A common misconception people have about Tokyo is that it is a city. In fact it’s NOT a city but Tokyo is actually a prefecture (politically equivalent to state in the us) Tokyo has a governor, and within Tokyo there are multiple cities, towns and villages. What people think of when they think “the city of Tokyo” are the 23 special districts of Tokyo. They each have their own mayor, their own education system, police, fire departments, etc.
how is Los angeles different? Tokyo is a city, just with many overlapping government authorities. NYC itself has over 30 different government authorities. It's common for large cities.
Los Angelas is a city within the STATE of California. Tokyo is a prefecture which is similar to a state. There are many cities within the PREFECTURE of Tokyo just like there are many cities within the STATE of California. For example an address in the U.S you would say “I live in Los Angelas, California” in Japan you could say “I live in Musashino City, Tokyo.”
@@ThatNinjaGuy Agreeing with the other comment. There is actually no city named Tokyo, just consider the following address for the Tokyo metro government building. Street - 2-8-1 Nishishinjuku City/Town - Shinjuku State/Prefecture - Tokyo Zip - 163-8001 Country - Japan Every address in Tokyo is going to list Tokyo as the state of prefecture, never the town or city.
@@outsideln yes exactly. Shinjuku for example has their own mayor, all the cities in Tokyo have their own mayor like any city in the US and they all report to the Tokyo governor just as the mayors in cities in a US state would report to their state governor. I understand why people who don’t live here think it’s a city, but I if tell anyone who lives in Japan that Tokyo is a “city” they will tell you other wise
During the reconstruction period after World War II, Tokyo's population density had already become too high, causing the so-called donut phenomenon in which surrounding cities became commuter towns.The economic zone for commuting to work and school is now called the Tokyo area. did.
Excellent video. I have traveled to 100 countries and Japan is my number 1 country. It has something for everyone. I have been three times and each time I have felt more at "home." I do plan to move there in the near future!
As a foreigner that lives there now, visiting for holiday and living in a country is different. After the honeymoon phase one can get a better understanding if its for them or not.
Thats true for most but I am unlike most who come to visit. I definitely travel local, and stay with locals when the opportunity presents itself. But as long as I continue to have a good paying career, I know I would settle in nicely in Japan.
I went to Japan for the first time last week. I wanted to visit a smaller city, rather than the big three, so I went to Kofu. The glimpse I got of Tokyo compared to what I experienced in Kofu was staggering! Tokyo truly looked bustling, people absolutely everywhere. Kofu, on the other hand, was very quiet and peaceful. The area immediately outside the train station was fairly busy, but literally anywhere other than that was very empty. I found I was the only one wondering the streats more than once. I visited Kofu castle, I thought it would be at least a little busy considering it's one of the main tourist attractions in Kofu, but there were only about five other people there, and I think some of them were workers setting up for an upcoming event or something. The time of day I went was also likely a factor, 12pm on a weekday, but even exploring the city on the weekend was very peaceful. Sure, Kofu wasn't as convenient as I'm sure Tokyo is. There's not as many tourist spots or things to do, and no one really spoke English, but I'm very happy I went. It was easier to go at my own pace, and it was so nice often being the only one visiting a given location. Just being able to have space to myself, which I hear is much harder to find in Tokyo. I'm sure I'll go to Tokyo and Kyoto and such someday, but I recommend that people get out of those main areas more as well!
I've been to 25+ prefectures in Japan and I share the exact same views. It's strange that tourists just end up visiting Tokyo,kyoto and Osaka only. the other places by no means are boring. every prefecture has lots of hidden gems and rich in history and culture. Yes these areas may not be as English friendly but the locals are even more welcoming to tourists since there aren't that many tourists visiting these places.
Agreed. I spent 10 of 14 days in Tokyo and Osaka-Kyoto area but the other 4 days were the most memorable for me. Saw Nagano (mostly for snow monkeys) and Sapporo and its suburbs. The beauty of modern Japanese cities harmonious with the surrounding nature is unmatched.
I lived in rural Japan and it was the best time of my life. I lived in Tokyo for 7 years and had fun but would never do it again. Kyushuu is the best place in Asia IMO. It is perfect. Good weather (except for typhoons), nice beaches, low cost of living, really nice people, great food and gorgeous scenery.
I live in the US my whole life. I visited Japan for the first time back in August. Their public transportation is so impressive and I loved their bullet trains. The distance from Tokyo to Osaka is almost the same as NYC to Buffalo, NY which (about 7 hours by car). Shinkansen takes about of that time. It is sad in the US, I have to drive everywhere to get around.
Except no one lives in Buffalo, and there’s absolutely no business case for building you a bullet train to get there. If you wanted to make a better point, talk about the distance to Boston, and ask why Acela can’t go 250mph.
I think there are certain factors that should be mentioned here, like snow. Japan is the snowiest country in the world. However, most of that snow actually falls in a very specific area. Osaka and Nagoya are only a few kilometres away from getting massive amounts of snow. Tokyo is a bit more shielded though because of the mountains. During the sengoku period, there were certain areas like Hokuriku and Tohoku that had a military advantage thanks to the snow. So, many of those places grew in population. In fact, in 1850, Kanazawa was the 4th most populous city in the country and it is now the 35th most populous. Sapporo, on the other hand, has grown but that's mostly because people who liked snow and wanted to get away from the humid Summers of the South moved there throughout the Meiji and post-Meiji era. It should also be mentioned that Hokkaido was basically uncharted territory at the time. So, lots of people settled there in the same way Americans settled in California during the same time. Of course, these aren't the only factors. Tokushima was the 10th biggest city in 1873 and now it's the 87th. Part of the reason for this has to do with the fact that it's located in Shikoku, the poorest island, which didn't allow much population growth due to the surrounding area. The small amount of space was also an issue for Nagasaki. It's historically been a massive port city but, despite that, Fukuoka is by far the largest city in Kyushu and that's primarily thanks to the landscape. Fukuoka is located on a plain while Nagasaki is squeezed in between the mountains. In fact, if you go to Nagasaki, you'll notice way more people live in apartments than the rest of the country because of the land and despite being a coastal city, some people even live more than 200 metres above sea level. The Kanto region and the plains in Nagoya were desirable and they were sparsely populated, hence why they grew. This how Yokohama went from being a minor city to Japan's second largest city, overtaking Osaka. The prefecture of Kanagawa had massive amounts of flat land that Osaka didn't have. Hvaing said that, everything else that you've touched on is correct. I just thought I'd add this as well since I know quite a lot about Japan's history and geography myself.
