The physical layout of the Noir city is possibly its most important
component. Noir directors use the city to suffocate their victims,
given the viewers a sense that the character is trapped. The city is
portrayed as a confusing labyrinth that the character must
navigate through in order to reach his final destination. Tokyo
was physically laid out and built long before vehicles was invented
and used and as a consequence is a comparatively claustrophobic
city. A city with many small alley ways and a somewhat of chaos
in terms of the planning of the street layout. A very typical trait for
old cities, unlike Los Angeles where roads are well planned and all
streets seem to be parallel to one and other.