.)
tkgally 3y ago
I take a medium-sized backpack with me when I go into town. I usually take a laptop and/or tablet, a bottle of water, and a few personal items, so there’s still space in it. Most things I’m likely to buy while I’m out—a magazine, a bento, etc.—fit into the bag with no problem. If I buy something bigger that’s not too heavy to carry, I’ll get it with a shopping bag with handles. Most people in Tokyo, I think, do something similar. If I buy something that’s too big or heavy to carry, I’ll have it delivered to my house a day or two later. All of the department stores, major electronic stores, etc. will deliver for their customers. If I need to leave something someplace and pick it up later, most train stations have coin lockers. Some of the larger stations, as well as department stores, have temporary storage services for luggage and the like. (I have had problems sometimes finding a locker or storage service when I needed one, though.) It’s not unusual to see people with wheeled suitcases on the streets and trains. Some of them are travelers, of course, but many of them are local people who have stuff that’s too heavy to carry. These methods don’t work for everyone, of course. People who have to carry around large things—repair people, musicians with large instruments, etc.—drive cars, as do people who live far from train stations and shopping areas. People without cars typically go shopping frequently and in small quantities. There are more than a dozen grocery and convenience stores within a ten-minute walk of my house, so shopping is not a problem for me. Most products are sold in small containers that are easy to carry. There are well-stocked convenience stores practically anywhere you go in Tokyo, so it’s easy to buy things when you need them. So I suppose the answer to your question is that because millions of people live their lives in the city without cars an infrastructure—lockers, delivery services, convenience stores, etc.—has arisen to support them.