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New York is way better. Plus I live there so i should really be on top of this subject. New York Barely has crime. I watch the news for all around NY but there not that much crime
NY barely has crime？
And NYC is way more dangerous and dirty
I seriously doubt comparing them is very usefull. The only thing they have in common is they are their respective cities' largest cities. Tokyo is bigger than NY but that's because Japan has so much less land and much fewer large cities than U.S. Tokyo has better technology (for those that can afford) but NY has better culture and charm (imo). I don't think one is better than the other per say but the fact that Japan is so obsessed with being 100% Japanese makes me biased against them.
Shouldn't the real question be Tokyo vs Mexico city? Which is the largest city in the world....
I don't think the issue is strictly which is larger. Besides, city populations are irrelevant. In metro terms, NYC and MCity are equal give or take a million or so. However, Tokyo blows them out of the water in that aspect.
Many of the electronics are not that expesnsive, they are the STANDARD. Japanese have had HDTV for years now. We still have not gone HDTV standard. Probably won't until 2012.
Actually there is a more pressing issue more important than HDTV: The SI Metric System. Japan and everyone else uses it, America does not. We need to work on the most basic of basics instead of just a television system. Why are there 2 standards for HDTV? There should be only one; this kink needs to be worked out.
I live in Tokyo and while there are many things I love about it, at the end of the day I am a foreigner and everything is stacked against me. I can say so much about this but I don't want to go into unless any one is interested. Mayor Ishihara blames all of the crime problems on foreigners, and he is popular for towing that line too. Foreigners are not welcome in Tokyo, but they are tolerated. If one is just considering living in Tokyo for a few years then by all means I highly recommend it. If you want to make this city your home, there are a lot of things to consider.
Tokyo transportation is very nice. There is a highly efficient subway, ground rail, and bus system. Though the buses often miss their schedules, the trains are rarely delayed (only by earthquakes, typhoons, or people commiting suicide). That said, during rush hour, the commuter lines are packed like a can of tuna fish. But I prefer this to commuter traffic in cars! The stations and trains are very clean too, a lot nicer than what I have seen with Washington DC and Montréal. I've never been on the metro in NYC so I can't compare it.
Tokyo is a lot cheaper than NYC I think. It is easy to live off of $30k in Tokyo. However, people in Japan have national pensions and don't have to save extra money to set aside for retirement and what not (they do later in life though). As well, most people don't own cars as the trains can take you everywhere you need to go, and you can rent a car when you want to take road trips to the countryside. A word of warning though, if you try to live a western lifestyle in Tokyo this city will break your bank. If you switch to a Japanese diet and learn to live like a local, this is a very affordable city.
Food is not expensive unless you want to buy western food, and then fruit. I don't know why but fruit is outrageously expensive. Grapes for $10, cantelopes for $12, mangos for $3... Japanese claim it is because farmers are not allowed to put petrochemicals on their crops thus raising the cost of production as well as affecting production yield....I don't really know though. Alcohol is expensive though. Beer is heavily taxed due to industry protectionism; it keeps the sake makers in business by making beer more expensive.
The most expensive thing is your rent, which will seem very expensive if you compare the size of apartments in Japan with that of North America. But...compared to NYC I don't think the prices are that bad. NYC you probably get more space though.
Another thing is the work culture though. In NYC, sure the big law and finance industries are dog-eat-dog and people work themselves 12-14 hours a day sometimes. But in Tokyo, every industry is like this not because there is work that needs to be done, but just because it is a cultural thing. This work ethic training begins from a young age due to the schooling culture. If you work a white-collar job in Tokyo you would be lucky to find a job that is not more than 10 to 12 hours a day. Even if you are not busy at work, if you are always going home at 5 PM then people WILL talk behind your back and you will get a poor reputation in the company. This has other implications of course.
Finally, Tokyo is NOT the high tech city that many films, TV documentaries and books seem to portray.
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HDTV is the standard. That means everyone has it. Also when you look at their basic cell phone lineup, it's better then the top of the line in USA. Not to mention they have 4G cell phone broadband. That means streaming video phone calls, instant music download, hi speed net access.
