Description:
This book presents urban narratives of the roji, the Japanese urban alleyway, which was once part of people's personal spatial sphere and everyday life but has increasingly been transformed by diverse and competing interests.
Review Quotes:
"Heide Imai evokes the subtle complexity of Tokyo's traditional back streets in a way that resonates with all cities struggling to be simultaneously local, global, and modern. This book is tremendously useful for shaping a deeper understanding of, and better tools for, historic preservation and community planning in Asia and throughout the world."
Sharon Zukin, author, Naked City: The Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places
'By emphasizing on the importance of the sense of place and the ordinariness, this book takes the readers to the roji of contemporary Tokyo. Using multiple insightful urban narratives, Heide Imai skilfully unfolds the various facets of neighbourhoods of these hidden urban spaces.'
Davisi Boontharm, International Program of Architecture and Urban Design, Meiji University, Japan