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Tokyo is another one of those sardine cans. Plus Tokyo can't even compete with the amenities of Lake Michigan along the Chicago shore. So yeah, Chicago ahead of Tokyo makes sense. Not everybody thinks of sardine-living amidst concrete and steel (and even neon bilboards and signs) as the highest quality of life.
One other problem with Tokyo is it is totally not diverse at all. Great city though and it's transit system is easily #1 in the world.
^^ And Tokyo's lack of diversity is a major reason why I don't feel it deserves a '10' in "food and drink" either -- not if the ability to obtain quality authentic food from countries all around the world (ala NYC) is important to you. Tokyo fails to be a truly international, cosmopolitan city.
That and Japan's xenophobic attitudes make it a more difficult place for non-Japanese to live there over the long haul (although Tokyo is still a great place to visit).
"Tokyo is another one of those sardine cans. Plus Tokyo can't even compete with the amenities of Lake Michigan along the Chicago shore. So yeah, Chicago ahead of Tokyo makes sense. Not everybody thinks of sardine-living amidst concrete and steel (and even neon bilboards and signs) as the highest quality of life."
Tokyo can't compete with Lake Michigan? Last time I checked Japan was an island in the Pacific ocean. I will glady take ANY ocean over Lake Michigan even if that means having to drive to get to the ocean. I don't know I just don't get Chicago's appeal. I mean I understand it's high ranking against other US cities but to put it ahead of some of those other world cities is crazy to me. Chicago is an All American City to me, nothing too worldy going on there (for me)....again that's my own take and I am sure many disagree with me
^^ And Tokyo's lack of diversity is a major reason why I don't feel it deserves a '10' in "food and drink" either -- not if the ability to obtain quality authentic food from countries all around the world (ala NYC) is important to you. Tokyo fails to be a truly international, cosmopolitan city.
That and Japan's xenophobic attitudes make it a more difficult place for non-Japanese to live there over the long haul (although Tokyo is still a great place to visit).
Tokyo absolutely deserves a 10 for food and drink. It does not require a Pole to make a pierogi, a Malay to make nasi goreng or a Quebecois to make poultine. The ethnic foods in Tokyo are authentic because the customer base and the food workers place a premium on food and authenticity that is rivaled perhaps nowhere else in the world It is a food culture that's been established well before this current rise in the Food Network's popularity.
Also, xenophobia is probably the wrong word for their attitude towards most foreigners. Almost everyone I know who's been to Tokyo has had an amazing time and had been treated well. The real difficulty is the language barrier and the government's immigration restrictions (which is certainly not representative of all or perhaps even most people's views) that makes it hard to live there and not some omnipresent xenophobia.
Tokyo can't compete with Lake Michigan? Last time I checked Japan was an island in the Pacific ocean. I will glady take ANY ocean over Lake Michigan even if that means having to drive to get to the ocean.
Tokyo is on the ocean, but I think his point is that they don't seem to utilize the ocean as well as Chicago utilizes Lake Michigan (beaches, etc).
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I don't know I just don't get Chicago's appeal. I mean I understand it's high ranking against other US cities but to put it ahead of some of those other world cities is crazy to me.
That's fine, we're all entitled to our opinion.
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Chicago is an All American City to me, nothing too worldy going on there (for me)....again that's my own take and I am sure many disagree with me
I agree that Chicago is an "All-American" type of city...but it's business influence is very global.
^^ And Tokyo's lack of diversity is a major reason why I don't feel it deserves a '10' in "food and drink" either -- not if the ability to obtain quality authentic food from countries all around the world (ala NYC) is important to you. Tokyo fails to be a truly international, cosmopolitan city.
That and Japan's xenophobic attitudes make it a more difficult place for non-Japanese to live there over the long haul (although Tokyo is still a great place to visit).
Natural environment (climate, record of natural disasters
Tokyo ranked about 14 places higher than New York City which fits my experience from living in both cities. This is why I highly question what criteria Time-Out is using for it's quality of life rankings.
In the infrastructure category Tokyo, along with most other major Japanese cities, again bests New York.
The problem with all of these sorts of rankings is that once they get to forums such as C-D-we basically are into this sort of thing and probably know more than these magazine correspondents do.
I'd probably believe a C-D ranking over any of the others because of the intense scrutiny we apply to each and every thread if not post.
With that said, I would like to see City-Data members have a thread that discusses things like that and then compiles an actual list and has it put out somewhere.
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