Tokyo, with a population of 33 million people, is by far the largest city in world. It’s also the most technologically advanced, and the city runs like digital clockwork. The automated subway, for example, is so efficient that it is able to transport almost eight million commuters every day and on the rare occasions that it goes wrong, nobody believes it. If you are late for work in Tokyo and, as an excuse, you say that your train was late, you need to provide written proof from the train company. The idea of late trains is almost unthinkable. There is very little crime, violence, or vandalism in Tokyo and the streets are safe to walk by day or night. There is also relatively low unemployment compared to other big cities in the world. But such a huge population creates serious problems of space, and as Marr flew over Tokyo in a helicopter he saw football pitches, playgrounds, even driving schools constructed on top of buildings. Streets, parks, and subways are extremely crammed. Property prices are so high and space is so short that a family of six people may live in a tiny flat of only 25 square metres. There are other problems too, of alienation and loneliness. The Hikikomori are inhabitants of Tokyo who cannot cope with ‘the mechanical coldness and robotic uniformity’ of a megacity and have become recluses, rarely or never leaving their homes. There is also a new business that has grown up in Tokyo which allows friendless people to ‘rent a friend’ to accompany them to a wedding or just to sit and chat to them in a bar after work. Another strange group of people are the Hashiriya, Tokyo’s street racers who risk their lives driving at ridiculous speeds along the city streets. During the week these men have ordinary jobs and they’re model citizens. But on Saturday nights they spend the evening driving though the city as fast as they possibly can. It’s a deadly game, but it’s just one way of escaping the daily pressures of life in the metropolis.