Thank you for all this info. In my mind these details are more interesting and relevant, esp. From a graphical protective than what was presented in the video. I did not learn anything new from the video and most of the arguments presented were more historical and sociological in nature
Osaka has more plains. Yokohama developed into a huge city because of its geographical proximity to Tokyo. Yokohama is considered by its citizens to have many mountains and not so many plains.
The reason is simple. Because the Old capital was Kyoto and the new one is Tokyo. Historical demography shows in 1600AD one third of its people lived in present Kansai region, or "Kyoto and Osaka metropolitan zone". And From the 17th century, the development of Edo/ Tokyo - the Tokugawa shogun's home city and turned to be the true capital from the mid-19th century onwards - caused the population to move from Kansai to Kanto. The two metropolis were separated by the steep Japanese Alps, so the most important route connecting them detours along the southern coast - Tokaido road. The most fertile land along the road was Nagoya.
I am in Japan right now - just outside of metro Tokyo in Tsuchiura. I love Tokyo but the mid-sized cities have a much better quality of life - like Okayama or Takamatsu where I was earlier this week. Okayama has a metro population of 700,000 but it feels much smaller. Takamatsu is at 350,000. These two cities are modern, clean and not nearly as dense as Tokyo, making it easier and more relaxing to get around.
Regarding geography: I'm a bit weird, in the sense that I like to watch train cab ride videos. It's like going on a little adventure, not knowing where you'll end up. One of these videos was of a Japanese local, narrow gauge passenger train. It was somewhere in winter. Nothing spectacular, people were wearing winter clothes, but that was about it. At some point, the train entered a tunnel, and when it came out, it was in the middle of a quite serious snowstorm. The geography played a _major_ role in how Japan was shaped.
Japan indeed is a fascinating country. Three countries: Japan, Germany and the UK (in the past) were able to turn their relatively small countries with limited resources into powerhouses. Indeed, Japan and Germany are the third and fourth wealthiest countries in the world, respectively. One way to learn more about Japan is to watch the classic films of directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi. The films of the jidaigeki genre (period films ("jidai" is where George Lucas got the word "jedi")) was a specialty of Mizoguchi. His classic films include "Sansho the Bailiff" which takes place in the Heian period (~1000 AD), "Ugetsu" which takes place in Sengoku period (~ 1550 AD), "The Life of Oharu" which takes place in the Edo period (~ 1650 AD) and "The Last Chrysanthemum" which takes place at the turn of the 20th century. Ozu's films focused more on the contemporary period (gendaigeki). His classic films include "Late Spring", "Tokyo Story" and "An Autumn Afternoon." Each of these films depict the transformation of Japanese life in the post-war period. Finally, Kurosawa, who may well be the greatest director that ever lived, directed films about both the past and present. The jidaigeki genre includes "Rashomon", "Seven Samurai", "Kagemusha" and "Ran." His gendaigeki films include "Stray Dog", "Ikiru" and "High and Low." This was a limited list of films and there were other great Japanese directors. Each of the films mentioned, however, were classics with "Tokyo Story" sometimes ranking as the greatest film ever made. These films give a great appreciation for Japanese history and culture.
@@gytan2221 what that makes no sense at all? the netherlands ran a full on empire (the dutch empire) for two hundred years while being above the french and english during that period.
My family and I went to Hokkaido this summer and yeah there's parts of it where you don't see a soul for miles. It's beautiful and cooler than Honshu but of course it gets buried in snow in winter.
Traveling on a train in Japan you can see urban jungle for mikes them forested mountains and small towns. You can also see large lakes and the ocean depending on your route. It’s a beautiful country although at times I feel that the cities are too crowded. I was on vacation whilst my poor wife was on work trip there. I miss it although it’s only been two weeks since returning home. Strange/ironic feeling: although I was staying in a train station hotel that had thousands of people commuting through it each day, I never felt uneasy and in danger. Where’s here I go shopping or to a restaurant I’m constantly on guard…thanks, America. My wife and I are now planning a job transfer for her so we can live there. I’m retired so I’m good to go either way. My peace of mind is in a smaller city-hub train station south of Tokyo. ❤
It's geography is pretty much a major reason I'd want to move there. As much as I love cities, Japan's cities are far too packed. But the rest of the country is fucking gorgeous. It actually wouldn't be that much of a disadvantage to live in the rural areas simply because of the short distance you'd need to travel to get to places. It's not like living in rural Wyoming. It's more like living in rural New England (Northern Maine excluded). Sure, its rural, but you're not hundreds of miles away from civilization.
Hey Geoff. When comparing the different states across East Asia, you portrayed the ones in China and Korea as splintered, while the ones in Japan as unified. I think it would've been a good opportunity to bring up the Ryukyu Kingdom (today part of Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures) that was a proper state, and annexed by the Japanese Empire as late as 1879.
Japan always have been a single state even in the warring(Sengoku) period, because those battles were fought among feudal lords but they are all belongs Japan under the emperor technically. I'm Japanese FYI.
@@tomatodo375 Well, Japan might have been a single state under an emperor but it seems like the Three Unifiers (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu) were probably unifying, well, _something._ Meanwhile, Korea had unified eight centuries earlier and didn't have warring factions. I guess you _could_ say that Japan unified under an emperor before Korea unified in 936 but it’s still odd to characterize Korea as “splintered” in contrast to Japan when the latter having civil wars and the former had been, for centuries, peaceful and stable.
Part of the reason is that Japan has one of the largest urban populations. Japan’s urban population percentage is 92%. Obviously, economic opportunities play a big role in this too. Japan is currently suffering from a GDP decline.
Fuck the GDP. GDP is just an excuse for bringing in unsustainable numbers of people who don't belong and permanently destroy culture. Populations naturally rise and fall. It has always been that way and it's okay. The graph line can't just keep going up forever
I've been to Japan 3-4 times - mainly during/after the time I was teaching English in Korea, twice to Tokyo, once to Osaka, Twice to Fukuoka, and I think once to Nagoya....and Also once to Okinawa and Nagasaki. I really prefer areas that aren't so populated and are warmer than most of the large cities in Japan. I spent Xmas and NYE in Fukyoka with a friend from there and her family, then went down to Okinawa and stayed in a mostly empty hostel outside of the city, then took a ferry to an island to stay the night. I've been to many islands that are only accessible by boat and even found a museum in the woods, which was a Dutch painter's house at one time, and a field of flowers overlooking the water. Yes, I became interested in Japan in my 20s as a doll collector and once upon a time an anime / gaming / music fan... but now that I'm 40, those hobbies have subsided and I am just in awe of the beautiful countryside and rural temples. I will retire there someday....Kyushu or Okinawa...
