Is Tokyo the Greatest Food City—Scratch That—the Greatest City in the World?

It’s an age-old debate: which city is the best in the world? There’s no perfect metric, no unanimous winner, and probably never will be. But I’m going to throw my hat in the ring and make the unoriginal, yet passionately held, claim that Tokyo is the best. Now, I didn’t grow up in Tokyo, I grew up a 30-minute LIRR ride from Penn Station, and I like to think I know a thing or two about cities. What city feels more like a city than New York City? For most people, when they picture a skyline, it’s New York’s that pops into mind. Or is that just my New York-centric arrogance talking? The city that never sleeps has a claim to greatness, no doubt. But as much as I love New York, I don’t think it stands a chance against Tokyo by most metrics that define what makes a city truly great. Transit? Cleanliness? Safety? Nightlife? Food? Shopping? Walkability? Affordability?

Tokyo. Tokyo. Tokyo. Tokyo. Tokyo.

You get the point. I’ll mostly stick to a Tokyo vs. NYC comparison because if Tokyo isn’t #1, we all know who its main challenger is.

Transit ?

Let’s make this one quick. Tokyo has world-renowned public transit, extensive, punctual, and astonishingly efficient. There’s an urban legend that Tokyo once gave workers a day off because a train arrived one minute late. Meanwhile, New York has by far the best subway system in the U.S., but it’s dated, dirtier, and, let’s be honest, less safe than Tokyo’s. New York’s only real edge? Our trains run 24/7. Tokyo’s rail shuts down from midnight to 5 a.m., which is a bit of a buzzkill for night owls. But the overall experience in Tokyo is on another level. It's clean enough to eat a 7-Eleven onigiri off the floor (okay, maybe that’s pushing it), and it’s quiet. Respectful. Calm. I don’t have to worry about being kicked in the face by a street performer every time I ride the subway, looking at you, NYC.

Cleanliness ?

New York was just voted the dirtiest city in the U.S. And when friends from places like North Carolina or San Diego visit, they’re always shocked by the piles of black trash bags on the sidewalks and the rats scurrying. The public bathrooms? Enter at your own risk. Even with Mayor Adams’ new trash collection initiative, I’m skeptical. In Queens, on the South Conduit, you’d think the median strip was a landfill judging by the amount of trash people throw out there car windows. Contrast that with Tokyo: the largest city in the world, home to over 14 million people and you can go a whole week without seeing a single piece of litter. Public restrooms come equipped with bidets, and more importantly, I feel comfortable using them. On my first trip to Tokyo, I watched a woman pour a bucket of soapy water on the sidewalk where her dog had just peed. She clearly carried that bucket with her from her home. That’s a level of civic pride I’ve never seen replicated anywhere.

Safety ?

Japan is consistently ranked one of the safest countries in the world. And while New York gets an unfair rap for being crime-ridden, it’s actually quite safe, especially considering its size. But Tokyo tops nearly every safety ranking. According to the Economist’s Safe Cities Index, it was the safest city in the world in 2024. New York? A respectable #15. Perception matters. In Tokyo, my wife feels completely safe walking alone, anywhere, at any hour. In New York, that depends a lot more on where you are and what time it is.

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Nightlife ?

This one’s more subjective. It really depends on what kind of night you’re looking for. Japan has strict drug laws, and local Japanese illicit drug use is quite low compared to the US. But alcohol? That’s a different story. Tokyo’s drinking culture is thriving, and so is its bar scene. It truly is a vertical city, wander into a random stairwell and you might find yourself in a bar where the bartender is cooking pasta, doing magic tricks, and mixing drinks, all at the same time. (Yes, that really happened.) There’s a bar in Akihabara where your drink is based on the Pokémon card you bring. Tokyo is home to over 30,000 bars, the most per capita in the world. So if your ideal night involves hopping between small, character-filled bars, each with its own quirks and flavor, Tokyo wins, hands down.

Food ?

This one stirs the pot the most. What makes a food city “the best”? Diversity? Quality? Quantity? New York might have the most diverse food in the world, hard to argue with that. But Tokyo has the highest floor and ceiling when it comes to food in my humble opinion. It’s almost impossible to have a bad meal. In all my time there, I’ve never had one. In New York, I’ve had more bad meals than I can count. And affordability? I once had conveyor-belt sushi at Maguro Donya Miuramisakiko Megumi (yes, that’s a mouthful) inside the Shibuya Hikarie mall for 40 bucks. It was nearly as good as a $1,000 omakase I had in New York. Tokyo has five times as many restaurants per capita as NYC—91 per 10,000 people versus NYC’s 23. It also has 232 Michelin-starred restaurants, the most of any city on Earth. And while it’s not as diverse as New York (especially in Latin American cuisine), Tokyo has plenty of Italian, French, Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian food. It's only getting more diverse. Tokyo ranks third worldwide on the Vera Pizza Napoletana list for authentic Neapolitan pizza. People underestimate how international Tokyo’s food scene has become. I’ve written about this before, Tokyo is far more diverse than it gets credit for, and it shows on the plate.

Shopping ?

Not even a contest. High-end fashion? Check. Indie local designers? Check. Stationery, art supplies, rare photography books, knives, fishing gear, vintage vinyl, obscure manga you name it, Tokyo has a store for it. In raw numbers, Japan has one retail store for every 904 people, compared to one for every 2,274 in the U.S. And only 6% of shopping is done online in Japan versus 10% in the States. That’s because brick-and-mortar shopping in Tokyo is still an experience. At Nakano Broadway, you can find shops that sell nothing but 1970s action figures or vintage car magazines. If the internet disappeared tomorrow, Tokyo wouldn’t flinch. Japan’s unique zoning laws and the now-modified Large-Scale Retail Store Law, designed to protect small retailers, have helped preserve this hyper-local, niche retail landscape. As an art lover and Copic marker enthusiast, I have to physically stop myself from going broke every time I walk into a Japanese stationery store.

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Walkability ?

Tokyo was the only non-European city to crack the top 10 most walkable cities in a recent Compare the Market study—ranking sixth. NYC was the best in America, but placed 34th overall. What makes Tokyo so walkable? The transit, the pedestrian-only streets, the dense mixed-use neighborhoods. Japan’s zoning laws allow for a mix of residential and commercial spaces almost everywhere. There are no exclusionary zones like in the U.S. No matter where you live in Tokyo, you’re within walking distance of shops, clinics, cafes, and parks. Thanks again to the Large-Scale Retail Law, Tokyo avoided becoming overly centralized and preserved its neighborhood shops.

Affordability ?

Another blowout in Tokyo’s favor. Due to smart zoning and deregulation, Tokyo’s housing remains shockingly affordable compared to other global megacities which is rare in today’s ever inflating markets. In the last 50 years, Tokyo has built more housing units than New York City has total. Two full-time minimum wage earners can afford rent in 6 of Tokyo’s 23 wards. In the entire NYC metro area, across three states, you won’t find a single county where that’s possible. As a foreigner, buying property in Tokyo is even more appealing. Studios in Shibuya can be found for under $150,000. That’s prime Tokyo real estate. I live in a neighborhood 30 minutes by train from central NYC and you can’t find a single apartment under $300K.

Maybe I convinced you Tokyo is the greatest city in the world. Maybe not. But it was worth a shot.

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