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This is a great article, but I think it’s hard to ignore that Japan’s culture of harmony is a big part of why they were able to choose sensible regulations that

This is a great article, but I think it’s hard to ignore that Japan’s culture of harmony is a big part of why they were able to choose sensible regulations that benefitted everyone. We struggle to pass even the most sensible land use reforms because entrenched interests want to remain entrenched even if it hurts the system overall.

mitthrowaway2 5mo ago
So America's culture of individual liberty is why people don't have the freedom to build whatever they want on the land that they own?
- Someone1234 5mo ago
  American's culture of me, me, me, now, now, now is why. If it doesn't benefit the individual almost immediately they're strongly opposed. They want the benefits of strong infrastructure but let someone else build it without inconveniencing ME or costing ME a dime. It is a culture that teaches greed is good and society should be built around all gain no cost.
  - socalgal2 5mo ago
    > They want the benefits of strong infrastructure but let someone else build it without inconveniencing ME or costing ME a dime. Which is what the Japanese have. private railways
  - antonymoose 5mo ago
    As an American, I always hear all these weird stories about New York and its subway system. All the random busker type nonsense, the petty crime and the “mugger wallet” type jokes. Not to mention the major crimes that make the news. I’d rather not deal with it? Yes I know roads are dangerous. I’d still rather not deal with the expected culturally imposed insanity that the Japanese curiously seem to lack.
    - mmooss 5mo ago
      > I always hear all these weird stories The weird stories, about anything, are nonsense; sensationalized to either be emotoinally compelling or even active disinformation to serve some political end (especially about American cities, especially about NYC.) It's just induced fear. Just go to NY and ride the subway. Millions do all the time without any problems, without a second thought. It's really no problem and amazingly convenient. (Busking is people playing music.) Of course some crime occurs among millions of people but so do lottery grand prizes and heart attacks. I've been on many subway rides without experiencing one crime or even seeing one, and much other public transit. And when you do, you'll know what to think of the stories and people who tell them.
      - superdisk 5mo ago
        It's extremely common for there to be human shit in the train cars, and lunatics going nuts. It's absolutely nothing like Japan.
        mmooss 5mo ago
        > It's extremely common for there to be human shit in the train cars, and lunatics going nuts Where does that come from? Not from your experience. You've never been on NY subways, clearly. I've never seen feces - and anyway, how could you tell if it's from a dog? Did you examine it? Take it home and test it? It's one of the stories that maybe is slightly plausible, and which yields such strong disgust that rationality is overwhelmed and it makes a sensation - perfectly constructed misinformation or urban myth. Like waking up in a bathtub with a kidney missing. 'Lunatics' is such a loaded (and hateful) word you'll have to specify what you mean, but the occasional person talking to themself is harmless and completely uninterested in you (thus the conversation with themself) - I have never had any problem with such people on public transit or elsewhere. They are the most vulnerable people and compassion is the appropriate response. As I wrote above, the stories are nonsense and it's induced fear.
        superdisk 5mo ago
- hirpslop 5mo ago
  Yes, that’s exactly right. Maximal ‘individual liberty’ is my right to maximize my land’s value. My neighbors either agree to maximize theirs in a way that increases, or doesn’t hinder, mine, or they are my enemy to be litigated to death by my lawyers for damages.
- Humorist2290 5mo ago
  America's culture of individual liberty moved into the national mythos in the last century, replaced by a culture of consumption and commerce over all. People don't have the freedom to build whatever they want because pockets need to be greased, permits need to be reviewed, HOAs need to have their fees, etc.
swed420 5mo ago
> because entrenched interests want to remain entrenched even if it hurts the system overall. You might say it's because we live in a "low trust society," but not for the reasons the people who usually invoke that term claim.
- dudul 5mo ago
  What are the reasons people usually invoke? And what are the "true reasons"?
  - swed420 5mo ago
    Most people using the term "low trust society" are implying that certain subsets of the population are the cause of it, often with racial (non-white) and/or economic (lower class) components, whereas somebody like me views those groups and their behaviors, to the extent that it's true, as a symptom of the low trust society rather than the root cause. For me, the root cause is systemic corruption all the way to the top, for decade after decade.
    - unselect5917 5mo ago
      And they are obviously correct as the per capita statistics prove out over and over and over and over and over again.
      - swed420 5mo ago
        Please show the statistics and explain how they prove the direction of causality you're so confidently claiming.
mmooss 5mo ago
> Japan’s culture of harmony is a big part of why they were able to choose sensible regulations that benefitted everyone. Is there evidence of that? It sounds like a broad stereotype of a complex, large country by an ignorant outsider. > entrenched interests want to remain entrenched even if it hurts the system overall Another way to look at that is prioritzing the individual over the system, a hallmark of liberty and human rights.
SoftTalker 5mo ago
It's also hard to ignore that Japan was bombed to smithereens in the 1940s and undertook a nationwide rebuilding effort that might have contributed to a more uniform approach to land use.
- bregma 5mo ago
  Not to mention that every few years either a typhoon or a 9.0 earthquake defeats any effort to build exceptional value in your property. It seems the only thing that is permanent in Japan is impermanence.
  - codethief 5mo ago
    > Not to mention that every few years either a typhoon or a 9.0 earthquake defeats any effort to build exceptional value in your property. Isn't that the same in certain regions of the US?

mitthrowaway2 5mo ago

So America's culture of individual liberty is why people don't have the freedom to build whatever they want on the land that they own?

