Japan
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SEE IT! Small Japanese Pickup Truck Shows Bigger is Definitely Not Better
One Brooklyn business has seen the future of safe streets and heavy lugging — and it's going to be O-KEI!
July 31, 2025
Why It’s So Hard to Import Small Trucks That Are Less Lethal to Pedestrians
A rise in rural Americans buying miniature trucks from Japan that meet their needs better than U.S. megacars is renewing calls for Congress to make it easier to buy smaller, safer vehicles from overseas — at least while U.S. automakers refuse to produce them here.
May 8, 2023
Opinion: Car-Free Inspiration From an Overseas Adventure
For four months last fall, my lifestyle changed dramatically when my husband and I lived car-free. Here's what I learned.
April 21, 2023
Japan’s ‘Old Enough!’ Sparks Questions About Car-Dependent US Childhoods
A long-running Japanese TV show challenges young children to navigate their cities without adult supervision, making us wonder why American cities are so comparatively hostile to kids.
April 25, 2022
These Aren’t America’s Best Bus Stops … But We Still Love Them
You still have a little time to submit your nomination for our America's Best Bus Stops contest — and we've got a little last-minute inspiration for you.
March 15, 2022
Study: Cycling Rates Low Unless Women Are Riding
May 20, 2021
If You Want to Buy a Car in Japan…
If you want to buy a car in Japan, first you have to prove that you have somewhere to park it. That's one of the policies Streetfilms encountered while interviewing experts for an upcoming three-part series on parking best practices.
February 10, 2016
Automated Underground Bike Parking in Tokyo
From Japan Probe via Gizmodo comes this video of an automated underground bike garage at a Tokyo commuter train station. For a single-use fee of 100 yen (about $1) or 1,800 yen for a monthly pass, customers roll their bikes onto a platform and use a control panel to have them whisked away to a rack within the 9,400 spot facility. The video shows that it takes the system 23 seconds to retrieve the reporter's bike. (As our tipster noted, if you liked "Brazil," you'll love this clip.)
April 21, 2008
Traffic Jam on a Petri Dish
This one comes to Streetsblog via the Sightline Institute's Daily Score, a blog covering environmental issues in the Pacific Northwest.
March 11, 2008
Young Japanese Just Say No to Cars
Now for some good news: Car culture is on the wane, at least in Japan. The Wall Street Journal reports that car sales in Japan are down 31 percent since the peak in 1990, and not only because of stagnant population growth. The newest generation of would-be buyers, it turns out, just doesn't think cars are all that necessary:
March 3, 2008