Table of Contents

Foreword Hidenobu Jinnai

Acknowledgment

Introduction

1. Tokyo and its Alleys

2. The Roji

3. The Yin and Yang of Tokyo - Nezu , Yanaka and The Mixed Used Roji

4. Between Geisha Town and Petit Paris - Kagurazaka and The Commercial(ized) Roji

5. Between Old Row Houses and Skyscrapers - Tsukudajima and the Residential Roji

Conclusion

About the Author

Heide Imai is Visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies (GIS) at Hosei University and Research Associate at Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. Licensed as an architect, her research, teaching and practice focus is urban resistance, resilience and the future of vernacular landscapes in global cities.

Reviews

"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