Someone1234 5mo ago
American's culture of me, me, me, now, now, now is why. If it doesn't benefit the individual almost immediately they're strongly opposed. They want the benefits of strong infrastructure but let someone else build it without inconveniencing ME or costing ME a dime. It is a culture that teaches greed is good and society should be built around all gain no cost.
- socalgal2 5mo ago
  > They want the benefits of strong infrastructure but let someone else build it without inconveniencing ME or costing ME a dime. Which is what the Japanese have. private railways
- antonymoose 5mo ago
  As an American, I always hear all these weird stories about New York and its subway system. All the random busker type nonsense, the petty crime and the “mugger wallet” type jokes. Not to mention the major crimes that make the news. I’d rather not deal with it? Yes I know roads are dangerous. I’d still rather not deal with the expected culturally imposed insanity that the Japanese curiously seem to lack.
  - mmooss 5mo ago
    > I always hear all these weird stories The weird stories, about anything, are nonsense; sensationalized to either be emotoinally compelling or even active disinformation to serve some political end (especially about American cities, especially about NYC.) It's just induced fear. Just go to NY and ride the subway. Millions do all the time without any problems, without a second thought. It's really no problem and amazingly convenient. (Busking is people playing music.) Of course some crime occurs among millions of people but so do lottery grand prizes and heart attacks. I've been on many subway rides without experiencing one crime or even seeing one, and much other public transit. And when you do, you'll know what to think of the stories and people who tell them.
    - superdisk 5mo ago
      It's extremely common for there to be human shit in the train cars, and lunatics going nuts. It's absolutely nothing like Japan.
      - mmooss 5mo ago
        > It's extremely common for there to be human shit in the train cars, and lunatics going nuts Where does that come from? Not from your experience. You've never been on NY subways, clearly. I've never seen feces - and anyway, how could you tell if it's from a dog? Did you examine it? Take it home and test it? It's one of the stories that maybe is slightly plausible, and which yields such strong disgust that rationality is overwhelmed and it makes a sensation - perfectly constructed misinformation or urban myth. Like waking up in a bathtub with a kidney missing. 'Lunatics' is such a loaded (and hateful) word you'll have to specify what you mean, but the occasional person talking to themself is harmless and completely uninterested in you (thus the conversation with themself) - I have never had any problem with such people on public transit or elsewhere. They are the most vulnerable people and compassion is the appropriate response. As I wrote above, the stories are nonsense and it's induced fear.
        superdisk 5mo ago
hirpslop 5mo ago
Yes, that’s exactly right. Maximal ‘individual liberty’ is my right to maximize my land’s value. My neighbors either agree to maximize theirs in a way that increases, or doesn’t hinder, mine, or they are my enemy to be litigated to death by my lawyers for damages.
Humorist2290 5mo ago
America's culture of individual liberty moved into the national mythos in the last century, replaced by a culture of consumption and commerce over all. People don't have the freedom to build whatever they want because pockets need to be greased, permits need to be reviewed, HOAs need to have their fees, etc.

swed420 5mo ago

> because entrenched interests want to remain entrenched even if it hurts the system overall. You might say it's because we live in a "low trust society," but not for the reasons the people who usually invoke that term claim.

dudul 5mo ago
What are the reasons people usually invoke? And what are the "true reasons"?
- swed420 5mo ago
  Most people using the term "low trust society" are implying that certain subsets of the population are the cause of it, often with racial (non-white) and/or economic (lower class) components, whereas somebody like me views those groups and their behaviors, to the extent that it's true, as a symptom of the low trust society rather than the root cause. For me, the root cause is systemic corruption all the way to the top, for decade after decade.
  - unselect5917 5mo ago
    And they are obviously correct as the per capita statistics prove out over and over and over and over and over again.
    - swed420 5mo ago
      Please show the statistics and explain how they prove the direction of causality you're so confidently claiming.

mmooss 5mo ago

> Japan’s culture of harmony is a big part of why they were able to choose sensible regulations that benefitted everyone. Is there evidence of that? It sounds like a broad stereotype of a complex, large country by an ignorant outsider. > entrenched interests want to remain entrenched even if it hurts the system overall Another way to look at that is prioritzing the individual over the system, a hallmark of liberty and human rights.

SoftTalker 5mo ago

It's also hard to ignore that Japan was bombed to smithereens in the 1940s and undertook a nationwide rebuilding effort that might have contributed to a more uniform approach to land use.

bregma 5mo ago
Not to mention that every few years either a typhoon or a 9.0 earthquake defeats any effort to build exceptional value in your property. It seems the only thing that is permanent in Japan is impermanence.
- codethief 5mo ago
  > Not to mention that every few years either a typhoon or a 9.0 earthquake defeats any effort to build exceptional value in your property. Isn't that the same in certain regions of the US?