I never noticed until this video, but Japan kind of looks like a dragon. Considering how dragons play such a role in Japanese culture, that's pretty interesting, at least to me. This was a really good video, Geoff 🙌🙂
Great video. It's always interesting when a channel I watch comes out with a video about where I live. Though one mistake I noticed is that Toyota is actually based out of the Nagoya area (specifically the city of Toyota right next to Nagoya city proper) not Tokyo.
From Japan This video is well done, but unfortunately there are some mistakes and not enough explanation. Tokyo Metroplex → Greater Tokyo Area ( Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) Osaka Metroplex → Kinki Major Metropolitan Area (Osaka Prefecture and parts of Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, Wakayama, Mie Prefectures) Nagoya Metroplex → Chūkyō metropolitan area (Aichi, Gifu, Mie Prefectures) Population of each prefecture Tokyo Metropolis 14 million Osaka Prefecture 8.8 million Aichi Prefecture 7.5 million TOYOTA is located in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. You can find out the rest on your own.
Recently many Chinese people are buying land in beautiful Hokkaido, Japan and the number of people poaching fish and shellfish is also increasing, which is a very bad problem .
I wasn't planning on traveling far East but we did. I'm thankful for the history lessons that lead up to modern times. Excited to see where you'll take us next Geoff. 😊
Actually, living 56% of entire national population in 3 cities is quite acceptable level as an east Asian nation. In S.Korea, a half of population are living in metropolitan area of Seoul, half of Mongolian are living in the Capital city as well, and the Chinese population is also concentrated in coastal area especially between Shanghai and Beijing.
Nonetheless, it is still nice insights. He just pointing out how dense the population on those 3 areas - some parts are a bit exergerated but not hold so much differents; considering he do not elaborating it to exact detail
@@menschgebliebenerunmensch4534 no he’s not. There will be no future for Japan. By 2120 there’ll be only 36 million remaining Japanese. Good luck funding a disaster prone country like that.
What i appreciate the most is just how well Japan found ways to blend the Old with the New in their society and culture. It's something America completely Fails at. We instead now have repetitive bland urban areas that are just unaffordable copy paste locations no matter where you go.. i really wish we could see what things Japan does well and utilize certain aspects into our society, quality of life..
I think Japan is doing the right thing. Even though its population will shrink, at least it will remain Japanese. The same can not be said for western European countries if things continue as is.
@@advancedprototype_3328 Diversity is not a bad thing, otherwise countries like the US would be quite poor and countries like Chad quite rich. It all depends on the circumstances.
@@soundscape26 Ik and that’s what im saying, but this guy is saying it’s a good thing for Japan to remain pure Japanese when it’s really not doing anything at all but hurting their economy and rapidly killing their population.
It's amazing how connected the country is via it's high speed rail, cheap charter flights and ferries. Yet Japanese people living in Tokyo are so disconnected from the rest of Northern or Southern Japanese way of living. Much more relaxed and content too.
Wow, Japan follows the Rank Size Rule of cities almost perfectly. (Where smaller population centers are 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, … the size of the biggest city)
You know, almost every country in the world has most of its population concentrated in one or two main locations, with the rest of the country being “empty”.
As a Japanese person, it seems that many Japanese people don't want to immigrate. They believe that it is better for the population to decrease than for the pure Japanese people and their culture to be lost. In fact, Japan's current population is too large for the country's land mass, so it would be better to reduce it because it would prevent dense population in urban centers and soaring land prices. And rather than accepting immigrants, which would increase the social burden and cause conflicts and discrimination between ethnic groups, it would be more peaceful for both of them if Japan did not accept immigrants.
The population should eventually start to rise in the long term from a natural selection of the people who really want kids reproducing. Basically, evolution.
I've been to Japan I may be in the minority because I am not impressed with Japan. There are many other cool places. I really prefer Spain. Japan is too crowded for me, it's no different Hong Kong.
The reason is strictly because land is extremely scarce in Japan. They have 125 million people over 397 km2 land. That is already very dense, but when you consider 80% of lands in Japan are mountainous it means they are unbelievably densely populated. So using land efficiently is necessary. They have no choice but to squeeze everybody into a couple of different cities. Unlike the US, land are plenty. It is one of the least densely populated country in the world. U don't need to squeeze everybody into a few city.
0:00: 🇯🇵 Japan's population is highly concentrated in the Tokyo Metropolitan region and to a lesser degree Osaka and Nagoya due to geographic reasons. 3:04: 🏙 The video discusses the urban development of Edo, which later became Tokyo, and its transformation into a global city during the Meiji Restoration. 5:47: 🌋 Japan's location in the Pacific Ring of Fire brings both risks and benefits, including frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and cultural hot springs. 8:37: 🏙 Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya are major cities in Japan known for their strong economies, educational resources, and cultural significance. 11:34: 📉 Japan is facing a declining population due to low birth rates, economic pressures, and changing social norms, leading to a strained workforce and increased welfare expenditures. Recap by Tammy AI
aging society is a temporarely problem but needed to level off the excessive amount of people to a sustainable level. In the samurai period Japan had 30 now 125 million people.
I worked for a Japanese company until recently. There is very little immigration into Japan to makeup for internal issues like low birthweight amongst native Japanese. Very homogenous population.
I am a Japanese living in Miyagi Prefecture. As has already been said, historically, Kanto, Tokai, and Kansai have developed in every aspect, including business, tourism, and transportation networks. The thing is that this area is at risk of a huge earthquake. It has occurred many times in the past. Also, some foreigners vehemently promote the stereotype that Japan does not accept immigrants because it hates foreigners, but in reality, the number of immigrants is increasing every year. If you think my comments are false, that is your prerogative.
Thats why japan still Thrive while europe has its oen problem because they have alot enemies that can threat europe so badly north africa arabia and russia also europe is naturally a massive battle zone since centrues
@@gamekongkaeo4603 i backpacked across Japan for all of 1996. I am by no means an expert, but honestly I feel this video needs to be 2 hours long to even begin to explain it. I like this guy's channel but I am realizing topics like this are not so easily distilled.
