[pastacacioepepe]

> We didn't get impressive cities with mega buildings/arcologies but instead more sprawl of cookie-cutter town houses. No steamy backalleys in which to eat ramen under neon lights.

Haven't visited myself but Asian metropolises should be much closer to the cyberpunk vibe you're looking for. I also really like the vibe but wonder how happy would I be actually living in it.

[ajmurmann]

That's definitely true. And to be fair, even in the seminal Neuromancer the mega buildings are in and around Tokyo while the US has sprawl and my native Bonn apparently got nuked or something.

I've visited Shanghai, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Osaka and they are definitely more what I want. I visited Chongqing in 2009 and now it looks incredibly cyberpunk: https://youtu.be/cD-t3W1zLzg

I would theoretically be very interested to live in Tokyo, Shanghai or Hong Kong. I greatly enjoyed my visits. The density and public transit makes for fantastic exploration and walking without getting into a car. Tokyo has great parks and many neighborhoods feel quite cosy if that's what you are looking for. I'm worried about Japan's work culture though and it doesn't seem particularly welcoming to foreigners. I absolutely loved China in the 00s and would have loved to live their for a bit. I did stay for a month with a girlfriend who did an internship in Shanghai and it was one of the greatest times of my life. Everything was booming and exciting. China had issues but seemed on a good trajectory. Now I feel that trajectory has reversed and I'd be uncomfortable to even visit.

I still love the idea of living in a huge Asian city at some point. Right now nothing seems attractive enough. Maybe Taipei or Seoul, but I haven't visited either and have obvious concerns about Taiwan.