Introduction

The motifs of everyday life in Tokyo – including globalization and modernization; upgrading and gentrification; decay and recovery; personal failure and success; and forced or voluntary relocation – are incorporated and interwoven with the portrayals of the alleyways presented. This chapter illustrates the ever-changing landscape of contemporary Tokyo, framing it against its past and future. It introduces specific examples of urban practices that take place within the dynamic urban landscape of contemporary Tokyo to portray the life cycle of an urban form being re-discovered, commodified and lost as physical space. All alleyways are chosen based on their spatial and social history, reflecting both a specific urban archetype and era of Tokyo’s modernisation. Awareness without re-integrating alleyways into urban development areas, however, will not help and in turn speed up urban fragmentation. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.