Old Tokyo: Walks in the City of the Shogun

by Sumiko Enbutsu, Ishida Ryosuke (Illustrator)

Book by Enbutsu, Sumiko

Genres: Japan

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I've been to Tokyo three times and never really 'got' it, because the guides I've read have focused on pop culture and not the history of the city. I'm an economic/industrial historian, interested in how cities develop and the role politics and economics has to play in that physical development. Enbutsu-san's descriptions of the creation of Edo and its subsequent growth to become the city we now know as Tokyo are perfectly pitched. I feel that I know Tokyo better as a result of reading this book, and I'm excited about going back again. I will re-explore places we have visited before as well as discover new areas. I have the 1993 edition of the guide, which has a few photographs in two blocks, so it is more of a walking guide & potted history than the later edition seems to have become. It will be interesting to find out if the 20 years that have passed since this edition, and the economic slump included in that 20 years, have had much effect on 'old Edo'.