Crowded Japan Options

[Dan67]

I saw a documentary about Japan on the Travel Channel. They showed the Japanese style middle class hotel room. It was basically a hollow cylinder 2 meters by 1 meter in diameter. It is difficult for me to imagine such a crowded place. I was born in the wide open spaces of South Dakota USA, where I still live. Are there any signs that Japans population is decreasing? Modern and safe birth control methods along with individual responsiblity would appear to be the best answer.

[toki]

I saw a documentary about Japan on the Travel Channel. They showed the Japanese style middle class hotel room. It was basically a hollow cylinder 2 meters by 1 meter in diameter. It is difficult for me to imagine such a crowded place. I was born in the wide open spaces of South Dakota USA, where I still live. Are there any signs that Japans population is decreasing? Modern and safe birth control methods along with individual responsiblity would appear to be the best answer.

the birth rate is pretty low. yeah i heard of americans who were surprised that they had to sleep in capsules for hotel rooms =-/ i'd be so claustophobic about it

This post has been edited by toki: Apr 8 2006, 12:32 PM

[Jarhier]

Are there any signs that Japans population is decreasing? Modern and safe birth control methods along with individual responsiblity would appear to be the best answer.

Japan Posts Year-To-Year Population Fall

TOKYO - Japan's population shrank in the year through November 2005 — the first annual decrease on record, the health and welfare ministry said Friday, confirming an earlier government prediction.

The country's population fell by 8,340 from December 2004 to November 2005, marking the first yearly decline since the government began compiling data in 1899, the ministry said in a statement. However, it added that data for 1944-1946 was missing.

The government had said Japan's population of 127 million began to fall for the first time on record last year, fanning worries that future generations of workers won't generate enough tax revenue to support the growing legions of elderly.

At the center of the population debate is the question of how to encourage women to have more babies. Japan's average birth rate of 1.29 babies per woman is one of the lowest in the world.

On Friday, the ministry's data also showed the number of births in the first 11 months of 2005 totaled 971,291, down 43,331, or 4.3 percent, from a year earlier. The number of deaths totaled 979,827 during the same period, up 47,136, or 5.1 percent, the ministry said.

The ministry had earlier predicted that Japan's population declined in 2005.

In an attempt to encourage women to have more babies, the government began a five-year project last year to build more daycare centers, while encouraging men to take paternity leave.

Japanese companies typically expect long hours from workers, and many women with careers feel they cannot meet the demands of both work and family and must choose one or the other.

Other factors include expensive housing and education costs.

[rahul1000]

I'm used to wide, open spaces as well but the capsule hotels didn't look too bad to me, looks pretty comfy in fact if you ask me from the pictures I saw anyways.
Even with a low or even declining birthrate, Japan now has a problem with its elderly population with fewer younger people in the workforce to support them for example.
I read a story about this issue in the New York Times and saw an elementary school with only 5 students enrolled and with several of them and day care centers having to be shut down because there were practically no children in this certain rural town.

This post has been edited by rahul1000: Apr 8 2006, 09:39 PM

[xXChnDreamerxX]

perfect living space for me. all i need is a room with a computer and internet, a desk, a bed and a comfy chair. and maybe a TV.

since im gonna be single forever anyways.

[ham_let]

iunno. that's just in the cities. there are open spaces in japan. it's not like one big city that goes on for hundreds of miles. LOL. i guess the people in the cities enjoy the city life anyways.

wasn't younghee scared that japan would get tocrowded that it'd sink into the ocean? LOL.

[xXChnDreamerxX]

actually, tokyo does sorta extend for many many miles. its pretty much endlessly urban. but then again, its a clean city for how big it is and people enjoy the city life.

and its good for old people.

its not like the US where old people are stuck in the middle of nowhere all alone in their homes. what if they get like a stroke or something and no one is around. and the prospect of old, senile people driving to get where they need to go scares the crap out of me.

[ham_let]

lol yea i knwo, but i meant like.. the entire island of honshu being a HUGE metropolis. (IMG:http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif)

that'd be so hardcore. a city as big as california itself.

[xXChnDreamerxX]

lol yea i knwo, but i meant like.. the entire island of honshu being a HUGE metropolis. (IMG:http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif)

that'd be so hardcore. a city as big as california itself.

japanese government purposely wanted to make the cities as densely populated and crowded as possible. they could have spread it out a bit and did it like american style cities with sprawling suburbs but the government wanted to keep the real estate expensive. japan actually has lots of land. most of their land is unusued.

but its good i guess. cause if you live in the city, you dont have to buy a car or buy a house. that leaves a lot of money left over. you could spend it on cool $hit.

[supernovasp]

i hate suburban sprawl so boring (IMG:http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/icon_neutral.gif)

[cabbit]

perfect living space for me. all i need is a room with a computer and internet, a desk, a bed and a comfy chair. and maybe a TV.

since im gonna be single forever anyways.

Wouldn't you want a stove, refridgerator, oven/microwave, sink, toilet, and shower as well? Or do you plan on staying stinky and order takeout everyday?

[xXChnDreamerxX]

i hate suburban sprawl so boring (IMG:http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/icon_neutral.gif)

word

Wouldn't you want a stove, refridgerator, oven/microwave, sink, toilet, and shower as well? Or do you plan on staying stinky and order takeout everyday?

oh yah hehe i forgot (IMG:http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif)

[SagaciousLuDa]

everyone should eat that poisonous fish dish and die then it will be less crowded

[xXChnDreamerxX]

everyone should eat that poisonous fish dish and die then it will be less crowded

japan isn't that crowded. most of the land is open space. its just that the government choses to pack the cities with people.

[Jarhier]

wasn't younghee scared that japan would get tocrowded that it'd sink into the ocean? LOL.

lmao that explains numerous earthquakes there recently huh (IMG:http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif)

[Lucifer]

the reason japan is so crowed is because they love live in small space. and not to forget japan is as samll and highly populated as it has always been, 70% of japanese land is still covered with forestry. how can it not be crowed?

[Jaimu-Jaimu]

iunno. that's just in the cities. there are open spaces in japan. it's not like one big city that goes on for hundreds of miles. LOL. i guess the people in the cities enjoy the city life anyways.

You sure about that?
When I was there, I didn't see much open space. (IMG:http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/embarassedlaugh.gif)

[running horse]

japanese government purposely wanted to make the cities as densely populated and crowded as possible. they could have spread it out a bit and did it like american style cities with sprawling suburbs but the government wanted to keep the real estate expensive. japan actually has lots of land. most of their land is unusued.

but its good i guess. cause if you live in the city, you dont have to buy a car or buy a house. that leaves a lot of money left over. you could spend it on cool $hit.

^ notice the bold statement

that's one of the main reasons for me to move to Japan

[kunomchu]

you might not need to buy a car but everything else there is much more expensive.

[xXChnDreamerxX]

you might not need to buy a car but everything else there is much more expensive.

yah but think about it, most americans spend money on car and house. thats where they invest most of their $$$. imagine if you did not have to do that, that's a lot of money left over.