On the other hand, rent for people in Tokyo is... 20% of what it is in SF/NYC? In cities where most people do not own, having most things be cheap means less economic output going to rent seekers.
It would be nice to have the "disposable" attitude without actually rebuilding all the time. Making as few people as possible profit from rising rent/home prices means it's easier for governments to take policies that prevent that.
Policies which, ultimately, improve society as a whole because less economic output is going directly into the pockets of people who are doing nothing except owning a good.
A theory I heard about economic growth in Japan is much simpler: Population growth has stalled, so economic growth has as well. Lack of labor means it's hard for companies to increase economic output without improving their processes.
[0] says downtown NYC is upwards of $2k, hitting $3-4k in certain areas (1 bedroom). My impression is that there's not much of a way of avoiding this.
A quick search on suumo.jp, and I can only find a handful of 1 room apartments (1 bedroom, under 750 square feet) over $3k in all of downtown Tokyo. Having moved many times within the city limits, I would say that, for a 1 bedroom, you could expect to pay $1-1.5k in really nice areas, for something not far from the station.
But you can easily find cheaper places if you're willing to be a bit further from the station (nobody wants to be a 12 minute walk from the station), or if you're willing to live near the less fun stations on the Yamanote. But the apartments are still in good shape. Just a bit less convenient.
And if you're good living in a shitty apartment (building over 40 years old), you can easily get your rent way down.
I just signed for a place (50m2, 2 rooms + dining/kitchen, built 3 years ago) near Ueno for $1500 a month.
"[0] says downtown NYC is upwards of $2k, hitting $3-4k in certain areas (1 bedroom). My impression is that there's not much of a way of avoiding this.
...
But you can easily find cheaper places if you're willing to be a bit further from the station (nobody wants to be a 12 minute walk from the station), or if you're willing to live near the less fun stations on the Yamanote. "
I'm not familiar with Tokyo neighborhoods, but it sounds like you are comparing apples and oranges. Manhattan is not the same as NYC--there are four other boros. Not all of that has subway access but huge swaths of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens do. I live in a one bedroom in Queens, 3 blocks from the subway, for less than $1500/month.
You can rent a place in the nicest parts of Tokyo for the price of a shithole in Manhattan. Under 2000 US dollars will get you a pretty decent place. Tokyo may be expensive on a Japanese salary, but it is not expensive compared to major US and European cities.
It would be nice to have the "disposable" attitude without actually rebuilding all the time. Making as few people as possible profit from rising rent/home prices means it's easier for governments to take policies that prevent that.
Policies which, ultimately, improve society as a whole because less economic output is going directly into the pockets of people who are doing nothing except owning a good.
A theory I heard about economic growth in Japan is much simpler: Population growth has stalled, so economic growth has as well. Lack of labor means it's hard for companies to increase economic output without improving their processes.