5. Graphics to make your transfer seamless

At each station in the Tokyo Metro, they have these guides that let you know which car to enter to be closest to your exit at your destination station. (This is especially helpful when some stations have 30+ exits.)

4. Transit-oriented development (we just call it development)

This apartment building sits directly above the train station/bus hub. The entire station has everything you need: an easy train connection to Tokyo, a grocery store, a cafe, and dozens of other food and shopping options.

3. In denser neighborhoods, most people bike or walk to the grocery store.

Free bike parking at this store for 90 minutes. ¥100 for every two hours after. This place has a small car parking structure above the store, but the car entrance fronts the larger road on the other side of the block.

These two-way streets are barely wide enough to fit two cars side by side. The design reflects that pedestrians and cyclists have priority, even without sidewalks or bike lanes. Drivers have to negotiate space with each other and naturally drive slowly to navigate the tight spaces.

2. Climate-controlled waiting rooms on platforms.

If you’ve been to Japan in the summer, you know how brutal the heat can be. I often see older riders and families with young kids using these rooms as they wait for their train.

I commuted to school by foot via this street starting at age 7. Here are some other examples of streets kids rely on to walk to school in a nearby city. (Note the “School Zone” painted on the street in the first pic)

M8.7 is the kind of magnitude that makes seismologists swear.