Something to ask about on Hokkaido: what’s the deal with zoning? There are rice paddies in-between buildings in places – I saw this as we took the train to Nagasaki from Fukuoka. Granted it wasn’t in the city center, but it was still clearly within the urban boundaries. And I saw this throughout the train-ride in mid-sized cities as well. Within the cities, mixed-use zoning of restaurants/shops and apartments seems common. It seems a little chaotic, which certainly wasn’t the expectation I had coming here. The only US city that I’m aware of that has few zoning restrictions is Houston, and it has a reputation for being very decentralized and awkwardly designed (I admit I’ve only transferred planes in Houston, so I suppose I should confirm this.) In any case, it’s something to keep an eye out for as we head north, and when we get to Hokkaido, I’d like to find out if possible how much control over zoning the local autonomy laws provide.
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Please keep looking at zoning differences. I had never thought of this. In my experience working with a Japanese corporation implementing things that worked in Japan, I struggle with the way they ignore local and state law in their planning stages and fail to open a store because of legal obstacles. The same applies to some of their business initiatives.
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one must not forget the influence of the rice lobby in japan...our texas patna can't get over there, because of the rice lobby...wonder if it plays into zoning as well...not to mention that geographically speaking, japan doesn't have much arable land, so every inch is ultra precious.
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