Joe McReynolds
@joemcreynolds.bsky.social
Japan urbanism: Emergent Tokyo (2022). China-US NatSec: China's Evolving Military Strategy (2016), China's Evolving Information Warfare (2025). 摸着石头过河, learning as I go.
Reposted by Joe McReynolds
Tokyo keeps housing affordable while New York City spirals ever upward. @joemcreynolds.bsky.social investigates what we can learn from Japan's approach.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/tea...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/tea...
www.vitalcitynyc.org
September 17, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Tokyo keeps housing affordable while New York City spirals ever upward. @joemcreynolds.bsky.social investigates what we can learn from Japan's approach.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/tea...
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/tea...
Calvin is truly the goodest boy you can imagine
October 17, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Calvin is truly the goodest boy you can imagine
Poker Face is the most delightful Columbo reboot I never knew I wanted
May 30, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Poker Face is the most delightful Columbo reboot I never knew I wanted
Too many American leftists have an allergy to forming the broad, welcoming political coalitions that would gain actual power -- posting online is essentially an elaborate PvP MMO to many of them. AOC was right; the first duty of any left activist should be, "be effective."
May 27, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Too many American leftists have an allergy to forming the broad, welcoming political coalitions that would gain actual power -- posting online is essentially an elaborate PvP MMO to many of them. AOC was right; the first duty of any left activist should be, "be effective."
Hey Matt! Saw you're doing a BlueSky week experiment, so figured I'd ask here. Do you know of any good way to interface with Claude solely via voice? I want Claude as a research assistant that I can chat verbally with at my desk, but everything with Claude seems designed around typing only.
January 23, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Hey Matt! Saw you're doing a BlueSky week experiment, so figured I'd ask here. Do you know of any good way to interface with Claude solely via voice? I want Claude as a research assistant that I can chat verbally with at my desk, but everything with Claude seems designed around typing only.
Really glad you checked out our book! I've subscribed to NoPro for years now as someone who loves immersive theater so, game recognize game
January 9, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Really glad you checked out our book! I've subscribed to NoPro for years now as someone who loves immersive theater so, game recognize game
Really glad you liked it! I'm based in your backyard most of the time (Mt Pleasant), would love to pick your brain about urban planning in DC sometime
January 9, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Really glad you liked it! I'm based in your backyard most of the time (Mt Pleasant), would love to pick your brain about urban planning in DC sometime
Very cool, what sort of products are they working on?
January 9, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Very cool, what sort of products are they working on?
I'm too online already Zander lmao
January 9, 2025 at 4:29 AM
I'm too online already Zander lmao
Let me know how you like it!
January 9, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Let me know how you like it!
Let me know how you like it!
January 9, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Let me know how you like it!
Let me know what you think of it!
January 9, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Let me know what you think of it!
Really glad you liked it!
January 9, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Really glad you liked it!
Let me know how you like it!
December 10, 2024 at 4:31 PM
Let me know how you like it!
Final thought: I also think the Left should ask itself whether assassinations like this are actually likely to make a better world (history from Latin America and Asia suggests "probably not"!). Our health care industry is frequently brutal, but lionizing murder isn't a great response either.
December 9, 2024 at 9:45 PM
Final thought: I also think the Left should ask itself whether assassinations like this are actually likely to make a better world (history from Latin America and Asia suggests "probably not"!). Our health care industry is frequently brutal, but lionizing murder isn't a great response either.
The simple reality is, rich nations are facing falling birthrates whether they're more patriarchal (S. Korea) or more gender egalitarian (Scandinavia). It's happening everywhere! So it's silly to try and pin it on one culture, much less a tourist misunderstanding of that culture.
December 9, 2024 at 9:45 PM
The simple reality is, rich nations are facing falling birthrates whether they're more patriarchal (S. Korea) or more gender egalitarian (Scandinavia). It's happening everywhere! So it's silly to try and pin it on one culture, much less a tourist misunderstanding of that culture.
