I used to live there and as far as large cities go it is very livable however the article cites the numerous public libraries as being one of the attractions.
I find that fairly incredible.
Private bookstores yeah, but public libraries?
not so much.
I must say that the train system is freaking amazing The cops never mind if you ask for directions.
Another really nice ass back to Tokyo is that panhandling is almost unknown.
You can go 10 years in Japan and suffer ZERO instances of being out for money by strangers on the street.
Another nice thing is that during the hot summer there are Lots of water park you can go to and cool off, often they don’t accept people who have a zillion garish tattoos, which are still somewhat mentally associated with the yakuza.
Libraries are there and plentiful - just need to know where to look. My wife and kids visit them nearly everytime they are in country, mainly because of the range of items offered and to pickul local notices on activities and festivals and other items that won’t be in the major travel pubs. They’ve been to factory tours and special events as a result.