The different environments of Japan give people options. Each location usually has a different industry it is known for, such as fishing, agriculture or tourism. Some people choose to go from one location to another, depending on the season. I know of a man who lives in Hokkaido in the summer to escape the heat and in Tokyo in the winter to escape the cold.
The lack of space in Japan presents a big challenge. Even though Japan continues to make the most of the resources it has, city life here is very expensive. A lot of people have one-hour or even two-hour commutes. A lot of the students I have in the English lounge commute from outside the city, where housing is not as expensive.
Because Japan is a small physical space with a big population, many people live in cities. In 2017, there were 47 megacities, or cities with populations of over ten million people, found around the world. Of the 47 megacities, three are in Japan. The biggest megacity in the world is Tokyo. It has a population of 37,435,191 people, which is bigger than the second-largest megacity by more than 8 million people. Because of this, many of the people living in cities live in small apartments. The complex network of train systems also helps move a lot of people throughout the city without causing traffic jams. Tokyo also has a lot of tall buildings that make use of limited space. With small living spaces, an effective transportation system and tall buildings, Japan is able to make good use of the little space it has.
