Get Nebula for $2.50 a month go.nebula.tv/lifewhereimfrom. Sorry I haven't uploaded for a while. I was having issues with my eyes and had to take some doctor ordered break. Doing good now, so I trust uploads will be back to a couple a month. - Greg

@Kakashi-san

Жыл бұрын

Welcome back

@Koucis

Жыл бұрын

Good to hear you're doing better. Take good care of yourself.

@yee-sinlaw7305

Жыл бұрын

Take care so that you can keep doing these great videos!

@diegoyanesholtz212

Жыл бұрын

I don't they do BRT?

@stephencheng

Жыл бұрын

Take care Greg👍

FYI, I'm changing the title for now. I originally had it as "The Worst Traffic in Japan is not in Tokyo", I changed it to "The Worst Traffic in Japan (is America's Fault)", and it's now back to the original. I'm also liable to change it again. Too many people not actually watching the video before commenting. The content of the video is still the same, which is walkthrough of how it came to be that Okinawa has the worst traffic in Japan. It's a result of policies put in place by the U.S. after 1945 as well as inaction by the Japanese government for the past 50 years since Okinawa was reverted to Japan in 1972. I think it's an interesting case study as to how decisions made decades and decades ago can have a significant impact on the day to day lives of people right now.

@shinybaldy

Жыл бұрын

it is a great anthropology video and im sorry ppl are doing this without watching. Americans & Japanese mainland together - decided the outcome for the Okinawan ppl

@dandarr5035

Жыл бұрын

Honestly, I don't think the problem of people not watching the video before commenting is something you can do anything about in regards to the title. It's going to happen anyway, it always happens with every video on this site. You might as well just pick the one you like better and stick with it.

@KwadDamyj

Жыл бұрын

Hey, if you don't want people to make kneejerk reactions to the title, then pick a better title first try next time!

@Matpeixelegal

Жыл бұрын

@@KwadDamyj so people being dumb is his fault now? I dont think so.

@FiredAndIced

Жыл бұрын

@@KwadDamyjshut it, America’s “idea of liberty” In Okinawa is as good as your toilet wipes.

After living just outside of Tokyo and rarely driving my car for many years, and then visiting Okinawa, I never connected why getting around was so frustrating.

@FiredAndIced

Жыл бұрын

There’s a reason why, channels like, Not Just Bikes, and Urban Design channel, are increasingly vocal in the way that American urban design is very bad for social health. Of course, the American exceptionalism fans screamed and shouted at the idea that the American way of life, especially in terms of urban design, is not fit for building a healthy and conducive society.

@kuro9410_ilust

Жыл бұрын

this is why american urban planning are a plague

@ac1455

Жыл бұрын

@@FiredAndIcedwhich is hilarious considering this American way of life has only been for half of all Americans since only 1965. Out of like 4-5 centuries, only 10-20% of that time has been car oriented. We were gaslit to forget nearly every American city used to be walkable. I learned a month ago my city used to have a big train terminal which shut down in the 70’s.

@Razor1473

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318It’s a problem because cars are a very inefficient use of space in compact cities. The need for acres and acres of parking lots take up valuable land, same goes for the 12 lane mega freeways that cut through the city. And simply sprawling out makes cities go bankrupt because the dense urban core has to subsidize the suburbs.

@Idkmanihatethis

Жыл бұрын

@@Razor1473absolutely, parking lots and big streets make cities look so… I don’t how to explain it depressing.

As someone who lives in Okinawa this is literally the number 1 complaint we all have that there is no train. Always having to drive everywhere really sucks and even short journeys get congested really quickly. Especially when where I used to live (UK) I cycled everywhere because it was a reasonable distance to everything.

@Kwijiboi

Жыл бұрын

Low population density is probably part of the reason why there is no train. The next step is light rail. You have to understand that these projects cost a lot of money to build and a lot of time and more traffic disruptions will occur during construction. Then, you need to maintain the system, the train cars, and the staff. It's not certain there will be enough users to keep it from being a boondoggle. I think BRT is the way to go, using BRT to help them figure out where light rail lines should be considered, but economics is always the biggest factor. If it could be done for free overnight, every govt will say yes. There are reasons to why it hasn't happened.

@valiant8730

Жыл бұрын

Okinawa government is corrupt, so no fund for public transportation.

@DengueBurger

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 It’s all systemic problems, there are no individual problems or solutions.

@DengueBurger

Жыл бұрын

@@Kwijiboiwe had rail in America with way fewer people and designed densely to begin with. And you can always retroactively densify or pedestrianize certain roads.

@wicho5062

Жыл бұрын

@@Kwijiboi The reason it hasn't happened is because the American Military occupy the island, despites years of protest of wanting the Americans to leave, they are stubborn to do so and force Okinawans to abide to their demands because they claim it is "essential" to the protection of the land. While they they don't control the island now their influence have lingered in the culture. The low density and the cost excuse is pretty flawed when you realize a couple things. The projects can be focused in the cities where it has the most density, This idea that trains are gonna be everywhere operating at every time is nonsensical. The majority of the population live in urban areas so of course they need it the most. Especially since that's where traffic is at its worst. Another thing, when compared to highways and car maintenance, trains will always be much cheaper in the longer term. Yes for now to build the infrastructure, it will be expensive but trains but so were the roads when they were constructed. Displacing thousands to make room for cars, hell the US is a good example of this, a lot of interstates weren't completed because of thousands would have to relocate without any financial aid by the government despite them demanding home owners to leave. And it destroyed a lot of the infrastructure of cities, Houston in the 70s was just giant parking lot rather than a city. Also train infrastructure have longer longevity and cheaper maintenance. It literally pays for itself as public transit makes a profit while private ownership of a vehicle does not pay for the roads. You have to rebuild roads every 10-15 years because the weight of the cars are very destructive. And speaking of destructive, lets not even get started how much more dangerous cars are. In the US more children are killed more by cars than guns.

It would be interesting to see a comparison on the overall health of Okinawa residents vs. the rest of urban Japan considering how much more likely people are to drive than to walk and use transit

@LifeWhereImFrom

Жыл бұрын

Okinawan's are famous for how long they live. But with the more recent lifestyles, yeah, I wonder how it would compare.

@user-cw8nz5qs8s

Жыл бұрын

@@LifeWhereImFrom When looking at the new average life expectancy reports by prefecture, okinawa is unfortunately not doing so great anymore. While the women are still doing fine (average 87.60 okinawa (place 16/49) 87.88 Okayama (best) 88.29), okinawan men are accually one of the worst (avarage 81.49 okinawa (place 43/47) 80.73 Shiga (Best) 82.73).

@emme198

Жыл бұрын

same, but with lung health specifically, as an American anytime i walk i notice my lungs are way worse than driving with the windows up.

@USSAnimeNCC-

Жыл бұрын

Look at American we have higher obesity rate, we’re less connected because car cut you off form everyone else you can interact with, worst mental health as traffic cause stress, cost more as car will break down and need repair form time to time, also in America you need car for everything to the park , store, malls, even convenience store aren’t in walking distance making thing difficult also form an infrastructural more experience maintain than rails or cost more in that more cars mean more wear and tear on roads but in America we got car lobbyists who don’t want this because people will buy less cars or buy less gas as they won’t use their cars as much also car and oil lobbyists is the reason why where car centric

@espakol21

Жыл бұрын

Yes, they have 80 and 90-year-olds, but you also need to consider that these populations are in their twenties and thirties in the 1950 and 60s, and they are basically living the Japanese old style of living around that time... compare that to the health statistics of the new population who grew up in the 90s and 00s.. you will be shocked that their health declined

This is really interesting. Almost like a science experiment to show how much the car changes everything culturally, economically, etc.

@jesuslovespotatoes

Жыл бұрын

Are you against computers?

@DragN_H3art

Жыл бұрын

​@@jesuslovespotatoesI'm against overdependence on computers, where people let AI and algorithms do tasks without applying critical thinking, just like how I'm against overdependence on cars, where everyone drives everywhere even when it's inefficient and unnecessary

@littlsuprstr

Жыл бұрын

@@jesuslovespotatoes I fail to see the relevance or logic of that question.

