Why Osaka and Tokyo keep landing in the world's top 10 cities

The Economist Intelligence Unit's 2026 index ranked Osaka seventh and Tokyo tenth, the only Asian country with two cities in the top 10.

Japan's most livable cities — Photo by Ogiyoshisan, public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Osaka ranked seventh and Tokyo tenth in the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2026 Global Liveability Index. Japan was the only Asian country with two cities in the top 10. BBC Travel asked residents and planners why, and their answers came down to four rules.

First, build c…