4 ms·

How do all these wonderful family benefits explain that Tokyo has the lowest fertility rate in Japan [1]? --- [1] http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/

How do all these wonderful family benefits explain that Tokyo has the lowest fertility rate in Japan [1]? --- [1] http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japans-fertility-rate-rises-to-1-43-in-2013 http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japans-fert... Tokyo has the lowest fertility rate in Japan by far, hovering just above 1.0.

veidr 12y ago
Well, if I had to hazard a guess, I would say the main factor is the high cost of living, especially rent/mortgage expense. I have several friends who moved out of Tokyo to have kids for financial reasons (but usually not without some regret). Tokyo is pretty awesome, but you do have to be able to afford it. I would assume it's a lot more expensive to live here than Austin, TX, but I know it is cheaper (and IMO way better for raising kids) than say, San Francisco.
- dennisgorelik 12y ago
  > Tokyo is pretty awesome, but you do have to be able to afford it. Are you saying that for the same $120K/year a family would be better off in Tokyo than in Ogaki (or Austin)? Lower cost of living means that you can afford other things, such as bigger house, better neighborhood, better doctors, babysitter, better car etc. I see though how Tokyo could be better than San Francisco or NYC - thank you for your explanation.
  - veidr 12y ago
    It is instructive to think about those 'other things' -- because each person will value those in different ways. To some people, a smaller house is a good tradeoff if it comes with abundance of extremely awesome restaurants, shopping, and riverside parks nearby. For others, having a big personal space is more important. Some people get a lot of satisfaction from having a Porsche or (more likely, with kids) a well-appointed Audi Q7. I think the best car is not having a car at all (at least until the robo-cars arrive) -- but to me that means public transit + bicycle is literally so good that I can get where I am going faster than I could with a car. The only cities I have lived in where that is true are Tokyo and Amsterdam. So yeah, depending on what you value most, you might be better off in Tokyo even on $120k. But if you want the car and big personal space, then probably not.
icelancer 12y ago
This has nothing to do with the city and everything to do with the salaryman culture.
hcho 12y ago
There's a reverse correlation between quality of life and fertility rates in quite a lot of animals, including humans.

veidr 12y ago

Well, if I had to hazard a guess, I would say the main factor is the high cost of living, especially rent/mortgage expense. I have several friends who moved out of Tokyo to have kids for financial reasons (but usually not without some regret). Tokyo is pretty awesome, but you do have to be able to afford it. I would assume it's a lot more expensive to live here than Austin, TX, but I know it is cheaper (and IMO way better for raising kids) than say, San Francisco.

dennisgorelik 12y ago
> Tokyo is pretty awesome, but you do have to be able to afford it. Are you saying that for the same $120K/year a family would be better off in Tokyo than in Ogaki (or Austin)? Lower cost of living means that you can afford other things, such as bigger house, better neighborhood, better doctors, babysitter, better car etc. I see though how Tokyo could be better than San Francisco or NYC - thank you for your explanation.
- veidr 12y ago
  It is instructive to think about those 'other things' -- because each person will value those in different ways. To some people, a smaller house is a good tradeoff if it comes with abundance of extremely awesome restaurants, shopping, and riverside parks nearby. For others, having a big personal space is more important. Some people get a lot of satisfaction from having a Porsche or (more likely, with kids) a well-appointed Audi Q7. I think the best car is not having a car at all (at least until the robo-cars arrive) -- but to me that means public transit + bicycle is literally so good that I can get where I am going faster than I could with a car. The only cities I have lived in where that is true are Tokyo and Amsterdam. So yeah, depending on what you value most, you might be better off in Tokyo even on $120k. But if you want the car and big personal space, then probably not.

icelancer 12y ago

This has nothing to do with the city and everything to do with the salaryman culture.

hcho 12y ago

There's a reverse correlation between quality of life and fertility rates in quite a lot of animals, including humans.