@FiredAndIced

Жыл бұрын

@@littlsuprstr He’s a troll, don’t reply to him. when the video is questioning why Okinawa seems to be economically behind, and it’s because of America’s decision to build infrastructure that does not cater to locals, he decided to ask a divergent question, to seemingly divert attention away from the fact that America’s policies after World War II has made Okinawa very economically and viable, and forced the Japanese government to be Utterly dependent on American power projections.

@_kikyu

Жыл бұрын

​@@jesuslovespotatoeswhat? op is clearly saying that this is a good case study in traffic. computers are great and all, but if we want to make real solutions, we have to look at real problems and analyse them

As a Taiwanese, I'm quite curious why they don't consider electric scooters as an alternative. They're much more compact (and cheaper) then even K cars, and the Okinawan islands isn't really so big that you need a proper car to get around. As for the buses, dedicated lanes will help a LOT. It's going to be unpopular as it takes lanes from cars, but keeping the buses fast are essential to convincing people out of their cars, and eventually reduce congestion.

@Zahrul3

Жыл бұрын

I think there's some kind of stigma of two wheeled vehicles = poor person out there. At such low speeds, there's no point driving a car regardless

@LifeWhereImFrom

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it was interesting visiting Taipei and seeing all the scooters. I'll have a video out on that when I can get it edited. On some roads they could do dedicated lanes, but there are also small two-lane ones where traffic is backed up (like the one I was walking along filming) and there's no space to do so. But is it a matter where if you were to get dedicated lanes in enough places where you can you could see significant enough improvements?

@GimmeASitrep

Жыл бұрын

eSccoters and eBikes seem to be good options for individual mobility tbh, esp cargo bikes

Жыл бұрын

Having just visited Taiwan I was impressed about the amount of dedicated infrastructure for scooters and the solutions for swap out batteries. Mind you, while in Taipei there was public transport, cycle options and scooter ramps, I did get the feeling that at many junctions pedestrians were still second class to the car. Also from what I understand it takes about 30 minutes to go from Taipei to the east coast by car, but 1 hour in public transport.

@MSTS33

Жыл бұрын

​@@LifeWhereImFromthe many two-lane roads isn't necessarily a obstacle to dedicated bus-lanes. But you have to take the bigger picture and ask yourself if such a narrow road is fit for such a heavy traffic. Starting by contraflow lanes might already help a bit.

Owning a car should not be a prerequisite for people to be able to participate in society

@jesuslovespotatoes

Жыл бұрын

It is not a prerequisite. You may think it is but it is not. What you meant to say was a car should not be a prerequisite to obtain high status or the status you want or expect.

@Cheesytech

Жыл бұрын

But it is because without it am unable to get to work (where I live I can't and don't have public transportation to use) including grocery ... So it is for some people depending on where you live in the world.

@krmendozaa

Жыл бұрын

Seeing this video after getting into a car accident in one of the most car dependent cities in the US makes me so sad. I wouldn’t feel as down on myself (as it’s compounding on other things in my life) as I do if my city weren’t so car dependent.

@j134679

Жыл бұрын

@@jesuslovespotatoes it is a prerequisite when there is barely any other decent alternative option, like most US cities.

@mikek5298

Жыл бұрын

It isn’t. Show us where it is a law?

as soon as I saw the title for this on nebula, I instantly thought to myself "... it's Okinawa isn't it?" I never knew that Okinawa was so car dependent, it's a shame they weren't able to implement efficient public transport like most of Japan. Glad to see all the Okinawa videos you've been making!

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

Maybe you don't know much about rural areas in Japan? It's more and more necessary, with all the train line closings, to own a car. Of course Japanese aren't having kids much anymore, so it's not a problem for a huge number of people.

@DengueBurger

Жыл бұрын

@@earlysdasad. As long as car owners pay the full cost of roads and the negative externalities (look it up) of gasoline, then it’s ok. But that happens nowhere, car transport and sprawl is always subsidized.

@dekaredfire

Жыл бұрын

There is a pretty similar situation in Caribbean Netherlands. While European part of The Netherlands set the platinum standard for urbanism and transit system (well, maybe for the slight exception that is Rotterdam), their Caribbean territories (Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten and others) were following the US way of urban planning (read: urban hellhole) with all the apparent consequences.

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

@@dekaredfire deka likes to show his lack of knowledge out in public. That's actually common these days.

@sboinkthelegday3892

Жыл бұрын

Rural areas... and if one person lives in Sahara desert, he needs to own a camel. This is not a n issue that should concern the entirety of Egypt, because public transportation is supported by a POPULATION of individuals. But with weak talking points, it always boils donw to anti-individualism on the excuse that minorities of individuals create different circumstances with their life choices.

Car dependence changed the entire fabric of society in my country. But I'd say the biggest impact is culturally. People lowkey expect you to have a car even if you don't have the proper finances to do so. And that's where the very low but deceptive downpayments also come in.

@Kwijiboi

Жыл бұрын

Buy a used car. No payments, very cheap and reliable too. Payments are not deceptive. It is abundantly clear - they will do what they can to get as much money out of you as possible. So don't do it. Buy within your means, not within your ego/pride. Good luck and best wishes!

@evanb.529

Жыл бұрын

@@Kwijiboi Even that is not always possible, some people can't afford those price either. That's typically where reliable public transportation should come in to help even the playing field across all socioeconomic groupings, and it's also where many (but not all) car-centric nations falter, especially in much of the U.S.

@gnnascarfan2410

Жыл бұрын

@@Kwijiboi Poor person has 1,000 dollars per month “You should buy a used car”. Great, good luck getting a quality used car for $1,000.

@marcbuisson2463

Жыл бұрын

​@@Kwijiboinot buying a car stays nearly systematically the better option if your neighborhood allows it.

@Kwijiboi

Жыл бұрын

@@gnnascarfan2410 anyone can, and anyone that says that can't aren't willing to make decisions so that they can. There's also budgeting and saving. The idea that your budget is limited to what you make in one month is foolish. The same goes for acting as though you have to spent all of that months salary on a car. Also, that after getting a car, you don't utilize downtime to door dash or some other gig work that leverages the car to pay for itself. Give me a problem and I can come up with several solutions.Biut someone can also take a solution and come up with several excuses instead of doing it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Very interesting perspective. I'm from the Philippines and we had several train lines pre-WW2 but after the war, the Americans helped rebuild our nation and several of these train lines were not restored and we became a car-centric country as well.

@carkawalakhatulistiwa

Жыл бұрын

And Filipina gdp percapital lower than Vietnam now😂.

@ianhomerpura8937

Жыл бұрын

@@carkawalakhatulistiwa interestingly Vietnam has underfunded railways as well. Instead of cars, their roads are full of motorcycles and mopeds.

@agentrikamcgee

Жыл бұрын

I honestly hate how car-centric the Philippines is, especially Manila. The traffic, the expenses for gas and for parking (especially in the business district I work in) makes it ridiculous. But it's even more ridiculous just how unfriendly to commuters the public transport system is. I'm a PWD whose disability is not so apparent, so I've always felt the brunt of the difficulty of the commute. Just getting up to the train platform is an ordeal.

@DengueBurger

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318troll

@kornkernel2232

Жыл бұрын

​@@agentrikamcgeeYep and sadly politicians and the citizens have mostly brainwashed that cars are better, thus gov for several decades build more Skyways and giant stroads in the city than building new train lines rapidly. Most train lines built were also compromised especially their station location and how low capacoty it is for how huge populatjon and still grlwing in Metro Manila. Only recently Metro Manila is getting proper high capacity Metro and commuter rail afte rseveral decades since tbe Manila Dream Plan from the 70's, which Japan actually helped designed the plan but mostly not followed. Jeepneys are king of the roads but in reality this thing should have not been stayed this too long after WW2 recovery. We relied it too much that even Filipinos concept of bus serviced skewed for generations and how publoc translorstion is perceived. This causes the perception that public transport is for poor and non-rich people and anyone who aspires to feel rich mjst have a car. This in turn the governance prioritise car infrastructure and public mass transport is mostly left to rot and stayed for decades with same system. Cebu and Davao are one of the most populous cities after Metro Manila, and still both of them dont have form of railways and traffic is getting worse. Cebu island used to have railway system but that was long forgotten. Now they are being proposed with monorails which is more of a gadgetbahn, but I guess beggars cant be choosers since sadly the government for long never understands the plight of bad transportation in the country. At least more recently this is slowly getting address but much harder and more expensive now than if we did it before.