I work in the mobile comm industry in Tokyo, and we do not have 4G yet. It is in the pipeworks though, and we will get it about the same time as it comes to Western Europe. We do have streaming video phone calls, though outrageously expensive and I have never met anyone who regularly uses it. Music downloads are restricted to specific software and hardware platforms, and cost a lot more than iTunes and what not. Japan has a lot of high tech stuff, but it is very expensive, and most services are locked to specific hardware or vendors. Changing mobile phones? You'll probably have to purchase all of those ringtones and music files again.
I have not lived in NYC though so I cannot make a critique of the city. But to me, NYC seems to have a lot of adult education after work hours, jazz and bossa nova music scenes, a less tiring work culture, and larger apartments. I wouldn't mind living there one day myself.
This was really an excellent post detailing life in Tokyo and the contrast to America. I've never lived in Tokyo, but have visited a couple of times and have some old friends who are Japanese and live in the city.
The long hours stereotype/myth is the one thing I would like to comment upon though. This applies to many parts of East Asia (Tokyo/Hong Kong/Singapore) and not just Japan.
In all of these places you will have to be in your office for long hours. But for many of these hours the workers won't actually be doing anything that could be considered as "work." So in Singapore/Hong Kong for example you definitely can't leave work before your boss, and most bosses will stay till very late in the evening. However there generally isn't enough work to do for a 12 hour day, so most workers will just sit at their desk and stare blankly at their computer or shuffle some papers. So in essence they will be at work for 12-14 hours a day, but for a large chunk of that day they won't be doing anything. Don't forget that in Hong Kong they get really long lunch hours. I think 2 hours used to be standard in HK, I dont' know fi that is still the case.
Asian University libraries typify this cultural divide between the USA and East Asia. In America college students will generally only go to the library when they really want to get some work done or do some research. In Asia though, everybody will go to the library, but rarely will they get anything done. Most of the time they will sit around and chit-chat with their friends, send off some SMS messages on their cellphones, or just take a nap at the desks. I honestly don't think I've ever seen an American college-student sleeping in the library, but this is extremely common in Asia.
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Originally Posted by DoctorWatson
Another thing is the work culture though. In NYC, sure the big law and finance industries are dog-eat-dog and people work themselves 12-14 hours a day sometimes. But in Tokyo, every industry is like this not because there is work that needs to be done, but just because it is a cultural thing. This work ethic training begins from a young age due to the schooling culture. If you work a white-collar job in Tokyo you would be lucky to find a job that is not more than 10 to 12 hours a day. Even if you are not busy at work, if you are always going home at 5 PM then people WILL talk behind your back and you will get a poor reputation in the company. This has other implications of course.
I lived in New York City for 2-3 years PLUS lived in Seoul for a number of years (Seoul is similar to Tokyo, although Tokyo is MUCH better - and I've visited Tokyo a few times).
They are both good cities.
I didn't find NYC to be segregated or have crime problems. Particularly Manhattan. Everyone is from everywhere in the world. Nightlife is great, plenty of bars and clubs that close late. I walked around all night partying, and never felt uncomfortable doing so.
Tokyo would really only be better if you like Asian cities and are very interested in Japan. I am interested in Japan, so Tokyo is better for me.
But it's easier to have a better life in Manhattan with a lot more overall opportunities all the way around.
My post about Tokyo may have been harsh so I hope I didn't make the city look too bad. I guess like Paris, Tokyo gets painted a certain way by the media and it bothers me because my life couldn't be further from it! Like Tiger Beer said, if you come to Tokyo with the hopes of learning more about Japanese language, culture, and lifestyle then you will not be disappointed. It is a very livable city fully of energy just like NYC, but I doubt you could really compare them at all. NYC is a huge business capital and cultural center, but there are other major hubs in the USA depending on industry and what not (i.e. Silicon Valley). In Japan, Tokyo serves as the hub for EVERYTHING in Japan.
mead,
You make a good point, it is not just Japan with the long office hours but also other Asian countries as well. The days are filled with long meetings, casual work, telephones ringing, and chatting with employees. From 5 PM that is when the real work seems to begin.
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