I love this channel, and even though I fit a few of your categories, I agree with you. I’ve never lived in Japan, and also I’m a white guy … HOWEVER I grew up in Southern California, and we were taught Japanese history in school. When he kept saying “Eddo” then breezed right past the 19th century without mentioning Commodore Perry… I cringed… and then talking about the post-war rebuilding of H and N, without acknowledging the firebombing of Tokyo and other major cities? Maybe it’s a lot to pack in, in 15 minutes, but it’s being kind to describe this as taking a very limited view.
Agreed. It’s fine if you have no idea about Japan at all, but you could get more information out of skimming a Wikipedia article lol. It’s just kinda hollow
Thank you for the video. It was ok but the information within it was very general and widely known to the audience already interested in Japan. I did not learn anything new from the video and most of the arguments presented were more historical and sociological in nature rather than truly geographical
I find that your last few videos have suffered from horrible audio sync issues to the point that it's painful to look at the screen during the parts showing yourself talking.😢
I thought Okinawa was tropical, but I checked and it's January and February are two degrees below the 65 F average daily temperatures to be considered tropical.
@@deanzaZZR Technically the southern 10% of Taiwan qualifies as tropical. My point is that the subtropical climate constitutes too wide of a range if both Long Island, NY and Okinawa Island are considered to have the same climate.
For the first time ever, more than one in 10 people in Japan are now aged 80 or older. National data also shows 29.1% of the 125 million population is aged 65 or older- a record. Japan has one of the lowest birth-rates in the world and has long struggled with how to provide for its ageing population.
Population decline is not a problem. Japan's population has increased a lot the last 100 years. For the size of Japan, a population of 50 to 70 million people seems enough to me. Also, a good decentralization policy is needed. People should be motivated to live in their hometowns, not forced/lured to move to megacities.
Just some data.
Tokyo itself has 14M people
the whole metropolitan area which is named Greater Tokyo has 37M total
It's reached 40 million now
"and as usual, there is a geographic reason behind this" never gets old!
Yup
True!!!
A common misconception people have about Tokyo is that it is a city. In fact it’s NOT a city but Tokyo is actually a prefecture (politically equivalent to state in the us) Tokyo has a governor, and within Tokyo there are multiple cities, towns and villages. What people think of when they think “the city of Tokyo” are the 23 special districts of Tokyo. They each have their own mayor, their own education system, police, fire departments, etc.
how is Los angeles different? Tokyo is a city, just with many overlapping government authorities. NYC itself has over 30 different government authorities. It's common for large cities.
Los Angelas is a city within the STATE of California. Tokyo is a prefecture which is similar to a state. There are many cities within the PREFECTURE of Tokyo just like there are many cities within the STATE of California. For example an address in the U.S you would say “I live in Los Angelas, California” in Japan you could say “I live in Musashino City, Tokyo.”
@@ThatNinjaGuy Agreeing with the other comment.
There is actually no city named Tokyo, just consider the following address for the Tokyo metro government building.
Street - 2-8-1 Nishishinjuku
City/Town - Shinjuku
State/Prefecture - Tokyo
Zip - 163-8001
Country - Japan
Every address in Tokyo is going to list Tokyo as the state of prefecture, never the town or city.
@@outsideln yes exactly. Shinjuku for example has their own mayor, all the cities in Tokyo have their own mayor like any city in the US and they all report to the Tokyo governor just as the mayors in cities in a US state would report to their state governor. I understand why people who don’t live here think it’s a city, but I if tell anyone who lives in Japan that Tokyo is a “city” they will tell you other wise
During the reconstruction period after World War II, Tokyo's population density had already become too high, causing the so-called donut phenomenon in which surrounding cities became commuter towns.The economic zone for commuting to work and school is now called the Tokyo area. did.
Thanks for awesome insights!
8:14 Toyota HQ is not in Greater Tokyo but in Nagoya. Instead, Nissan is located in Yokohama, Greater Tokyo.
Excellent video. I have traveled to 100 countries and Japan is my number 1 country. It has something for everyone. I have been three times and each time I have felt more at "home." I do plan to move there in the near future!
ようこそ🫡
As a foreigner that lives there now, visiting for holiday and living in a country is different. After the honeymoon phase one can get a better understanding if its for them or not.
It's been over a year since pewdiepie, the world's most subscribed TH-camr, moved to Japan, and he seems to be very comfortable there.
Thats true for most but I am unlike most who come to visit. I definitely travel local, and stay with locals when the opportunity presents itself. But as long as I continue to have a good paying career, I know I would settle in nicely in Japan.
@@socks_cat356Because he literally has tens of millions of dollars - the average Japanese middle class has to work extremely long hours
Japan has always had a remarkably urban society. For centuries it has had one or more of the world's largest cities.
I went to Japan for the first time last week. I wanted to visit a smaller city, rather than the big three, so I went to Kofu. The glimpse I got of Tokyo compared to what I experienced in Kofu was staggering! Tokyo truly looked bustling, people absolutely everywhere. Kofu, on the other hand, was very quiet and peaceful. The area immediately outside the train station was fairly busy, but literally anywhere other than that was very empty. I found I was the only one wondering the streats more than once. I visited Kofu castle, I thought it would be at least a little busy considering it's one of the main tourist attractions in Kofu, but there were only about five other people there, and I think some of them were workers setting up for an upcoming event or something. The time of day I went was also likely a factor, 12pm on a weekday, but even exploring the city on the weekend was very peaceful.
Sure, Kofu wasn't as convenient as I'm sure Tokyo is. There's not as many tourist spots or things to do, and no one really spoke English, but I'm very happy I went. It was easier to go at my own pace, and it was so nice often being the only one visiting a given location. Just being able to have space to myself, which I hear is much harder to find in Tokyo.
I'm sure I'll go to Tokyo and Kyoto and such someday, but I recommend that people get out of those main areas more as well!
Ok, i will not move to japan then
i have a grandma in Tokushima, and I can't believe it was the 10th 100yrs+ ago.
Now whenever I visit there, it's just green and old people living.
I've been to 25+ prefectures in Japan and I share the exact same views. It's strange that tourists just end up visiting Tokyo,kyoto and Osaka only. the other places by no means are boring. every prefecture has lots of hidden gems and rich in history and culture. Yes these areas may not be as English friendly but the locals are even more welcoming to tourists since there aren't that many tourists visiting these places.