When I moved from Tokyo to Okinawa, I gained 15 pounds. The only thing that really changed is that I got a car when I moved to Okinawa.

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

Weird, when I moved from Okinawa to Osaka I gained weight. Might be because I lived 20 feet from a 7/11 and ate way too many late night snacks.

@QuickQuips

11 ай бұрын

​@@Komainu959yeah Osaka has all the best food in a concentration. Okinawa was frustrating to drive around in. When I toured the mainland, I walked and took the train only.

@samdaniels2

10 ай бұрын

Why are you using pounds? Is that another flawed system the US enforce on Okinawa? Their primitive system of measurements.

The way you described Okinawa really reminded me of LA. Horrible traffic, a ton of cars parked where they shouldn’t be ( on sidewalks), we only have light rail and our buses are never on time. LA got rid of their rapid transit buses. Thanks for this video!

@ianhomerpura8937

Жыл бұрын

LA seems to do a lot of transit mishaps, like the proposed monorail on Sepulveda. It seems they have forgotten they were even preparing for the 2028 Olympics with all those decision mistakes.

“[Everything was built for the military], with the locals an afterthought” Ah, just like back home across the ocean!

@chrisoneill1192

Жыл бұрын

The funny thing is, that's part of how the Interstate Highway System came to be - Eisenhower wanted to have a road network that would make moving military equipment and personnel throughout the country easier

@majibento

Жыл бұрын

@@chrisoneill1192 interesting. Hitler also did that in Germany with the first modern highways in the world. This includes improving public transport of course, but in general I meant that the US ignores the people bc it’s too busy using their tax money for its empire. The private car company lobbyists like Ford also paid/pay the federal government to invest in streets and highways above local transport bc they want more $. That also applies to tax companies, for keeping taxes hard to fill out so Americans need to pay them. And for big pharma and and and… America was/is built by greedy rich businessmen who want to prevent people from having nice things so we have to rely on and pay them

@dafeels3085

Жыл бұрын

Living in America in just like being occupied militarily SOY SOY SOY

@PankoBreading

Жыл бұрын

​@@dafeels3085are you ok?

@Fukyouwaon

Жыл бұрын

@@majibento “big pharma” lol

I remember traveling Japan in 2016 and after spending some time in the Osaka region and getting used to using trains for everything we went to Okinawa for a few days and were just overwhelmed and surprised at the amount of cars everywhere which you just don't see in the rest of Japan. Also including things like car parks and such. Of course there are cars in mainland Japan, but when you spend time in the big cities you start forgetting about them.

@user-no2mz9hl4f

Жыл бұрын

That sounds like a dream.

This video reminded me of a lot of the concepts that Not Just Bikes has covered - the Downs Thomson paradox, Rotterdam, and his video on Nassau, Bahamas. I see many opportunities for growth, for example giving buses their own transit lane so they don't have to share the road with cars. The fact that people drive even to the supermarket or convenience store in Okinawa reminds us that in car dependent places, cars are used extensively, even for short trips, with 47% of all trips in the US being 3 miles or less. I wonder if the channel will transition to a Japan urbanism channel or what. Keep up the great work!

@user-cp3ip3rw7r

2 ай бұрын

very interesting.

Traffic in Zurich, Switzerland can be rough, so I use the public transport a lot. Its often much faster. The city did put a lot of road restrictions in place to lower the cars in the city and it shows. Much more people are considering public transport here, but I still wish for a car-free city center.

@GameFuMaster

Жыл бұрын

yeah, don't see much reason why cars need to be inside the main city center. Just makes everything sluggish due to traffic lights having to change for different directions

@danessip

Жыл бұрын

Public transport in Zurich is great, but it could be much better if there was a metro system. Trams can get quite crowded at peak hours and their speeds are low.

@GameFuMaster

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 not saying you can't use stuff like carts or trolleys. You could also design the city center to be more public transport focused, with maybe bookable carriages that can be used to transport heavy goods. but will definitely need to redesign cities so they're not so congested inside.

@Fukyouwaon

Жыл бұрын

Car-free city center = drag shopping bags around the city. No thanks!

@blacknebular

Жыл бұрын

@@Fukyouwaon Most shopping trips for me are just to get groceries. These I can get literally around almost every corner in Zurich. No need to walk far. Everything else is still accessible by car in shopping centers at the edge of the city, if needed.

I thought i was watching not just bikes

@FGH9G

Жыл бұрын

Haha Orange Pilled Urbanists! Assemble!

You should come back to Vancouver and do a story about Gas prices in Vancouver compared to Japan and how that is pushing people onto bicycles especially ebikes. The BC government introduced a ebike rebate program of up to $1300 and that program ran out of money in 1 day and pushed 8,000 people onto a waiting list.

@xFrozenxSnowx

Жыл бұрын

Buy an electric car. Wait opps, its still a car and you can't charge it cheaply in apartments due to strata stubbornness. Oh Canada, socialistic capitalism

@__aceofspades

Жыл бұрын

The ebike incentives just ends up getting abused. Most people arent replacing their car or buying an ebike as their only form of transit, people just sign up so they can buy an ebike for luxury bike rides. Think about it, if someone offered you a free $1000 ebike would you take it? Most people would, but that doesnt mean most people will actually commute anywhere with it.

@WANDERER0070

Жыл бұрын

​@@xFrozenxSnowxin Edmonton Alberta all apartments have parking space with a power outlet,,for engine block heater in winter,why cant Vancouver do the same,even instal power outlets next to parking meters !? Plenty of hydro power in BC

@xFrozenxSnowx

Жыл бұрын

@@WANDERER0070 selfishness is rampant in Vancouver. Who will foot the electricity bill for people that charge their cars? Certainly not the strata! Is the mentality of people here, until they get an EV a few years later. Karma😬

@MelGibsonFan

Жыл бұрын

@@WANDERER0070The political will doesn’t exist. No one wants to foot the bill for wealthy yuppies and the upper middle class residents who can’t afford to drop EV money. ICE cars are cheaper and generally more reliable. Most people are pragmatic with their resources, only the well off can afford to be ideological with theirs.

Here's how I would try to reduce the traffic in Okinawa (There's nothing new here that hasn't been done in other places): 1. Create express buses with bus lanes 2. Create Light Rail (easier to implement than full rail roads). 3. Implement walking friendly architecture guidelines and land use plans. Even increasing combinis (which is happening anyway). Still should expand the monorail and implement rail lines on the larger islands.

In June I was in Okinawa for a few days and we rented a car. I think a big problem for the traffic congestion is so many of the big intersections DON’T HAVE TURNING LANE SIGNALS! You have to wait FOREVER to make a right turn across traffic. I’m not sure if this is the same on the mainland because I only rode public transport there and didn’t notice, however.

Great video Greg! It seems as if Okinawa vs. Japan at large serve as a great case study to show how much worse car-centric infrastructure is than infrastructure where public transport and cycling/walking are the preferred modes of transportation.

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

enmorot, where did this video show anything about "how much worse" anything is? You aren't serious that you believe this video showed all the angles to the transportation issue, did you?

@thastayapongsak4422

Жыл бұрын

@@earlysda how much more do you need to see beside traffic congestion? 90% of transportation issue anywhere is traffic, and that statistics is enough to show whether it's bad or good.

@SherrifOfNottingham

Жыл бұрын

@@earlysda Did you want to look at statistics analyzing the potential BMI differences? Were you expecting a dissertation on how localized emissions raises cancer rates? Are you thinking he should have included the number of fatalities caused by cars vs. trains? Did you need him to pull apart how the social lives of people changed? Or is the reality that no matter how much work he does to examine a problem associated with car centric cities, you'll never be satisfied because you think the government subsidizing you getting to drive your car is "freedom" and anybody that challenges that is challenging you directly? The sad truth is if you really did enjoy driving your car... then you'd be happy when the government spends some money on rail infrastructure because that is how you reduce traffic, which improves life for car owners.

