If I had to pick the one most important factor in making so many Tokyo streets so attractive it would be the absence of any on-street parking. A fairly random but typical example is the street around the corner from our hotel in Nishi-shinjuku-go home ... 
That street, closed at one end to traffic, is relatively unusual in having no markings to deter parking. This one, narrower and with more shops, has markings on both sides.
You can park your car in this neighbourhood - you just have to do it on your own land or in a commercial parking area, never on the street.
This leads to endlessly creative designs for incorporating parking into housing. It also leads to far less clutter, streets for people not cars, and less driving overall.
But it's not just narrow residential streets in Tokyo that don't have parking. There is no on-street *parking* almost anywhere. This very wide road was the only exception I can remember Tokyo
goo.gl/maps/yTQQd92QB…. Short term stops for deliveries and loading was also allowed.
goo.gl/maps/yTQQd92QB…. Short term stops for deliveries and loading was also allowed.
*in* Tokyo, I mean
Fascinating post by @PaulABarter that explains how the ban on overnight parking ensures car-free streets in Japanese cities . Read the comments too.