Agreed. I spent 10 of 14 days in Tokyo and Osaka-Kyoto area but the other 4 days were the most memorable for me. Saw Nagano (mostly for snow monkeys) and Sapporo and its suburbs. The beauty of modern Japanese cities harmonious with the surrounding nature is unmatched.
@@edilee5909 Ah, I would love to see the snow monkeys some day as well! I completely forgot about them until I read that!
I lived in rural Japan and it was the best time of my life. I lived in Tokyo for 7 years and had fun but would never do it again. Kyushuu is the best place in Asia IMO. It is perfect. Good weather (except for typhoons), nice beaches, low cost of living, really nice people, great food and gorgeous scenery.
Is it hard to find a job with limited Japanese? I started learning on my own pace and want to move before hitting 30 but idk if it's doable..
Aomori for 10 years, I never drank my sorrows away so badly. Had to get out, will never return to Japan,,
I live in the US my whole life. I visited Japan for the first time back in August. Their public transportation is so impressive and I loved their bullet trains. The distance from Tokyo to Osaka is almost the same as NYC to Buffalo, NY which (about 7 hours by car). Shinkansen takes about of that time. It is sad in the US, I have to drive everywhere to get around.
The Shinkansen takes 2,5h for Tokyo-Osaka right?
L american 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
@@michelangelobuonarroti4958 yes
Except no one lives in Buffalo, and there’s absolutely no business case for building you a bullet train to get there. If you wanted to make a better point, talk about the distance to Boston, and ask why Acela can’t go 250mph.
@@FederatedStatesofMicronesiayou’re nation will be underwater in 30 years.
Nagoya is perhaps the largest megacity that people know about but don't realize it's a megacity.
I think there are certain factors that should be mentioned here, like snow. Japan is the snowiest country in the world. However, most of that snow actually falls in a very specific area. Osaka and Nagoya are only a few kilometres away from getting massive amounts of snow. Tokyo is a bit more shielded though because of the mountains. During the sengoku period, there were certain areas like Hokuriku and Tohoku that had a military advantage thanks to the snow. So, many of those places grew in population. In fact, in 1850, Kanazawa was the 4th most populous city in the country and it is now the 35th most populous. Sapporo, on the other hand, has grown but that's mostly because people who liked snow and wanted to get away from the humid Summers of the South moved there throughout the Meiji and post-Meiji era. It should also be mentioned that Hokkaido was basically uncharted territory at the time. So, lots of people settled there in the same way Americans settled in California during the same time. Of course, these aren't the only factors. Tokushima was the 10th biggest city in 1873 and now it's the 87th. Part of the reason for this has to do with the fact that it's located in Shikoku, the poorest island, which didn't allow much population growth due to the surrounding area. The small amount of space was also an issue for Nagasaki. It's historically been a massive port city but, despite that, Fukuoka is by far the largest city in Kyushu and that's primarily thanks to the landscape. Fukuoka is located on a plain while Nagasaki is squeezed in between the mountains. In fact, if you go to Nagasaki, you'll notice way more people live in apartments than the rest of the country because of the land and despite being a coastal city, some people even live more than 200 metres above sea level. The Kanto region and the plains in Nagoya were desirable and they were sparsely populated, hence why they grew. This how Yokohama went from being a minor city to Japan's second largest city, overtaking Osaka. The prefecture of Kanagawa had massive amounts of flat land that Osaka didn't have.
Hvaing said that, everything else that you've touched on is correct. I just thought I'd add this as well since I know quite a lot about Japan's history and geography myself.
Thanks for the extra info. If I am not mistaken, Sapporo is the snowiest city in the world.
@@PurpleMonkeyDishwasher88 The city with the most snowfall in the world is Aomori. Sapporo ranks second.
Thank you for all this info. In my mind these details are more interesting and relevant, esp. From a graphical protective than what was presented in the video. I did not learn anything new from the video and most of the arguments presented were more historical and sociological in nature
長げえ。。
Osaka has more plains. Yokohama developed into a huge city because of its geographical proximity to Tokyo. Yokohama is considered by its citizens to have many mountains and not so many plains.
The reason is simple. Because the Old capital was Kyoto and the new one is Tokyo. Historical demography shows in 1600AD one third of its people lived in present Kansai region, or "Kyoto and Osaka metropolitan zone". And From the 17th century, the development of Edo/ Tokyo - the Tokugawa shogun's home city and turned to be the true capital from the mid-19th century onwards - caused the population to move from Kansai to Kanto. The two metropolis were separated by the steep Japanese Alps, so the most important route connecting them detours along the southern coast - Tokaido road. The most fertile land along the road was Nagoya.
I am in Japan right now - just outside of metro Tokyo in Tsuchiura. I love Tokyo but the mid-sized cities have a much better quality of life - like Okayama or Takamatsu where I was earlier this week. Okayama has a metro population of 700,000 but it feels much smaller. Takamatsu is at 350,000. These two cities are modern, clean and not nearly as dense as Tokyo, making it easier and more relaxing to get around.
kyushu is the best imo
Yep, I think so too. Really kind people, different vibe than the rest of Japan - plus Aso is awesome!!@@elitealice
Regarding geography: I'm a bit weird, in the sense that I like to watch train cab ride videos. It's like going on a little adventure, not knowing where you'll end up.
One of these videos was of a Japanese local, narrow gauge passenger train. It was somewhere in winter. Nothing spectacular, people were wearing winter clothes, but that was about it. At some point, the train entered a tunnel, and when it came out, it was in the middle of a quite serious snowstorm.
The geography played a _major_ role in how Japan was shaped.
While in the military, I spent 3 years on Okinawa from 2009 to 2012. Typhoon parties... earthquakes... all were fun to me.
The banyan tree...
Since when Tokyo is home to Toyota instead of Toyota city in Aichi prefecture?
Japan indeed is a fascinating country. Three countries: Japan, Germany and the UK (in the past) were able to turn their relatively small countries with limited resources into powerhouses. Indeed, Japan and Germany are the third and fourth wealthiest countries in the world, respectively.
One way to learn more about Japan is to watch the classic films of directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi. The films of the jidaigeki genre (period films ("jidai" is where George Lucas got the word "jedi")) was a specialty of Mizoguchi. His classic films include "Sansho the Bailiff" which takes place in the Heian period (~1000 AD), "Ugetsu" which takes place in Sengoku period (~ 1550 AD), "The Life of Oharu" which takes place in the Edo period (~ 1650 AD) and "The Last Chrysanthemum" which takes place at the turn of the 20th century. Ozu's films focused more on the contemporary period (gendaigeki). His classic films include "Late Spring", "Tokyo Story" and "An Autumn Afternoon." Each of these films depict the transformation of Japanese life in the post-war period. Finally, Kurosawa, who may well be the greatest director that ever lived, directed films about both the past and present. The jidaigeki genre includes "Rashomon", "Seven Samurai", "Kagemusha" and "Ran." His gendaigeki films include "Stray Dog", "Ikiru" and "High and Low."