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

@@thastayapongsak4422 sak, Okinawa is a fairly long island, with the population concentrated heavily in the south and especialy south west. There are less than 1.5 million residents of Okinawa. The population is getting older. Japan has had control of the islands for over 50 years now, and still sees no real need for a train system on the island. . The rail systems on the much bigger islands of Shikoku and Hokkaido are in the red. . Yes, I see much more than traffic congestion. Do you too now?

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

@@SherrifOfNottingham Sherrif, You mistakenly assume I have a car, and then go down that proverbial lane. . Was that fun for you?

Since the pandemic began, I've noticed a growing movement towards ending car centric infrastructure. One of the creators who helped spread the movement the most was Not Just Bikes. It's nice to see that you're also promoting public transport, micromobility and human-centric infrastructure. Hopefully, our movement can also spread in Japan and not just Europe and North America

@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk

Жыл бұрын

Honestly though, I doubt Japan desperately needs this movement as much as Europe and, especially, North America does. The Philippines on the other hand _really_ needs this movement, they're practically the 51st state of the US at this point.

@VanOri

Жыл бұрын

​@@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk "others have it worse, so let's not talk about it, not use it as an example or do anything about it" And people wonder why nothing changes 😂

@amirsadeghi9888

Жыл бұрын

oh hell naw, if anything pandemic highlighted the importance of personal space and freedom of movement. you can keep your tyrannical leftist movements. If you want to invest in transportation invest in both, you cant ban one or the other.

@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk

Жыл бұрын

@@VanOri That's not at all what I'm saying or what my sentiment was. How TF are you getting that impression?

@regulate.artificer_g23.mdctlsk

Жыл бұрын

@@amirsadeghi9888 Nobody advocated for outright banning cars.

I'm always in awe at how comprehensive your numerical presentations are. Initially, I watch the channel because of Aiko and Shin, but I've stuck around because I like your data storytelling

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

Sadly, this video didn't tell the other side of the story that would have showed his numbers to tell a different story. But hey, let's make a simple youtube video that makes money, right?

Learning this about Okinawa makes the Karate Kid movie a bit more interesting, how Mr. Miyagi was portrayed as this very traditional Japanese person yet had multiple cars and acclimated well to Los Angeles, and when they went to Okinawa in the sequels they drove everywhere.

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

Fun fact- it was shot in Hawaii.

Living in Oki for 4 years, a decade ago, can definitely confirm the traffic there is the absolute worst.

Super interesting topic! I have no idea Okinawa was so dependant on cars but it makes sense. You always do a wonderful job of presenting the facts without any bs. Well done as always!

@LifeWhereImFrom

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Hannah!

Car dependency really needs to just go away and never come back.

@GottaSmoke.

Жыл бұрын

No.

@headerahelix

Жыл бұрын

​@@GottaSmoke.K big oil shill

@xalataf3365

Жыл бұрын

Yes.

@kuro9410_ilust

Жыл бұрын

@@GottaSmoke. car brainer

@MelGibsonFan

Жыл бұрын

@@kuro9410_ilust Do you guys get your entire understanding of urban planning from Not Just Bikes, I really wish people had a more comprehensive understand of urban development beyond "Cars bad I am so smart".

Car centric development is the bane of urban strategizing. I love cars but only for the occasional drive to the countryside, not as a daily appliance I'm forever tied to. Not Just Bikes is a cool YT channel on such topic. Great video BTW.

@YaBoiScrumpo

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 "I want other transportation options besides driving" --> "Let's force everyone into slavery in walled communities" is a pretty big leap. There isn't a semblance of reason or substance in your reply, you're obviously just knee-jerk reacting to the NJB mention.

@Essentially_Nobody

Жыл бұрын

​@@sparklesparklesparkle6318ah yes, because owning a car doesn't automatically force you into a cycle of expenses that must be paid otherwise you cannot partake in society. The height of freedom lol

Bingo. That is the cancer of car dependency. Once you make cars the ONLY method of travel in any given area, you are bound to have insufferable traffic congestion. More car-only planning, more traffic. Simple as that. Oh, and please do a collab video with Not Just Bikes! He would love this "orange-pilled" video!

@Kizarat

Жыл бұрын

But traffic jams are freedom! /s

@Bionickpunk

Жыл бұрын

@@Kizarat Obesity and junk food is freedom, healthy bodies and healthy food is communist /s

Жыл бұрын

The other problem, is while historically they made room for cars, in a number of places, there appears to be a fear of making room for anything that isn't a car. I am not suggesting replacing cars, but making it easier to use the alternatives. I also wonder how quickly people would want to see change in Okinawa if the fuel subsidies were to disappear?

@Bionickpunk

Жыл бұрын

@ Probably fairly quickly. A lot of them would move to bikes in the first instances until a proper railway network is established.

@MelGibsonFan

Жыл бұрын

Please for the love of God don't turn this into another cult of Not Just Bikes. Where all of societies woes can be attributed to "CaR bRaInEd" people.

I found that having a car in Okinawa was fine so long as Naha was avoided. The roads were pretty quiet everywhere else. You definitely need a car to survive out there though.

Traffic problems occur all around the world. In Manila, specifically, the traffic there is probably one of the worst out there. The Philippines is joining forces with Japan to construct more efficient transportation services for daily commuters. As far as I know, the construction of more railway trains are still in progress. Moreover, we appreciate your insights on this matter. They contain all the information we need to know about.

@j134679

Жыл бұрын

The Philippines idolizes the US too much, which is why it's filled with failure on a national scale.

@jakereyes564

9 ай бұрын

Philippines roads are worst.. poor traffic signages.. pot holes and uneven road are everywhere..

this is a perfect demonstration of the downs-thompson paradox which boils down to "the speed of car traffic is determined by the efficiency of other means of transport" if cycling is faster, some people will cycle, if transit is faster some people will take that which reduces car traffic. but since the car is the fastest eay of getting around here, everyone drives, which causes traffic

I'm loving Greg's Not Just Bikes arc 🙌

Okinawa has a chance to recover by making BRT system with dedicated bus lanes just like Bogota bus express, which is a very unique for Japan as most public transit systems there are rail transit. The really good advantage is that there are already lots of roads and highways so converting some lanes to bus lanes is not a bad idea at all

Living in Okinawa this is a daily reality for me. Did you consider making a Japanese version of this Video for Okinawan locals to inform themselves? In my opinion the most important thing for change to happen here is that locals realize what the issue is and how to solve it. Endlessly extending the Route 58 e.g. won't solve the issue. The 58 already has 8 lanes (10 including turn lanes) in some parts of the island and traffic is still stuck... however, local politicians still seem to be campaigning for road widening.

@MarkDuncan1

Жыл бұрын

There is a plan to extend the monorail all the way to Nago, but Futenma has to close first as that will be the site of a major station with ample parking and such. Road widening is the best they can do short term...and it has helped. Traffic was way worse 10 years ago especially in the Rycom area. The new road through Kitanakagusuku has helped significantly too.

@iambor1393

Жыл бұрын

If more lanes solved traffic problems, the 401 in Toronto wouldn't be as congested as it is (18 lanes at some points)...

@MarkDuncan1

Жыл бұрын

@@iambor1393 More lanes do help in Okinawa though. When there are only two lanes and the left lane is blocked by stopped buses, taxis, and people otherwise using that lane as a parking spot and people waiting to turn are blocking the right lane because there is no turn lane, having an extra lane or two to help keep traffic moving helps so much.

