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By definition Tokyo is not even a city but comprises many cities. If we’re comparing all of NYC (5 boroughs), which IS a city, with any city in Tokyo, then NYC no doubt feels and is bigger.
By definition Tokyo is not even a city but comprises many cities. If we’re comparing all of NYC (5 boroughs), which IS a city, with any city in Tokyo, then NYC no doubt feels and is bigger.
For statistical purposes, what is considered the "city proper" of Tokyo is the 23 Special Wards, even though the wards are autonomous and function as their own cities. I heard Los Angeles is the same way, it is made up of mini cities such as Hollywood.
By definition Tokyo is not even a city but comprises many cities. If we’re comparing all of NYC (5 boroughs), which IS a city, with any city in Tokyo, then NYC no doubt feels and is bigger.
It about feel and Tokyo "feels" huge. NY has some huge buildings but as you travel miles they recede. In Tokyo you can be in the subway for nearly an hour and you get out and still seem to be in the middle of the city.
As the question says, this is specifically about how subjectively large, massive, crowded, impressive, prominent each city feels, not a general which city you prefer, or which is more multicultural.etc...
I've been to New York and will be visiting Tokyo in October, so I'm curious as to how different they'll feel.
Tokyo obviously wins in terms of population - it's metro boasts 35 million vs 22 million in New York (I only really care about metros). It is also still the city with the highest GDP in the world. On the other hand, New York is still to me the original 'big city' and still just feels huge.
In area I'm not sure which is larger (depends how you measure it), but I think the area of the 'unofficial downtown' or built-up area is more important than the metro. NY's outer 'burbs like in Long Island can be rather low-density, while Tokyo is probably more uniformly dense. Tokyo has surprising few high-rises though, considering it's size and population, while NYC has quite a few.
Like most New World cities Manhattan is based on a grid pattern, so it feels like one cohesive mass of urbanity and skyscrapers. Avenues flanked by concrete, steel and glass canyons stretch to the vanishing point in New York, while Tokyo's layout seems more akin to London, more bends and broken up into more distinct 'neighbourhoods.' Central Park is a perfect rectangle so doesn't seem to break up the city form so much.
In terms of crowds, Shibuya and Times Square can certainly be packed like sardines, and both boast tons of neon billboards. Much of Tokyo is like Times Square though.
Daytime crowds in each are probably similar, in excess of 3 million people. Manhattan has about 1.6 million, I'm not sure what area in central Tokyo would have a similar population.
Traffic in both is of course no doubt heavy, and both cities boast two of the most busy and extensive subway systems in the world. Tokyo's is busier, but New York's is so iconic and is 24/7.
I hear Tokyo is surprisingly quiet after midnight in many parts, and trains stop running soon after midnight, while the New York subway runs 24/7, 365 days a year.
New York's worldliness/globalness and multiculturalism might subjectively influence how prominent it feels although I don't think it should be part of the comparison.
Be especially interested to hear from those who have quite a bit of experience in both.
New York City has some advantages, to be certain. It definitely has more of a classic city feel, on average.
That said, Tokyo is
-Bigger
-Cleaner
-Safer
-Healthier
-More Digitally Advanced
-Higher GDP
-Is a National Capital, too
-Has better natural scenery around it
-Has more entertainment based attractions (Disney, etc)
-Better and Newer Infrastructure
-More cultural/imperial based history (palaces, temples, etc)
-More Michelin Starred Restaurants, etc.
New York City is
-More Diverse
-More 24/7
-More International/Iconic
-Perhaps it’s most exciting parts are more so than Tokyo
-More of a media/Sports/event hub
-More Theatre/high culture overall
That said, Tokyo just feels a full decade ahead of almost any other city in the world. Therefore, I would have to go with Tokyo, even though if we’re talking about sights that a visitor “has to see”, New York City might have more iconic/famous ones.
I cannot fathom why anybody would want to feel overwhelmed in a city.
New York has such large avenues and wide, open streets in Manhattan that is easy to feel a sense of calm, even under the skyscrapers.
Tokyo is much more "packed in" and feels crowded.
"More digitally advanced". How ridiculous. Who cares about digital advancement?
Tokyo has wide avenues and areas of calmness as well.
Digital advancement has made our lives easier. It's not as important as being safe or clean (two areas that Tokyo also beats New York in) but it stills add to the quality of life.
I cannot fathom why anybody would want to feel overwhelmed in a city.
New York has such large avenues and wide, open streets in Manhattan that is easy to feel a sense of calm, even under the skyscrapers.
Tokyo is much more "packed in" and feels crowded.
"More digitally advanced". How ridiculous. Who cares about digital advancement?
Large parts of Manhattan feel overcrowded fairly often. Tokyo may feel packed in, though there are definitely larger avenues, because off of the large streets there are narrower streets, but the large number of narrow streets means that traffic on those streets are quite calm and there are a lot of different roadways and paths so it doesn't feel very crowded in most parts.
Tokyo is also simply a much, much quieter city and a much cleaner city which helps to make it not feel overwhelming a lot of times. NYC, in comparison, is very loud and very dirty in parts. Overall, Tokyo is far less of a sensory overload most of the time and more parts of it than NYC.
I cannot fathom why anybody would want to feel overwhelmed in a city.
New York has such large avenues and wide, open streets in Manhattan that is easy to feel a sense of calm, even under the skyscrapers.
Tokyo is much more "packed in" and feels crowded.
"More digitally advanced". How ridiculous. Who cares about digital advancement?
How can "wide avenues and wide, open streets" lead to "a sense of calm" when they are choked with honking traffic and full of cars? How ridiculous and full of nonsense!
I prefer Tokyo's side streets, which are mostly shared streets where cars and pedestrians intermingle like below. To me, it's these narrow side streets that are human-scale (designed for people rather than for cars) that evoke a sense of calm. Not wide avenues.
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Tokyo Japan
