Then clearly you have not spent much time in Tokyo, the trains don't run between 12 and 5am. That's a lot of the day to not have access to public transit, especially for peak partying hours on a weekend.

You mean even the part where people get stuffed into already packed trains? [1] I get it. Japanese trains are some of the best anywhere but lets not make them into some downside-free experience, not including the amount of walking thats involved trying to get into and out of the maze of levels at some of the stations, dodging salarymen and other straphangers.[2]

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSuU3GOKWAY

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCqBlwJy4M8

Don’t get me wrong. I love the Japanese transit system. It’s a marvel. But rich people in Japan usually drive because it’s faster than even an amazing transit system. And the beauty of somewhere like Atlanta is that everyone can live like that.

It’s also extremely inconvenient with three kids, especially if you’re trying to bring a stroller onto the train during rush hour. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that every city with excellent public transit is also dying because people aren’t having kids.

Americans have an obsession with strollers that I haven't understood. I took my infants on Caltrain, BART, and light rail using a baby bjorn. When they could walk, they walked or were carried. It's not something you should avoid having kids over.

[delayed]

American babies are about the same or maybe a bit lighter than their European counterparts at birth. Perhaps the issue is that American parents are physically weaker. It's hard not to imagine the SUVs and strollers are components of a negative feedback loop.

Thank you for that lifestyle lecture.

My kids hated the bjorn and so did my (very third world communist country) foreign wife. I liked it.

The stroller also has storage space for, for example, the medicine bag that keeps my last kid alive in case he swallows <insert long list of allergens>. The stroller has everything ready to go except the baby and we don't have to don our various accessories.

Finally, as Europeans, we find those Americans and their various polyester bags (back, front, bjorn, fanny, etc) look ridiculous. One looks like a marine about to assault Fallujah. The stroller has a dignity to it that all those bags lack.

Ah dignity. The reason mass transit will never take hold in America.

? The reason no one wants to take the bus or subway in America is not because they are undignified but because they smell like piss. Unlike the buses in Switzerland which are great.

In fact, despite the smell of urine, I used to love Atlantas MARTA for its brilliant airport exit.

There's nothing inherently undignified of public transportation system. America's indignity comes from our inability to clean.

Try taking three car seats/booster seats on the train because you can’t walk to your final destination from the train…unless you live in NYC/Chicago etc. there are very few us cities where most of your trips can be completed only via train/walking

It's not just that the transit is faster by car but there is less mental overhead. Just get in the car and drive at your pace instead of memorizing schedules (or futzing with an app) and negotiating crowds.

Also, virtually any train system that is good enough to be comparable to driving time-wise will also be busy enough to require standing through the trip during commuting hours.

Bill Murray takes taxis in Tokyo in Lost in Translation.