Looking at ideas beyond the world of podcast-bro assassins, Japan is trying a lot of the obvious things you'd expect to boost the birthrate. Egg freezing subsidies, affordable childcare, etc etc. It's not enough, but Japan isn't alone here; no country has really cracked the code.
December 9, 2024 at 9:44 PM
Looking at ideas beyond the world of podcast-bro assassins, Japan is trying a lot of the obvious things you'd expect to boost the birthrate. Egg freezing subsidies, affordable childcare, etc etc. It's not enough, but Japan isn't alone here; no country has really cracked the code.
As for "reviving Shintoism," customs like the parading of neighborhood mikoshi shrines are as big as ever! They also serve as a cross-gen neighborhood glue: old-timers need strapping young folks to help carry the shrine, a "gateway drug" to involving them in more local activities.
December 9, 2024 at 9:44 PM
As for "reviving Shintoism," customs like the parading of neighborhood mikoshi shrines are as big as ever! They also serve as a cross-gen neighborhood glue: old-timers need strapping young folks to help carry the shrine, a "gateway drug" to involving them in more local activities.
And Japan isn't a nation addicted to e-sports cafes over exercise; the shooter may have been thinking of South Korea 20 years ago, maybe? Japanese schoolkids get P.E. just like ours do, and Japan is actually healthier by most metrics than the US! Tokyo's walkability definitely helps.
December 9, 2024 at 9:43 PM
And Japan isn't a nation addicted to e-sports cafes over exercise; the shooter may have been thinking of South Korea 20 years ago, maybe? Japanese schoolkids get P.E. just like ours do, and Japan is actually healthier by most metrics than the US! Tokyo's walkability definitely helps.
The existence of all these niche micro business concepts like maid cafes, muscle girl bars, etc. isn't about Japan being culturally "weird," it's that a cityscape full of tiny cheap spaces (all very accessible by public transit) allows niche small biz of all kinds to flourish.
December 9, 2024 at 9:42 PM
The existence of all these niche micro business concepts like maid cafes, muscle girl bars, etc. isn't about Japan being culturally "weird," it's that a cityscape full of tiny cheap spaces (all very accessible by public transit) allows niche small biz of all kinds to flourish.
Maid cafes are already heavily stigmatized; in fact, most of the "weird Japan" ephemera that Western media writes news stories about are considered even weirder by average Japanese people. There's a lot of them, but in a city of 40mil there's a lot of everything.
December 9, 2024 at 9:42 PM
Maid cafes are already heavily stigmatized; in fact, most of the "weird Japan" ephemera that Western media writes news stories about are considered even weirder by average Japanese people. There's a lot of them, but in a city of 40mil there's a lot of everything.
Next up, conveyor belt sushi. Tourists don't realize, but at most conveyor belt sushi restaurants, you can still order directly from the chef! Same price, freshly made. It's not as soulless as it looks, it's not where most people eat sushi, and it's not why the birthrate is low.
December 9, 2024 at 9:41 PM
Next up, conveyor belt sushi. Tourists don't realize, but at most conveyor belt sushi restaurants, you can still order directly from the chef! Same price, freshly made. It's not as soulless as it looks, it's not where most people eat sushi, and it's not why the birthrate is low.
Do you want sleek modern amenities for your money, or cozy backstreets where you can create art and community? Different strokes for different folks, and both are available in spades because Japan builds enough housing that it stays affordable. Neither is denting the birth rate.
December 9, 2024 at 9:41 PM
Do you want sleek modern amenities for your money, or cozy backstreets where you can create art and community? Different strokes for different folks, and both are available in spades because Japan builds enough housing that it stays affordable. Neither is denting the birth rate.
His starting thesis is totally backwards - Tokyo is full of human-scale urban environments that allow for intimate communal life to sprout up. And they're affordable! Tons of folks live in suburban apartment blocks too, but that's a free choice; both are doable on normal budgets.
December 9, 2024 at 9:40 PM
His starting thesis is totally backwards - Tokyo is full of human-scale urban environments that allow for intimate communal life to sprout up. And they're affordable! Tons of folks live in suburban apartment blocks too, but that's a free choice; both are doable on normal budgets.