This was a limited list of films and there were other great Japanese directors. Each of the films mentioned, however, were classics with "Tokyo Story" sometimes ranking as the greatest film ever made. These films give a great appreciation for Japanese history and culture.
Breaks my heart as a dutch person to not see my country in the "small country turned into a powerhouse" list :(
@@anu1776 because it’s too small
@@gytan2221 what that makes no sense at all? the netherlands ran a full on empire (the dutch empire) for two hundred years while being above the french and english during that period.
@@anu1776 I mean now
@@gytan2221 explain
My family and I went to Hokkaido this summer and yeah there's parts of it where you don't see a soul for miles. It's beautiful and cooler than Honshu but of course it gets buried in snow in winter.
Traveling on a train in Japan you can see urban jungle for mikes them forested mountains and small towns. You can also see large lakes and the ocean depending on your route. It’s a beautiful country although at times I feel that the cities are too crowded.
I was on vacation whilst my poor wife was on work trip there. I miss it although it’s only been two weeks since returning home.
Strange/ironic feeling: although I was staying in a train station hotel that had thousands of people commuting through it each day, I never felt uneasy and in danger. Where’s here I go shopping or to a restaurant I’m constantly on guard…thanks, America.
My wife and I are now planning a job transfer for her so we can live there. I’m retired so I’m good to go either way. My peace of mind is in a smaller city-hub train station south of Tokyo. ❤
Interesting vid.
You got your trees backwards, though. Broadleaf in the south, conifer in the north.
8:19 Toyota's headquarter is located in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture nearby Nagoya city.
It's geography is pretty much a major reason I'd want to move there. As much as I love cities, Japan's cities are far too packed. But the rest of the country is fucking gorgeous. It actually wouldn't be that much of a disadvantage to live in the rural areas simply because of the short distance you'd need to travel to get to places. It's not like living in rural Wyoming. It's more like living in rural New England (Northern Maine excluded). Sure, its rural, but you're not hundreds of miles away from civilization.
Hey Geoff. When comparing the different states across East Asia, you portrayed the ones in China and Korea as splintered, while the ones in Japan as unified. I think it would've been a good opportunity to bring up the Ryukyu Kingdom (today part of Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures) that was a proper state, and annexed by the Japanese Empire as late as 1879.
And the infamous Sengoku Era where Japan was divided between shoguns.
Japan literally had a warring states period, I'm not sure why he thinks Japan was always unified.
yea, this guy often misrepresents stuff. He doesn't seem that knowledgeable tbh
Japan always have been a single state even in the warring(Sengoku) period, because those battles were fought among feudal lords but they are all belongs Japan under the emperor technically.
I'm Japanese FYI.
@@tomatodo375 Well, Japan might have been a single state under an emperor but it seems like the Three Unifiers (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu) were probably unifying, well, _something._ Meanwhile, Korea had unified eight centuries earlier and didn't have warring factions. I guess you _could_ say that Japan unified under an emperor before Korea unified in 936 but it’s still odd to characterize Korea as “splintered” in contrast to Japan when the latter having civil wars and the former had been, for centuries, peaceful and stable.
Part of the reason is that Japan has one of the largest urban populations. Japan’s urban population percentage is 92%. Obviously, economic opportunities play a big role in this too. Japan is currently suffering from a GDP decline.
X1 Iame whlteboy
Not to mention population decline.
Fuck the GDP. GDP is just an excuse for bringing in unsustainable numbers of people who don't belong and permanently destroy culture. Populations naturally rise and fall. It has always been that way and it's okay. The graph line can't just keep going up forever
外国人さん、わざわざ他国である日本の心配をしてくれてありがとう。✋
でも大丈夫です、われわれは移民を望んでいません。
「多文化主義」に破壊されたフランスのようになることを日本人は望んでいません。
今期のGDPはアメリカは2.4%ユーロ圏は1.1%日本は6%でしたね。それと、臨海部の大都市に人口が集中するのは、日本が山がちで、森林占有率がすごく高いのが要因の一つですよ。
I've been to Japan 3-4 times - mainly during/after the time I was teaching English in Korea, twice to Tokyo, once to Osaka, Twice to Fukuoka, and I think once to Nagoya....and Also once to Okinawa and Nagasaki. I really prefer areas that aren't so populated and are warmer than most of the large cities in Japan. I spent Xmas and NYE in Fukyoka with a friend from there and her family, then went down to Okinawa and stayed in a mostly empty hostel outside of the city, then took a ferry to an island to stay the night. I've been to many islands that are only accessible by boat and even found a museum in the woods, which was a Dutch painter's house at one time, and a field of flowers overlooking the water. Yes, I became interested in Japan in my 20s as a doll collector and once upon a time an anime / gaming / music fan... but now that I'm 40, those hobbies have subsided and I am just in awe of the beautiful countryside and rural temples. I will retire there someday....Kyushu or Okinawa...
I never noticed until this video, but Japan kind of looks like a dragon. Considering how dragons play such a role in Japanese culture, that's pretty interesting, at least to me. This was a really good video, Geoff 🙌🙂
japan doesn't look like a dragon it looks like japan stop trying to make fun out of japan
Great video. It's always interesting when a channel I watch comes out with a video about where I live. Though one mistake I noticed is that Toyota is actually based out of the Nagoya area (specifically the city of Toyota right next to Nagoya city proper) not Tokyo.
I noticed that, too.
From Japan
This video is well done, but unfortunately there are some mistakes and not enough explanation.
Tokyo Metroplex → Greater Tokyo Area ( Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi)
Osaka Metroplex → Kinki Major Metropolitan Area (Osaka Prefecture and parts of Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, Wakayama, Mie Prefectures)
Nagoya Metroplex → Chūkyō metropolitan area (Aichi, Gifu, Mie Prefectures)
Population of each prefecture
Tokyo Metropolis 14 million
Osaka Prefecture 8.8 million
Aichi Prefecture 7.5 million
TOYOTA is located in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture.
You can find out the rest on your own.
