From neighbourhood shopping streets to accessible transport, Japan’s most liveable cities remove the everyday frustrations of urban life.
What makes a city genuinely easy to live in? It’s not necessarily gleaming skyscrapers or world-famous attractions, but whether you can get to work without a car, do your shopping on foot, navigate a train station in a wheelchair or push a pram safely down the pavement.
Japan’s cities are especially good at this. In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2026 Global Liveability Index, Osaka ranked seventh and Tokyo rose three places to 10th, making Japan the only Asian country with two cities in the top 10.
This rise reflects perfect scores in the index for stability, healthcare and education, as well as strong infrastructure. But residents say the real difference is in the intentional and accessible design choices that make life run smoothly.
“Japan is built to work for everyone,” says Josh Grisdale, a power wheelchair user who runs Accessible Japan and has lived in Tokyo for 18 years. “The same ramps, elevators and space I use as a wheelchair user help a parent with a stroller, an older person or someone lugging a suitcase in from the airport.”
1. Build cities around everyday life
Much of daily life in Japan plays out in the shotengai (covered shopping streets lined with independent businesses whose owners often live above their own shops). “A greengrocer, old coffee shop, clinic, 100-yen shop and dinner [options] all sit within a few flat, covered blocks,” says Grisdale.
Grocery shopping was a chore that American Patrick Lydon dreaded when he lived in the United States. After moving to a modern Osaka neighbourhood, he and his wife traded their cars for bicycles, while a smaller house and a tiny refrigerator meant shopping more frequently.
2. Design transport for everyone
Japan’s transit systems are renowned for their reliability, safety and cleanliness. “The amazing public transportation network can take you everywhere,” says Keiko Ota, regional operations manager at G Adventures, who has lived in Tokyo for more than a decade. “I don’t have a driver’s licence, but I still feel complete freedom to go anywhere.”
3. Preserve a sense of place
Despite its famous bullet trains and busy urban hubs, Japan also values patience, continuity and a respect for tradition.
When Lydon registered his residence in Osaka, the district office worker pulled out a giant map book, erased the previous occupant’s name and pencilled his in. “As a guy who grew up working at Silicon Valley tech firms, that blew my mind,” he said. “Japan often doesn’t replace systems simply because newer technology exists. If something still works reliably, there’s less pressure to reinvent it.
4. Maintain manners in shared spaces
Human-scaled infrastructure only tells part of the story; the people who live in Japan’s cities also create the conditions for thriving. “Tokyo is incredibly busy, but people instinctively think about how their actions affect others,” said Kominami. “It’s not something people talk about much; it’s simply part of everyday life.”
Grisdale depends on that cooperation, and after nearly two decades living here, he ranks it alongside anything a government can build. “The manners matter as much as the hardware,” he said. “People queue on the platform marks, keep the trains quiet and give up priority seats and space without being asked. In a city this size, that keeps daily life calm for everyone.”
In Osaka, Lydon found himself changed by the way Japan operates with awareness and consideration for others. “Whether it’s lining up for trains, speaking quietly in public, not littering, separating recycling or saying ‘itadakimasu‘ (“I humbly receive”) before a meal, many daily habits remind you that you’re part of something larger than yourself,” he said. “Maybe that’s not a magic spell to fix the ills of the world, but personally it did help me lean towards kindness, beauty and peace.”
Read the full story Lindsey Galloway / BBC
