Zoning districts in Japan are classified into twelve use zones. Each zone determines a building’s shape and permitted uses. A building’s shape is controlled by zonal restrictions on allowable building coverage ratios, floor area ratios, height in absolute terms and in relation to adjacent buildings and roads and minimum residential unit size. These controls are intended to allow adequate light and ventilation between buildings and on roads to ensure decent quality of housing.
Japanese houses offer, on average, larger living spaces than that of many wealthy European countries which have not lost their medium-density housing.
This approach to not require car parking provision or private yards/gardens in areas with high degrees of good connectivity is seen as desirable because: access to common outdoor green space is seen as sufficient for these needs or, at the very least, an acceptable tradeoff for the convenience of improved connectivity.the provision of sprawling lower-value land-uses like private car parking and residential garden spaces in such locations is viewed as a poor return on investment by developers eager to maximize living space and plot utilization.
What we can learn from Japan?
1, Avoiding wasteful and shortsighted opportunity cost.
Meandering leads to perfection 