@cinneh1099

Жыл бұрын

​@@MarkDuncan1 Good road design would probably help a lot more than just widening them or adding even more bypasses. At least in the south-east (around Nishihara, Haebaru, Nanjo, etc.). Way too many entrances and exits along the main roads, the lack of roundabouts (and the overuse of stoplights) make for some terribly inefficient roads. People having to block traffic to wait for their opportunity to turn right is bad design. Having people do U-turns at stoplights is bad design. Having tens of entrances/exits within walking distance of each other on the main roads is also bad design. I get that they can't rip up everything right away, but when they design new roads or update old ones they really should think twice before building. Is it reasonable that traffic should grind down to a halt whenever someone wants to turn (both left and right)? Is it reasonable to allow taxis and delivery drivers to stop anywhere on major roads? The cities should remove (almost) all entrances and exits on the main roads (such as: 58, 329, 330, 331). It makes driving worse (congestion, disrupts the flow of traffic), it makes walking worse (cars turning without looking, and having the path look like a sine wave with all the entrances), it makes cycling worse (cars turning without looking). Put the entrances on a side street rather than on what should be a place to take people from point A to B smoothly.

@blanco7726

Жыл бұрын

​@@MarkDuncan1more lanes helps at exit points, but create traffic at entry points. And not to forget that 5 lanes is not possible everywhere, so when they go back to the typical 3 that will create traffic while merging lanes.

I think this is easily one of your well made videos. Informative with buttery smooth aninated charts. Side comment: Hokkaido is another place where it could get quite car-friendly. If you ever wonder whether the Japanese ever buy their Toyota pickups, Sapporo is the place to visit. Not to say their public transpo sucks, but compared to other big Japanese cities, they really like their parking lots.

@ianhomerpura8937

Жыл бұрын

The public transportation system in Sapporo is very interesting. IIRC they are the only tram network in Japan with trams dedicated to clearing tracks from snow.

@trainsandmore2319

Жыл бұрын

And Aichi, the prefecture where Toyota is based, is the most car-friendly place in Japan. Nagoya’s public transport is not bad but not as extensive as Tokyo’s and Osaka’s. It’s very clear that Toyota is the auto lobby in their prefecture, the worst example being them renaming their base city after themselves and rebuilding it in their own image of Japanese-style car-centric suburbia (stroads, parking lots, Japanese-style big boxes with enormous parking structures on top of them, not enough railways, no buses serving the city at all, etc.)

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

Buttery smooth unfactual charts and speaking, you mean.

@ianhomerpura8937

Жыл бұрын

@@earlysda anything that runs counter to your obsession of cars is false, yeah right

@afdhalulakbar5382

Жыл бұрын

@@earlysda lolol triggered much? American 🇺🇸?

Islands really need to be more efficient with land use. At least, there is density so that much can be achieved with walking as opposed to taking mechanized transport. The monorail for example is elevated. If the buildings were connected to each other and then connected to the stations at the same level, this would be very convenient.

We still have "traffic jams" in Japan--especially when you have people literally crowding into commuter trains during rush hour.

Everybody in Japan: "We always walk everywhere" That part of Japan that was under America: "I don't walk"

@Pa7na

Жыл бұрын

still over 60% of traffic, nationwide, is done by personal vehicle. and living in the more rural area of Hyogo Prefecture, I can definitely attest to that. My coworkers find it wild that I cycle to work everyday for about 40 mins instead of getting a scooter or car.

@bassyey

Жыл бұрын

They're not as fat as Americans though.

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

All of Japan was occupied and under American control from 1947 to 1952. The rebuild of war torn Japan was overseen by the US and funded by the US. It led to Japan becoming the second largest economy in the world. Did Japan ever have to repay the US? Nope. Thanks America!

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

@@bassyey They're not Japanese. The US should never have returned the Ryūkyū KIngdom to Japan and should have aided them to restore their rightful kingdom as they petitioned after the war.

Where i live, public transport is not safe. People get assaulted all the time and the criminals are often released because "they have mental health issues". Several of my coworkers have been attacked trying to get to work. Infrastructure is only one part of the equation in many cases. Yes, the bus goes 15 miles out of the way for me to get to work. Yes, it would take me 2 hours to commute by bus when it would take 15 mins to commute by car. But the reason i actually prefer to drive vs bus, is because its not safe and the government doesnt take commuters safety or mental health seriously. (If You live in a city where theres constant assaults, people camping and blocking walkways, bad lighting, getting followed home by homeless people at night. And then tell me it isnt bad for YOUR mental health) I wish i lived somewhere that had the options japan has. But i also with i lived somewhere even 1/8 as safe as japan.

@user-ie4tt1xp7j

Жыл бұрын

Let me guess - Brazil?

@sonicboy678

Жыл бұрын

@@user-ie4tt1xp7j I was thinking LA county.

@user-ie4tt1xp7j

Жыл бұрын

​@@sonicboy678 Well, LA stands for Latin America, everything is logical :^)

I just randomly watch this vid and I didn't expect you to have a collab with some of my favorite youtubers 12:42

I'm so thrilled that you're on Nebula. It really feels like "Making it" when it comes to educational/documentary KZreadrs.

Okinawa reminds me of Hawaii in so many ways and traffic is one of them. If you don’t drive, it’s like wow how are you going to get to places? We have the bus and that tiny completed portion of the rail, but it isn’t enough and efficient for everyone especially if you don’t live around places that have bus stops and routes. So we all end up getting in our cars to get to places. Just thinking about westbound H1 traffic at 5pm gives me the shivers. Getting your license and your own car is kinda like a rite of passage of becoming a teen/adult, that’s how normalized the car-centric society is here. It can’t be helped but I wish we weren’t so reliant on cars auwe

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

Yep live in Hawaii as well. I have been lucky enough to travel all over and public transit is awesome (just the savings vs renting a car!). But I doubt it will ever become the norm in Hawaii unless the bus/rail gets built out far more robustly than it is now. Maps says to get from my home to Aloha Stadium is 13 minutes by car. 48 minutes by bus/rail. Nobody is gonna grab public transport if the option of a car is available. Just the time saved, never mind how hot it is currently, maybe you gotta stand in the rain, etc. Besides at 500+ million per mile rail isn't going anywhere either.

The Okinawa transit system sounds just like the one they are trying to create in western WA, it’s only good if you want to go to 1 or 2 specific places.

I was there in April and the traffic was horrible. Not comparison the likes of Bangkok or Jakarta but during rush hour took my 35 minutes to get to a place where it only took 10 mins during non peak hours!

That's very shallow explanation. The roads in Okinawa weren't built to anywhere near US standard. You can't really blame US on this. The real reason is that, in the Potsdam Declaration of 1945, the allied nations specified: *The elimination "for all time of the authority and influence of those who have deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest" as well as *That the "Japanese sovereignty shall be limited to the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and such minor islands as we determine," as had been announced in the Cairo Declaration in 1943 That meant Okinawa was not a part of Japan, but a piece of land temporarily held by US, for Okinawa/Ryukyu Kingdom was the starting point of Japan's "world conquest" that eventually spread from China all the way to Malaysia. ⭐It made no sense for National Rail to build infrastructure on land that was not a part of the nation. Tax break started from 1972 because 1972 was the year US handed Okinawa's administration back to Japan. Yet, the US didn't handover the ownership because we didn't have its ownership to start with. That's when its ownership became ambiguous, and Japan knew it very well. It took them another serval decades to make sure the islands are worthy of infrastructure investment. Okinawa has been the poorest prefecture in Japan for a long time. That also contribute to the fact private capitals wouldn't want to invest in the region. However, unlike Hokkaido, Okinawa has the best birth rate in Japan. It will show some advantage when other prefectures' economy struggle with shrinking labor force, and by then infrastructure will start to catch on gradually. 👍

I was recently in Okinawa for the first time for a few days. I have to say I was quite shocked at how bad the public transport was. Almost every major tourist sight requires a significant drive to get to. I actually had to cut down quite alot on my planned sight seeing. I also didn't like cramming myself on to the second Monorail to arrive (because the first was full) to go to the airport. Unlike everywhere else I've been in Japan, I don't plan on heading back.

Problems with trying to fix traffic in a car-dependence city are that its very difficult because an alternative is not recognized by the people because most of them have never seen any other alternative to driving in a car, that's why even if you build good public transport they'd still use the car despite going by bus and rail a far more financially, environmentally and economically healthier way to go around.

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

I think public transport could work well there as they have more than enough population density which is the largest hurdle for any kind of public transport since they are almost all government subsidized industry.

