Show HN: The Livability Map of Japan
kodawari.nimikko.co.jpI read an article couple of years ago in a newspaper where they segmented one city based on how many schools, supermarkets hospitals etc were available in a certain area and then made a ranking based on that. The idea was mulling on my mind for a while and i finally got around making it not only for Tokyo, but for whole Japan!
Basically I gathered tons of different data sources from both freely available sources, Japan government's own open census data etc, laid them on top of the map of Japan and created weighted scores based on the results. Then based on the user's preferences (like do they want to see areas good for families, people living by themselves, do they use a car etc) it colours the map on 100m*100cm grids based on how good they are based on the values. Really good if you are for example trying to figure out a good place to live in a neighborhood and want to get a place that has a good access to supermarkets etc or even traveling a trip to the country :)
Ive watched a few vids on YT and i always have the same question.
Where are the kids in the street riding their bikes or walking their dogs or playing in parks ? Same question replace kids with adults or even seniors ?
Why is everyone only ever rushing either to work or school or at those places ?
I mean where are the people having days off, buying lunch and rushing back to work is not free time.
If it's weekdays... everyone IS at school or work.
Also in Japan, there are laws about posting others' faces online without permission, so Japanese creators often will only put content without people online, as it is easier that blurring out their faces, asking for permission, or facing repercussions.
Are you telling me in a city of 35M, that nobody even seniors is having a day off to enjoy life ?
I think its sad. There must be millions of seniors who have worked very hard and almost NONE - yes not a joke, can afford to have a day off ?
The streets around the central part of Tokyo near the big train station or square or the palace or near the green walking/bicycle paths are all almost empty.
Empty here means there are barely 1 or 2 people just walking and enjoying their life. The background near the big buildings and so on are filled with people rushing to work but NOBODY looks like they are actually smiling and enjoying life in their grand city.
The same is true of many other cities and towns around Japan. Its hard to find anyone when clearly there are thousands somewhere nearby.
Have you ever been to Japan? Because what you say does not resemble reality. There is no reason to be sad!
Do a search on YT for a few bike rides around Tokyo or Japan.
Chris from Abroad in Japan recently re-released his bike ride from north to south or was it the other way along Japan.
youtube.com/AbroadInJapan I cycled 2000kms Across Japan - It almost broke me
Or try...
"bike ride around tokyo"
nice one. you could try on other cities.