Recently many Chinese people are buying land in beautiful Hokkaido, Japan and the number of people poaching fish and shellfish is also increasing, which is a very bad problem .
I wasn't planning on traveling far East but we did.
I'm thankful for the history lessons that lead up to modern times.
Excited to see where you'll take us next Geoff. 😊
Actually, living 56% of entire national population in 3 cities is quite acceptable level as an east Asian nation. In S.Korea, a half of population are living in metropolitan area of Seoul, half of Mongolian are living in the Capital city as well, and the Chinese population is also concentrated in coastal area especially between Shanghai and Beijing.
Now I shall never look at "Edo Japan" the same. Didnt know Edo was Tokyo's original name. Thanks Geoff.
Neither did I. It's always fun to learn new things 👏
Nonetheless, it is still nice insights. He just pointing out how dense the population on those 3 areas - some parts are a bit exergerated but not hold so much differents; considering he do not elaborating it to exact detail
Japan's population will continue to shrink but at least they will retain their culture. The future will be kinder to Japan than Germany.
🤨
Der User hat leider Recht.
How will the future be kinder though when the people who make that culture will ultimately fade away due to population shrinking ? Nice cope
@@menschgebliebenerunmensch4534 no he’s not. There will be no future for Japan. By 2120 there’ll be only 36 million remaining Japanese. Good luck funding a disaster prone country like that.
What i appreciate the most is just how well Japan found ways to blend the Old with the New in their society and culture. It's something America completely Fails at. We instead now have repetitive bland urban areas that are just unaffordable copy paste locations no matter where you go.. i really wish we could see what things Japan does well and utilize certain aspects into our society, quality of life..
昔は米の生産量=人口だったので、江戸時代〜明治時代には新潟が人口1位だった時期もありますね。
Relocating young people from major metropolitan to regional areas can ease many of Japan’s social-economical problems, esp. aging population.
My grandfather and father have been to Japan. Someday I will visit.
でも日本の道路総延長は160万キロくらいで舗装道路は110万キロ これはロシアと同じ規模。道路密度では都市国家シンガポールの次に高い。神社仏閣が16万 祭りの数で30万くらいと言われてる。都市部に人口が集中してるのも事実だが
逆に 人口や繁栄が分散してるから これだけの神社仏閣と祭りがあり都市国家除いては断トツの道路密度が世界一位なんだよね。
I like the way you explain the declining population issue, could you do the same for Bulgaria?
同時に100万人都市が札幌、仙台、福岡、広島、京都、川崎など地方にも多いです
Hey Geoff, I love your videos! You explain concepts in such a fun and interesting way and gave me lots of Geography knowledge! Keep up the great work!
Let's go! I'm 2nd!
he explains concepts like a typical american... which isn't a good thing
I think Japan is doing the right thing. Even though its population will shrink, at least it will remain Japanese. The same can not be said for western European countries if things continue as is.
another right wing
Shrink and get extremely old... not exactly doing the right thing.
So you’re saying diversity is a bad thing? You have to be a troll because there is no way. 💀💀💀
@@advancedprototype_3328 Diversity is not a bad thing, otherwise countries like the US would be quite poor and countries like Chad quite rich. It all depends on the circumstances.
@@soundscape26 Ik and that’s what im saying, but this guy is saying it’s a good thing for Japan to remain pure Japanese when it’s really not doing anything at all but hurting their economy and rapidly killing their population.
Used to be 10th Largest in Population Mexico recently Surpassed Japan
Actually, Toyota HQ is is in the town Toyota(by Nagoya), not Tokyo.
It's amazing how connected the country is via it's high speed rail, cheap charter flights and ferries. Yet Japanese people living in Tokyo are so disconnected from the rest of Northern or Southern Japanese way of living. Much more relaxed and content too.
Wow, Japan follows the Rank Size Rule of cities almost perfectly. (Where smaller population centers are 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, … the size of the biggest city)
Nice video. I like the way you capture so many key aspects of each location. Keep em coming!
You know, almost every country in the world has most of its population concentrated in one or two main locations, with the rest of the country being “empty”.
Not at all, there are plenty of exceptions.
A lot of it depends on the geographic size and topography of the country, as demonstrated in this video.
As a Japanese person, it seems that many Japanese people don't want to immigrate. They believe that it is better for the population to decrease than for the pure Japanese people and their culture to be lost. In fact, Japan's current population is too large for the country's land mass, so it would be better to reduce it because it would prevent dense population in urban centers and soaring land prices. And rather than accepting immigrants, which would increase the social burden and cause conflicts and discrimination between ethnic groups, it would be more peaceful for both of them if Japan did not accept immigrants.
The population should eventually start to rise in the long term from a natural selection of the people who really want kids reproducing. Basically, evolution.
Those who don't want kids will be naturally removed from the gene pool.
They are smart not letting in the trash as other western countries do
A large country!? Japan has the livable land of Idaho. Large? Duuuude, you need to research Japanese geography.
I've been to Japan I may be in the minority because I am not impressed with Japan. There are many other cool places. I really prefer Spain. Japan is too crowded for me, it's no different Hong Kong.
No mention of Sapporo?😢
0:23 so every 3rd Japanese lives in Tokyo?
...and I thought that the Bulgarian ratio of 20% living in the capital city was way too high
Um... I live there. Hokkaido has a lot of people and Sapporo alone has 2M residents. A massive world renowned snowboard and ski destination.
I really want to visit Japan one day 😊
That's one heck of an island 😊
The reason is strictly because land is extremely scarce in Japan. They have 125 million people over 397 km2 land. That is already very dense, but when you consider 80% of lands in Japan are mountainous it means they are unbelievably densely populated. So using land efficiently is necessary. They have no choice but to squeeze everybody into a couple of different cities. Unlike the US, land are plenty. It is one of the least densely populated country in the world. U don't need to squeeze everybody into a few city.
You've never been to Japan, right? Japanese houses are cheaper than in America.
japan are 377,970 km² not 397 km² you wrong
0:00: 🇯🇵 Japan's population is highly concentrated in the Tokyo Metropolitan region and to a lesser degree Osaka and Nagoya due to geographic reasons.
3:04: 🏙 The video discusses the urban development of Edo, which later became Tokyo, and its transformation into a global city during the Meiji Restoration.
5:47: 🌋 Japan's location in the Pacific Ring of Fire brings both risks and benefits, including frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and cultural hot springs.
8:37: 🏙 Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya are major cities in Japan known for their strong economies, educational resources, and cultural significance.
