The key point here (and biggest advantage of Japanese cities) is that nearly every building is mixed-use by default, regardless of local density levels. This post does a great job illustrating the difference this makes:
https://urbankchoze.blogspot.com/2014/04/japanese-zoning.htm...
For comparison, even our best-case scenarios for urbanism here in the states (like NYC) have incredibly convoluted zoning rules, which in turn make it impossible to build anything new without intervention from the city/state:
https://zola.planninglabs.nyc/about#9.72/40.7125/-73.733
> The key point here (and biggest advantage of Japanese cities) is that nearly every building is mixed-use by default,
Also, Japan generally has good mass transit throughout their cities, which essentially doesn't exist in the US. Less mass transit -> more cars -> need for parking -> larger buildings with setbacks to include parking -> less density -> less mass transit... Land use and transportation systems in the US have been co-evolved to the present sub-optimal state we have now.
This is a big misconception. The core neighborhoods of the big Japanese cities are dense, mixed-use, and have good mass transit. But as soon as you move a bit further away, they degenerate into endless urban sprawl like American cities. I know because I live in a small Japanese city, and it is just box stores, small detached houses, and two-story apartments.
> they degenerate into endless urban sprawl like American cities.
I will note, I have not lived in Japan. I'm just going by what I've seen hopping in street view on a lot of the smaller towns. Please do correct me if I'm wrong.
While yes, the small towns are way more sprawlly than the big cities in Japan. However, what I've seen doesn't even come close to how spread out things are in much of the US. Can you point to any place that looks like this[0] in Japan? Note, that is an "urban" area, not rural.
Sure, far more people get around by car. Transit access falls off considerably. Big box stores have actual parking lots. But I don't see parking lots like this[1] common when browsing around on Google Maps.
If anything, a lot of these sprawling small towns are far more dense and walkable than what even "dense" US cities are! A lot of the streets I'm seeing making up a lot of these towns are a good bit narrower than what most neighborhood residential streets I've lived on here in the US.
Feel free to show me parts of Japan I'm missing though. Maybe it exists and I haven't seen it yet, I did just kind of hop between a dozen or so small towns all over Japan.
They are both called mixed use, but are very different in terms of implementation.
In Japan, you can start and run your own business in your your own house (like your garage), within certain limits. This is why there are businesses in Japan like tiny cafes and shops that are nonviable anywhere else.
Where you and I live, the commercial section is a completely separate unit which is usually quite large, must be rented separately, and comes with a lot of regulations.
For comparison, even our best-case scenarios for urbanism here in the states (like NYC) have incredibly convoluted zoning rules, which in turn make it impossible to build anything new without intervention from the city/state: https://zola.planninglabs.nyc/about#9.72/40.7125/-73.733