Thank you for doing a video on this topic! Transportation and urban design are two topics that greatly interest me so I'm happy to see your take on this. So educational too!

At the very least I'd say Okinawa has a much better chance of actually normalize public transportation over car than say California and New York. You can't convince me to use public transportation here over my own car after hearing horror stories from my coworkers who decided to use the limited metro system that we do have here in LA 😅

@DerUnbekannte

Жыл бұрын

I'm sure you're right about LA, but isn't public transport used lots in NY?

@liltunwin

Жыл бұрын

@DerUnbekannte oh yeah it is. What I meant to convey was that it's easier to make changes or improvement to the public transportation in Japan than it does here. Sorry for the confusion.

@LifeWhereImFrom

Жыл бұрын

I suppose public transportation wouldn't have the same negative associations that it does in some areas of North America.

@readysetsleep

Жыл бұрын

​@@DerUnbekannte to park a car in a Manhattan parking lot is at least $60 for the day

@ac1455

Жыл бұрын

@@LifeWhereImFromit’s getting so ridiculous it’s integrating into culture wars, and now transit/walkability is being more equated to ‘Orwellian’ 15 min city. It’s so stupid that something which should be good in both aisles is getting politicized just because leftists embraced it first.

Please do more health and economic comparisons with America like this, its amazing. Hopefully information like this can make small, impactful and beneficial changes! Partner a video with Not Just Bikes!!!!

@theonlymegumegu

Жыл бұрын

yes, i got huge NJB vibes off this video, i was just waiting for him to mention stroads XD

I've been wanting to move to Japan, and on my mind was 'I wanna live somewhere warm'. This, however, ruins the idea that the place I'd settle would be in Okinawa. I'm trying to flee the stroad-and-strip-mall landscape of the US because Japan seems to be a lot more walkable. Thanks for the valuable warning. When it comes to zoning laws and transport, don't listen to the USA. Source: am American

Exactly the same in my hometown Surabaya, Indonesia. Cars & motorcycle is a must have for every household.

This is… the same problem with the Bahamas island. The small island with barely 500k population but is crippled with traffic because of poor traffic infrastructure and metro.

@ianhomerpura8937

7 ай бұрын

Not Just Bikes and Foreign had a video about this last year iirc

Hey what a coincidence, I just returned from a trip from Okinawa! I do feel that out of all the places I visited in Japan, Okinawa is the place where I feel like I’m missing out the most due to not being able to rent a car. Buses do exist and fairly reliable, but they’re way slower than trains/cars on long distance. For example it took me 5 hours of roundtrip journey from my hotel in Kokusai-Dori to the aquarium, I feel like I could really do with that proposed train line. Also I didn’t know that the US held the place until 1972, no wonder that I couldn’t help but keep thinking to myself about how Americanised some parts of Okinawa look, with it’s big roads and parking spaces, I thought those were just affected by the presence of bases there. Transport limitations aside, I tried to make the most of my trip and I did thoroughly enjoyed my short time there. Thanks for making this video, Greg! It’s only a week and you already making me miss Okinawa 😂

@earlysda

Жыл бұрын

176km over unlevel terrain roundtrip from Kokusai Dori to the aquarium. and here you are complaining about it taking 5 hours? Incredible. Please learn about real life soon.

I'm a lifelong New Yorker, so admittedly I do take the woes of car dependency for granted. Yes this is an interesting video but PLEASE avoid the temptation to turn into another "urban policy" KZread channel. I understand urban policy is a part of your channel, but we don't need another "CaRs BaD amirite" (and yes they are bad lol) KZread channel. Anyways very interesting video.

Anywhere outside big cities, the whole "nice train lines" schtick drops and it drops quickly. Okinawa is just an extreme case.

Okinawa has enough side roads and highways that aren't particularly busy, on weekday afternoons. Car traffic in Tokyo is brutal, you're bumper to bumper at all times except about 1am-6am. But there's multiple transportation alternatives in Tokyo vs only a few in Okinawa

I can tell you first hand that some of your commentary is incorrect. Futenma is still there but to say that nothing has happened since 2012 is incorrect. They have been building the railroad network for a while as well and 2 new bases to relocate the military far and away from general public. It's about a year away from completion, currently the flightlines are being built to house the aircrafts. Camp Hansen and Camp Schwab. They were never going to leave the island but it's good progress so they can be far away from populated areas. That 1 hr railroad to Nago is still happening 🎉

@ianhomerpura8937

Жыл бұрын

Are there any updates though? I see none on KZread, expect videos about Okinawa Monorail extending from Shuri to Urasoe.

@magarulzall9270

Жыл бұрын

Most of this video is incorrect with it's assumptions. Makes me regret supporting this channel when I bought his being Japanese documentary.

Maybe they should consider BIKE infrastructure as a solution for shorter trips. And that can much more easily be build and much cheaper.

It's just where I live in the states its not one car per family its one car per person by the time they finish high school. There are buses but they are so inconvenient that it is impossible to run errands and get to work quickly, and the train is even less convenient for daily travel.

The modern Ford F-150 would never be able to navigate the streets of Okinawa because they were designed for a smaller vehicle, the M4 Sherman tank.

I've looked through google maps at smaller cities on mainland Japan, and where you have ~300k population cities, it seems like they have between 1 or maybe 2 local rail lines, but most places in these small cities are too far to be really served by them. I don't have any experience with these places on the ground, but it seems like this isn't just an Okinawa thing. I like to praise Japan for its public transit like many other people, but there are definitely plenty of places that are under-served. Yoriyama is one example I can find right away, where half the city has freeways cutting through it, also that place has a toy'r'us for any 90s kids that are nostalgic for that. Maybe people make great use of buses there because I can't really tell from just google maps!

@MarkDuncan1

Жыл бұрын

The population of all of Japan is like 300 million. What cities were you looking at? Okinawa has a population of around 1.5 million plus an absolute ton of tourists. I live here and the traffic situation seriously sucks.

@TriegaDN

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkDuncan1 That was a typo. I meant 300k, was specifically trying to address small cities

@ianhomerpura8937

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkDuncan1 126 million* It's the US that has 300+ million

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

@@MarkDuncan1 It's population density that matters most, not total population. Naha has a greater population density than Tokyo by more than 20%

@carkawalakhatulistiwa

11 ай бұрын

I have city with 3 million pople in my country. And don't have rel 😂

The car dependency in Okinawa is one thing, but all the rural cities outside of major cities in Japan are all the same. Okinawa is special because US bases occupy so much arable land on the island. I mean Americans literally bulldozed everything during the war and built bases in the most convenient places. For example the Futenma airbase is built on top of where the city hall was located. So all the traffic needs to go around those bases.

@magarulzall9270

Жыл бұрын

No trains in Rural Japan? Thanks America! While we are here are there any other issues we can throw on America? How about those humid summers?

@baibac6065

Ай бұрын

@@magarulzall9270 Mainland Japan, both rural and urban do have railways. Okinawa doesn't because it was administered by the Americans. I don't why Americans can't handle the smallest of criticisms. Considering that criticism is toward people who are already dead and probably not related to you..

@Komainu959

Ай бұрын

​@@baibac6065There IS train service to some of rural Japan but it is very limited and even when there is there usually aren't many times it service station. Look on maps or JR site to see where trains run it does not service rural much. Only if it happens to be between larger cities. Say a big city like Kumamoto and you want to go someplace famous like Beppu. Or in-between like Kurokawa. Beppu and Kurokawa are some of the best onsen places in Japan, but you cannot get from Kumamoto to either with a train unless you want to spend all day and large money trying. Even then you cannot get to Kurokawa. You can repeat the above for many, many places in Japan even if they are nationally recognized places like they are. Unless of course they lie within a large city or directly between others. Amanohashidate one of the three views of Japan so it's famous right? Try and see how long a train ride from there to say the sand dunes in Tottori takes. Are there trains? Sure but your have to leave first thing in the morning to get there and then head back. So unless you're doing an overnight visit it's not realistic even if there is service. That what most outsiders don't understand. And people in Okinawa complain but they forget all of Japan was under American rule after WW2. Okinawa was under American for longer but it's been over 50 years. Our own government is the reason not anyone else. Our government made war with almost all our neighbors, nobody is to blame for that except ourselves.