11:34: 📉 Japan is facing a declining population due to low birth rates, economic pressures, and changing social norms, leading to a strained workforce and increased welfare expenditures.
Recap by Tammy AI
aging society is a temporarely problem but needed to level off the excessive amount of people to a sustainable level. In the samurai period Japan had 30 now 125 million people.
Nagoya, the place where Brazilians like to immigrate
Excellent Job love the video
I worked for a Japanese company until recently. There is very little immigration into Japan to makeup for internal issues like low birthweight amongst native Japanese. Very homogenous population.
Pronunciation aside, well done overview.
The MAIji period
Great video, Geoff! We appreciate you
赤いゾーンにも日本人普通に住んでいますよ…私も。ただ、緑のゾーンの人口密度が異常に高いだけです。
I mean, thats basically the situation in Greece. Most people live in the biggest cities (60%). Athens and Thessaloniki
great video and analysis. thanks for your hard work ^^
May-ji, not Ma-ee-ji
Exactly what I'm thinking!
Exactly what I'm thinking.
I am a Japanese living in Miyagi Prefecture. As has already been said, historically, Kanto, Tokai, and Kansai have developed in every aspect, including business, tourism, and transportation networks. The thing is that this area is at risk of a huge earthquake. It has occurred many times in the past. Also, some foreigners vehemently promote the stereotype that Japan does not accept immigrants because it hates foreigners, but in reality, the number of immigrants is increasing every year. If you think my comments are false, that is your prerogative.
Having grown up at an elevation of 1000m in a narrow valley in the alps, the Japanese must be really averse to living in the mountains.😅😅
Wait what, I live on the red zone that you said “why nobody lives here” on thumbnail…
Thats why japan still Thrive while europe has its oen problem because they have alot enemies that can threat europe so badly north africa arabia and russia also europe is naturally a massive battle zone since centrues
I am not trying tp be a jerk, but this video feels like Japan explained by someone who has not lived there. You should consult locals.
@@gamekongkaeo4603 i backpacked across Japan for all of 1996. I am by no means an expert, but honestly I feel this video needs to be 2 hours long to even begin to explain it. I like this guy's channel but I am realizing topics like this are not so easily distilled.
@@hicknopunk Yes maybe, but then again this is TH-cam and the video is adequate to the platform. Very few would watch a 2 hour video on this. 🤷♂️
I love this channel, and even though I fit a few of your categories, I agree with you. I’ve never lived in Japan, and also I’m a white guy … HOWEVER I grew up in Southern California, and we were taught Japanese history in school.
When he kept saying “Eddo” then breezed right past the 19th century without mentioning Commodore Perry… I cringed… and then talking about the post-war rebuilding of H and N, without acknowledging the firebombing of Tokyo and other major cities? Maybe it’s a lot to pack in, in 15 minutes, but it’s being kind to describe this as taking a very limited view.
Agreed. It’s fine if you have no idea about Japan at all, but you could get more information out of skimming a Wikipedia article lol. It’s just kinda hollow
東京大阪名古屋以外にも人住んでるけどな。
横浜、浜松、金沢、札幌、仙台、福岡、広島ほか大都市は色々あるよ。
Can you make one for the PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭?!. #please
Toyota is a company in Nagoya region.
Here before someone comments about two other Japanese cities.
Sana, Momo and Mina who are the member of TWICE, one of JYP Entertainment's girl groups came from Kansai region, Osaka Metropolitan Area of Japan.
Thank you for the video.
It was ok but the information within it was very general and widely known to the audience already interested in Japan.
I did not learn anything new from the video and most of the arguments presented were more historical and sociological in nature rather than truly geographical
Thanks for your sharing
Meiji should be pronounced more like ”may-gee”, rather than ”my-gee”
I find that your last few videos have suffered from horrible audio sync issues to the point that it's painful to look at the screen during the parts showing yourself talking.😢
Why MOST Of Japan's Population Live In Just Three Cities: Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya
These 3 cities also have very large bays that serve shipping.
日本は人口減少が最大の懸念でもあるのだが、しかし、そもそもはこの100年で2倍1,2億となった人口は増えすぎた。勿論急激な人口減少は問題だ。しかし、それが漸減的でなんとか吸収できるもので、8000万人ほどになったなら、昔のように金持ちや屋敷に住め、中間層も欧米の人のように庭のある家に住めるだろう。食料の自給率も上がるあろう。勿論一旦人口減が始まったら容易には収まらないとの危険性は精査しなければならない。
Moved to Japan Aug 2023.
Western Tokyo.
Cost of living is so cheap compared to where I moved from Fort Walton Beach Florida.
I thought Okinawa was tropical, but I checked and it's January and February are two degrees below the 65 F average daily temperatures to be considered tropical.
The island of Taiwan to the south of the Ryukyu Island Chain is sub tropical as well.
@@deanzaZZR Technically the southern 10% of Taiwan qualifies as tropical. My point is that the subtropical climate constitutes too wide of a range if both Long Island, NY and Okinawa Island are considered to have the same climate.
Woooo he mentioned Nova Scotia!
Meiji Period is not “My-ji” Period, but “Meh-ji” Period. Tsunami is pronounced somewhat like “Junami”, not “Sunami”.
北方領土を忘れているよ。
I have lived in Ishigaki, Okinawa and I can tell you sugar plantations were not a thing.
Also history by Geoff 👍 awesome
FYI - the Bahamas are in the Atlantic, not the Caribbean.
Very interesting
Having spent two years in Colombia as a digital nomad from the US, I'm wondering what possible criteria Geoff could have for a "rich country" lol
Excellent film. Many thanks.
Japan’s population has peaked on 128 million and today it is 123 million - the 12th place in the World after Ethiopia.
For the first time ever, more than one in 10 people in Japan are now aged 80 or older. National data also shows 29.1% of the 125 million population is aged 65 or older- a record. Japan has one of the lowest birth-rates in the world and has long struggled with how to provide for its ageing population.
Edo uses a long E sound. like eeeedo, not the short E sound.
Population decline is not a problem. Japan's population has increased a lot the last 100 years. For the size of Japan, a population of 50 to 70 million people seems enough to me.
Also, a good decentralization policy is needed. People should be motivated to live in their hometowns, not forced/lured to move to megacities.
I liked the videos that start with (why ppl dont live here) i learned to which city to avoid moving to
8:18
TOYOTA's head office is not in Tokyo but in Toyota City (near Nagoya)