What's missing from these pictures?
No on-street parking makes all the difference in the cities of #Japan. The 1962 "proof-of-parking" law means you buy a car, you've got to show you've got a place—off public streets—to warehouse it.
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No on-street parking makes all the difference in the cities of #Japan. The 1962 "proof-of-parking" law means you buy a car, you've got to show you've got a place—off public streets—to warehouse it.
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In the three #Tokyo neighborhoods I spent time in over a decade, the streets were refreshingly free of on-street parked cars—certainly compared to North America.
The parking laws lead to some interesting arrangements; cars squeezed into tiny garages (how do you open the door to get out?); car elevators; multi-storey lots where cars are stacked like battery hens.
Of course, many people find ways around the law! Light "kei" cars, which can actually be pretty big, can be sold w/out the proof-of-parking permit. (Technically, they still can't be parked on-street.) Others may have come to "arrangements" with local authorities.
Automobiles are popular in #Japan, but what you see most often is service vehicles, taxis. Cars tend to be used for leisure more often than commuting. Why drive when you've got a rail transit network like this?
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