Tokyo

By (author) Siniawer Eiko Maruko
Description:
From sleepy fishing village to samurai capital to vibrant global metropolis, Eiko Maruko Siniawer takes readers through Tokyo''s rich history, revealing four centuries of transformation deeply woven into its fabric. This accessible guide introduces a world of shoguns and Kabuki theater, riots and earthquakes, wartime devastation and reconstruction, booms and busts, bright lights and skyscrapers, all viewed through the lived experiences of those who have inhabited and shaped a city of distinctive neighborhoods and different personalities. Emphasizing the city''s human heart, Siniawer conveys a vivid sense of time, culture, and place through ten moments that have shaped Tokyo''s many lives.
Table of contents:
Prologue; 1. Founding the shogun''s capital; 2. Becoming the city of Edoites; 3. Seismic shocks; 4. Modernizing the nation''s capital; 5. The politics of public space; 6. Tokyo modern: Destruction and reconstruction of the cosmopolitan city; 7. The militarized city; 8. Dreams and disappointments; 9. Global capital; 10. Past and present.
Review quote:
''This animated social and cultural depiction of Tokyo, from its shogunal and imperial pasts to its global cosmopolitan present, is the perfect companion for anyone exploring the city in person or from afar.'' Carol Gluck, Columbia University
Review quote:
''This is a beautifully written, briskly paced introduction to the world''s largest city. It illuminates the vibrant, diverse, and often surprising history of Tokyo, making cutting-edge scholarship uniquely accessible to general readers.'' Amy Stanley, Northwestern University
Biographical note:
Eiko Maruko Siniawer is Class of 1955 Memorial Professor of History at Williams College, specializing in the history of modern Japan. Her previous publications include Ruffians, Yakuza, Nationalists: The Violent Politics of Modern Japan, 1860–1960 and Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan.
Promotional headline:
An engaging new guide to Tokyo''s many lives, tracing four centuries of transformation from sleepy fishing village to vibrant metropolis.