@Komainu959

Ай бұрын

​@@magarulzall9270You would find that most Japanese do not blame America. While Okinawa does have real concerns that is our own governments problem. There has been more than 50 years to include times when our economy was very good and nothing was done.

I think the main issue with a rail system in Okinawa is it can't really be above ground. A lot of the urban area is dense so the government will get a lot of backlash if they invoke eminent domain. Heck, the Yui Rail mostly goes over main roads. In addition the island is really hilly. There isn't much flat land outside of Kadena and Ginowan (which conveniently is where the air fields are) They could try to go with a subway system, but I worry about the issue of flooding since Okinawa gets a lot of rain.

Lol i remember commenting about this in reply to a comment in Not Just Bikes video. Thanks for this video.

I live in Okinawa (been here about 15 years now). The traffic during Golden Week is insane and I usually plan to stock up on some things and stay home during that time. Funny enough, traffic used to be a lot worse here about 10 years ago. Some recent infrastructure projects in central Okinawa have helped a lot. About needing to own a car here, yeah, it's pretty necessary. I have a friend who recently moved here and works at a hotel in Chatan. She doesn't have a car or bike yet and life has been incredibly difficult for her. Oh and that gas tax break doesn't really mean much when we still end up paying the same or somewhat more than Tokyo. The tax break seems to benefit the gas companies more than regular people. We even host Saudi oil here and the only thing we got out of it was a causeway.

I never wanna go back to using public transportation. A car is sooo much better and saves oneself so much headache. No crazy people. No unexpected delays. My music. I can change my time table and on top it's faster with good infrastructure. Sadly it's not the case for the people shown.

@YaBoiScrumpo

Жыл бұрын

To each their own. I think it's important to have options, including driving for so long as it isn't the only option. Would love to be able to use PT or walk/bike for certain trips I can only reasonably/safely take by car right now. It all comes down to personal preference and how much priority the systems that support your preferences receive in your country as to what choices you can/will make. You're not isolated from crazy people on the road just because you're not sitting in the same space as them. Crazy people affect you on the road in the form of irresponsible driving techniques, road rage, etc. You can listen to music on your earbuds/headphones. You totally can have unexpected delays from construction, traffic accidents, and car troubles such as flat tires. Time tabling wouldn't be too much of an issue if PT ran frequently enough, reliably enough, and late enough, unless you're a night owl. You mention good infrastructure being important, and it's true that good PT requires good infrastructure too. It often doesn't get good infrastructure, at least not in North America where I'm from. In the end, it just seems like you're more willing to put up with the inconveniences/dangers of driving more than those associated with taking PT. Everyone's different in this regard and for so long as people can fairly choose between various adequate methods of getting around to suit their needs and preferences, that's alright.

@YaBoiScrumpo

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 I would take it if I could, but there's actually none where I currently live. It's drive or bust here. Also, It's unfortunate you've been a victim of violent crime on PT a number of times. Your safety matters, and it's totally justified to drive if you don't feel safe using PT. The issue is when people give up on PT, and instead work against it as well as systems that aim to get the kinds of people that hold others at knifepoint off public transport and hopefully help them solve their issues. There are people who depend on PT and will be subjected to atrocities like you have been, but they cannot simply choose to drive instead because they can't afford to. They deserve safe/reliable transportation options too. Just because PT unsafe/unreliable, etc. right now in your area, doesn't mean it's a foregone conclusion that it'll always be. Its issues need to get the attention, care, and respect they deserve, which they often don't in America. Even if you don't use PT in your area, I hope you support propositions to clean it up and deal with systemic issues that afflict its riders rather than just leaving it to rot and disappear.

This sounds exactly like the issues we have in parts of the US. We have buses and a railway where I live, but the railway only goes to very specific locations by the coastline and the subway is 30 min away by car and an hour away by bus. It’s nearly impossible to work a job and go to school without a car.

I feel like it’s really similar here in Indonesia😅 in city where I live, it’s hard if we don’t have our own car or motorbike. We have public bus and minibus but it’s inconvinient and because the traffic is bad, the bus might late too 😢

Interesting video kinda shows how this could also apply to other countries where the car is the mode of transportation

interesting and a bit sad to see that okinawa has become so america-fied (and canada) with their reliance on cars. pretty crazy that the locals say they don't walk at all considering what's common in tokyo and other large metropolitan hubs in japan. great video greg, i learned a lot. also, that jet lag series seems interesting. i will check it out

@Komainu959

Жыл бұрын

What's pretty sad is that America is getting blamed for this. Some fun facts- America occupied and was in charge of all of Japan from 1947-1952 and was responsible for the rebuild of war torn Japan. They also funded this to the tune of over 2 billion dollars back then. That total is more than Japan paid out in reparations for the damages it did during WW2. So if America is at fault for Okinawa which has been completely under the rule of Japan for fifty years does America get the credit for the rest of Japan since they went on to become the second largest economy in the world? Also- how come Japan can spend so much to create the next gen bullet train from Tokyo but doesn't mandate basic improvement to the Ryūkyū Kingdom...oh sorry....Okinawa...I always use the occupiers name for that land. Have to remember that Japan doesn't like Ryūkyū just like China doesn't like the use of Taiwan.

@usersar2213

Жыл бұрын

@@Komainu959 You blame the japanese government. But who formed the said government? Who shaped LDP, the party which has been in power since ww2, with the exception of a few years.

@carkawalakhatulistiwa

11 ай бұрын

US hypocrisy. You still have 4 military base in Okinawa idiot

@carkawalakhatulistiwa

11 ай бұрын

# when you worked in a Japanese company 😂

9:15 slides made out of concrete? those Okinawa kids must be build differently, I reckon...

Okinawans love the mobility that the car provides. The Kei car is perfect and reigns supreme there.

9:05 Okinawa prefecture needs to ban illegal off-street parking and make more effort in improving its public transportation.

@Demopans5990

Жыл бұрын

Like that is ever going to happen. NYC does something similar and people just sit in their cars

@MelGibsonFan

Жыл бұрын

@@Demopans5990Rightfully so. NY has insisted on letting its mass transit infrastructure stagnate and sometimes straight deteriorate in parts of the boroughs. People need a means to get around the city and earn. If people are serious about car dependency we need to figure how to decentralize access to resources and opportunities. Make it so that people don’t have to travel into the city for income.

I think a good solution can be making a thoroughly planned, progressive introduction of city bus system to replace cars. Also scooter and bike usage can also help to avoid the traffic congestion.

@FiredAndIced

Жыл бұрын

Which is the problem, you cannot just relocate everyone to a new place, and expect people’s way of life to remain unchanged. I have not, in my recent memory, remember any urban renewal plans being executed successfully, where a huge amount of people have to be relocated in order to fix a major urban design issue.

@carkawalakhatulistiwa

Жыл бұрын

​@@FiredAndIced Dutch need 30 year to Made good bicycle infrastructure

Once you get past Kadena AB, the island gets more rural. Naha is bad for traffic, but it's bad further North too.

Awesome case study here! I had no idea about this.

It's pretty disheartening that even Japan hasn't been able to undo car dependency in Okinawa as someone who lives in the US, where I'm guessing there are far fewer regulations to clear than here. Not saying that all of the US needs Tokyo level public transportation, but it would be amazing to have in more populous areas. Speaking as someone living in Silicon Valley suburbia. At least we are JUST starting to build out walkable mixed-use neighborhoods. Also, definitely thought I clicked on a Not Just Bikes video.

@Lildizzle420

Жыл бұрын

if we want to be achieve carbon neutrality, we need at least 30% of our population using public transit, more realistic would be 50%

It's hard not to be moved by how good Tokyo public transportation is. If you like Tokyo, but aren't into urban design, the city makes you rethink so much about how things should be. Especially as an American. This is a great piece on how the American approach to urban design has largely failed, and is slowly being rethought.

@user-uu5xf5xc2b

11 ай бұрын

you're so naive. it didn't fail anything, the goal has never been the good for the people, the opposite.

