TOKYO VERTIGO: Megacity Sex And Semiology

by Stephen Barber

In TOKYO VERTIGO, Stephen Barber explores the most mesmerising and precarious of all contemporary world cities: Tokyo: the megalopolis, in extremis. Barber probes the multiple ways in which Tokyo projects and hides itself, focusing upon its filmic, photographic and media cultures as well as its extraordinary urban history of destruction, unrest and reconfiguration. Dividing his analysis into three parts, the author first interrogates the disparate urban ‘zones’ of Tokyo, from the image-screen constellated districts of Shinjuku and Shibuya to the desolate peripheries where the megalopolis falls apart, then examines Tokyo’s sexual and media cultures, through which the city’s compulsive fascinations and obsessions exert their power. Finally, the book looks at the ways in which European culture collides with Tokyo’s urban formations, often generating unprecedented, hybrid images and texts.

Genres: Japan, Photography

88 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for the photos.
The writing is terrible, though. Nonsensical and is if the author used every descriptive word he knew.
My initial impression was that English wasn't his first language. In which case I could excuse it.
However, this wasn't the case and it just makes no sense whatsoever.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book is divided into two parts: the first section is an geographic overview of various Tokoyo neighborhoods, while the second has a (less place-specific)sociological/anthropological focus.