When you argue for housing reform to legalize denser development in our cities, you quickly learn that some people hate density. Like, really hate density, with visceral disgust and contempt for any development pattern that involves buildings being tall or close together.
It’s not all of Japan that’s like that. I live in rural Japan. It’s a 50 minute walk to the nearest train station, the trains frequently don’t run on time and are sometimes cancelled for parts of or whole days.
In dense Tokyo, people constantly have to deal with thin walls and petty neighbors. Concrete buildings come at a premium. Frequently, cigarette smoke coming in from windows or range hoods is an issue. There’s definitely a lot given up with people getting constant shit from neighbors because their kids have the audacity to move and make noises kids make.
It’s not all roses here. I definitely would urge anyone to try living in Japan for a while before actually writing about it.
Edit to add: love hotels are a thing in part because of how thin walls are in apartments. Central heat/AC is mostly not a thing here, if you’re used to that. Clothes dryers are also not generally used outside of particularly cold/rainy areas. Housing is cheap in part because land may appreciate but houses/flats are not investments that will sell for more than you paid later; most things are still built to last about 30-40 years before the next generation will take them, gut them (or knock them down in the case of houses), and rebuild.
Edit2: forgot another gripe: technically/legally, most verandas/balconies are public space (as they are parts of fire escape routes) and you’re not allowed to put anything like plants or furniture there. It varies based on building type and isn’t super enforced (I grew a lot of plants when I lived in an apartment, but it was only me who would be negatively impacted if I needed to escape via my veranda).