So excited to see you on Nebula!! I like using it a lot more new 😁

Very nice video as always! One question though, was the slide at 9:15 made out of concrete? That might be the biggest problem the prefecture has lmao. As said, very good video and greetings from Finland!

4:14 Why does the rain slow down the traffic that much? I mean, of course you have to drive a bit slower and more careful, so I could see taking 8-10 minutes instead of 5. But 30 minutes?! O_O

@liltunwin

Жыл бұрын

Likely a bit exaggerated, but it still makes sense why it'd take longer than just a few minutes on top of normal traffic. Speed is not the only factor in determining how long a trip will be. Accidents, traffic lights, pedestrian movements, driver rationality are some other factors that also likely further contribute to the traffic jam.

@itsJoshV

Жыл бұрын

It does that here in Southern California when it is only sprinkling lol. Folks don't know what rain is here.

@LifeWhereImFrom

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I'm sure some exaggeration regarding the difference in times. But knowing what happens to other areas I've driven in when it rains tells me that things can slow down significantly in those times.

@brianh9358

Жыл бұрын

I would guess they are talking about what happens during "Tsuyu" or the rainy season which goes from mid May to the end of June. The rains can be quite heavy, road flooding can occur, and it is quite hard to see when driving. I can understand it taking longer then because the rain can seem to just go on and on.

@shawn-ew

Жыл бұрын

That's because when it rains, people who usually walk (to work, shopping, from station to home etc. ) or ride bicycles, all use cars, or ask some family member to come pick them up, resulting in the numbers of cars increasing. Also, these rain time cars increase cars going left and right on the main roads (their movement of direction is different from the normal rush hour flow) .

Unpopular point of view below: Blaming America may be popular, but these roads werent built for commuting by citizens. They were built for military use. When you use something out of context, inefficiencies occur. Unless Americans disallow the Japanese to expand the roadways, its the local govt that is not addressing the insufficient infrastructure. Lastly, a stop gap measure would be to expand the bus system. Each bus can take 20 to 50 cars off the road. More if double decker or double length. See Hong Kong. Bus stops dont even need built up infrastructure. Just a sign, or even a weighted sandwich board/a-frame to get a line started if more reach is desired. Print route maps and schedule info and post on these sandwich board signage and boom, instant bus service. Thats on the government for not enacting, and the citizenry for not transitioning to bus service. Most of the citizens admit not wanting to walk. Public transit usually require walking, as well as leaving earlier to account for trip time. Restricting vehicle use/access would also push a portion onto public transit if the will was there. Bus rapid transit trunk lines (and bus only lanes) could serve to act as subway service, serving high capacity hub stops. Blaming Americans is like blaming your parents for lack of success instead of working hard to succeed. Its like blaming your local regional attributes. Tokyo was a swamp. They drained it and it is a thriving metropolis. So here, treat the roads like mountain ranges. Just cause they are here doesnt mean you cant work around them. And having used them doesnt mean it is impossible to transition away from existing infrastructure. 🤷‍♂️ Love your content LWIF. Cant believe how many years I've been watching. Time flies. Thanks for reading. See you next time. Byeeeeeee~

@earlybird9679

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, the smarter well thought out comments like this one get buried near the bottom. What a sorry and unwise world we live in if this should be deemed as an 'unpopular point of view'.

Riding on boat from Naha to Nago is even faster than car .

Amazing. I didn't know Okinawa was so car-centric.

I'm quite confused with this video Greg. I thought you'll provide an opinion about any solution on the topic, but you just concluded that NA Urbanist should not be too hard on themselves. Car dependencies has the same issues whenever the location is. For this video, isn't the local government looking for a policy change: a cycling lanes, similar to the Dutch approach? I really thought that you'll mention it since road format changes are being made within 15-20 years.

Question- The US was the major contributor to the restoration of Japan post war. Both in keadership, humanitarian aid amd funding to rebuild. When is the video Thanks America for how the rest of Japan turned out? Or maybe your appteciate more after they start teaching Chinese in Tokyo schools and China treats the Japanese as well as they were treated in WW2.

As you already know, Toronto faces the same issues. While downtown Toronto has great public transit, it is still not enough to handle the growing population across GTA. Traffic on highways is terrible even though many of the GO Trains have lot of empty seats. Pooling is getting popular but still 90% of vehicles on road have just one rider.

@PiplupSoldier

11 ай бұрын

ahh, a fellow torontoian, you forgot to mention about the legendary highway that takes 1 hour to get from Toronto TO Toronto, and the Don Valley Parking lot. As for transit, The downtown are is great like you said, but once you head to North York or Scarborough region (possibly Etobicoke too,) especially the more northern regions, it becomes a nightmare. lets not mention the YRT is a absolute dumpsterfire.

I sometimes visit Okinawa and hire a scooter to ride around the whole island. The traffic in the built up areas can get bad but people in general dont race around and the drivers are more calm compared to where I live. I actually have to make a conscious effort to slow down and go with the flow in Okinawa. The reality is that wherever you are going it isn't all that far away anyway.

Your videos are great and very informative and the photos and video archive so awesome..keep it up. 👍🏼

Spoken like a true urbanist

You are such a good journalist and historian it's surprising some media outlet hasn't lured you from your personal channel. 😊

@KwadDamyj

Жыл бұрын

If this guy's a good journalist I'd hate to see what a bad one looks like.

In Manila, the Philippines, traffic is also an inescapable fact of life. I have to plan my days around hour-long transit times, and it's normal for many to spend 4+ hours in traffic daily. I guess it's no coincidence that, like Okinawa, the Philippines was a US territory for many years, so car culture has definitely rubbed off on us too. And like Okinawa, we did have fledgling rail systems pre-war, but infrastructure development in the decades since have focused primarily on roads and freeways. The Greater Manila area has nearly 20 million residents, but we are only served by three rail lines which can handle just a fraction of the population. Several rail projects have been initiated and abandoned over the past few years, and while there are some light rail and subway lines under construction, I doubt that these will be able to meaningfully improve the traffic situation.

@LifeWhereImFrom

Жыл бұрын

You'd probably be interested in the video I made there kzread.info/dash/bejne/gaipo4-YcsyvpLQ.html

the cheapest and most efficient way to improve, dedicated bus lane

I get even more of a sense of Tokyo seemingly having a superiority complex over the rest of Japan after seeing this video. Displaying stat after stat as if Tokyo is the gold standard that can do no wrong, while the rest of the country is beneath them. I wonder, even with the traffic backups, if Okinawans total average weekly commute times (for everything including errands and leisure) are actually longer than Tokyoites?

@kageyamareijikun

Жыл бұрын

Have you interacted with the average Tokyoite? They scoff at and despise foreigners more than any other prefecture too. Their reputation is well-earned.

@Kyogre_97

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 Not gonna happen 🤣

@VKK-cr1uk

Жыл бұрын

@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 War Thunderers will greatly agree with this sentiment

I think jakarta is also one of the worst city when it comes to traffic. my mom said we used to have trams in the city, but it has been long gone now.. i wonder if it's bc foreign countries (including japan) tried to sell their cars to us bc i hear that's what happened in the US where their extensive railways were replaced by highways bc of the campaign by general motors also, is weather a factor in okinawa? if I'm not mistaken okinawa is a tropical/almost tropical region. and as someone who live in the tropic, the weather is really a big factor why people here doesn't want to walk (or just being in the outdoor really)

@TheDuckPox

Жыл бұрын

At least we have actual recent progress on public transportations here.

@ahm--yf4046

Жыл бұрын

The old tram of Jakarta was removed by Soekarno's decree in the 60's because he saw them as old relic, unsuitable to the modern city he envisioned. He planned to build subway to replace them, however the coup happened. Afterward, Soeharto roses up to power, and the car lobby filled in the niche because Soeharto saw the train as communist relic too. Fyi, don't forget that Astra international (Indonesia's distributor for Toyota and Daihatsu) got the blessing from him back then. That's also the reason why a lot of Indonesia rail network got deactivated in the 70 to 80s. New order was a dark history in Indonesian train service.

would be great if that monorail can connect Naha -> Okinawa-shi (koza). That would make it very popular.

That archival B-roll footage is on point ~