Hello Kjeld, I have spent too much time studying your lead photo of the Juniso Pond as there is quite a bit of drama going on there in that photo. The first boat, punt closest to the camera has two women in kimonos, one at the helm, the second with two poles attempting to catch fish? The fellow in the bow is trying not to fall in and is acting as an advisor to the woman in the middle. The second punt, has a crew of boys who find themselves subject to the camera and perhaps can hear the woman in the first punt. They have grins all around. Then the two boys swimming across the pond.
I love the system of supports provided to the large fir tree to support its very sizable lowest limb. All the structures are encroaching upon the pond. People love to be near the water. Hard to comprehend the fact that is is all gone today. Thank you for your articles. Morelle
There were carps in the pond and I remember reading in one of the contemporary newspaper articles that I found that the carps were on the menu of one or more of the teahouses. But this seems like a very unwieldy way to catch fish…
I imagined that the boys were reacting to the photographer. Cameras were still rare in those days. But they could indeed be reacting to the three adults in the boat. Or perhaps both.
I don't see any boys swimming. Only poles sticking out of the water. I have found one more photo taken from the same direction a few years before this photo was taken where all the poles are more visible. But perhaps I am missing something?
I hadn't paid much attention to the support to the large fir tree. Thank you so much for attracting my attention to that. The craggy trees on that side of the pond play an important role in a discovery I have made and hope to announce soon. I will go back and compare these trees more carefully again.
In reference to Kristin Newton’s comment above regarding loss of natural areas: Are there no Zoning Laws in a city as large and as densely occupied. Surely zoning would have gone ahead years ago to preserve the past. Ironic that a culture that honors the past to the extent that the Japanese honor there would be quick to preserve the past. Morelle
Compared with other Asian countries Japan has strong zoning laws, but compared to Western countries they are quite weak. Japan essentially only has mixed-use zoning.
When it comes to buildings there is almost no respect for the past in Japan. The average Japanese home fully depreciates after 22 years, and is often torn down and rebuild after three decades or so. Most public buildings don't last very long either. Nature has little chance to survive unless it is a sacred forest around a shrine or temple. But many of those have also been razed…
Thank you for this fascinating collection of information & photography! I moved to Tokyo last year--it's unimaginable to me that Juniso once existed where Shinjuku skyscrapers are now. Very interesting how the city center migrates between districts or neighborhoods over time. There's always discussion around what the latest "trendy" or "hip" neighborhood is (still Shimokita or somewhere else now?) but this might be something we think about less often.
I have lived in Japan for 42 years, and right on the border of Shinjuku since 2011, and I find it just as unimaginable as you.
I was a Japan Correspondent for almost three decades, and the "what is hot now" and "how many people died today" was something I had to deal with on a daily basis. I like this long-term view much better. It offers understanding instead of mere knowledge—a knowledge which is also outdated frightfully quickly.
PART 2 is live already. I think you meant PART 3? It goes live tomorrow 😊
Yes, I have indeed seen some change. Lots of historical buildings with soul replaced by modern towers with clean lines… There is lots of modern architecture I love, but I don't always like the 'either–or' concept. We need the beauty of the past too.
Looking forward to reading your feedback about Part 2!
Thanks and sorry about the map. I actually tried many different colors, but didn’t want the footprints of the buildings to dominate the map so ended up with the transparent white.
Another great piece! I'm looking forward to future installments.
(P.S. I found it really difficult to interpret the map with the overlays of the Hilton Hotel etc. I finally realized the white outlines were the footprints of the buildings. A color other than white would really help dunces like me understand!)
Thank you so much for all your research, Kjeld! It’s heartbreaking!
Yesterday, a friend of mine said it was 43 degrees Celsius in his neighborhood! The “Empress of Tree-Cutting” (伐採女帝), Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, has unfortunately been re-elected so assuredly Jingu Gaien’s days are numbered. Hibiya Park is being “re-developed” to monetize it for profit, rather than the public’s enjoyment. The rose bushes were removed, along with the many memorial benches donated by the public (¥200,000 each!) In August, the iconic fountain will be destroyed. All the parks in Japan must now be monetized and Kishida recently announced that he is planning to invite luxury hotels to build in the national parks to attract more tourists. The Kyoto Botanical Garden is in danger. Over 12,000 trees have been cut down in Osaka.
Jingu Gaien Redevelopment Sparks Outrage in Tokyo. Is the Backlash Too Little, Too Late? – The Diplomat:
“Jingu Gaien’s gorgeous trees, the iconic Meiji Jingu stadium, and the pleas from the public to preserve these historic and beautiful pieces of Tokyo are profoundly important. They should be heeded, and the possibility that they will be ignored is deeply concerning. It speaks to a larger absence of representation and democratic process across Japan, to the too frequently unchecked power of the construction and real estate industries, and the willingness of Koike to indulge and perpetuate an autocratic system.
But far too many did not care enough to speak out when Tokyo’s most marginal were attacked, harassed, and displaced. Jingu Gaien is not the first but just the latest in a growing list of projects more invested in fostering consumerism and facilitating exclusion than building an equitable society. In our collective indifference, the foundation was laid for a contemporary Tokyo where even the voices of the famous and influential struggle to stop the destruction of the beautiful and historic when it serves the interests of the monied and powerful.
Jingu Gaien’s gorgeous trees, the iconic Meiji Jingu stadium, and the pleas from the public to preserve these historic and beautiful pieces of Tokyo are profoundly important. They should be heeded, and the possibility that they will be ignored is deeply concerning. It speaks to a larger absence of representation and democratic process across Japan, to the too frequently unchecked power of the construction and real estate industries, and the willingness of Koike to indulge and perpetuate an autocratic system. But the outcry around this specific project also betrays an absence of broader principles that demand protection of public space, the vulnerable, and aspiration to a fair, equitable, and transparent social order. Jingu Gaien has generated a striking level of opposition and engagement. But other projects that operate with similar intentions – tearing down the old, placating the public with new consumerist spaces, and in doing so fostering a more exclusionary and unequal Tokyo – have not.”
Seems like the Kyoto Botanical Garden has shelves redevelop plans (for now!)
Also: a corpse flower is going to bloom soon (once every 7~10 years), so hopefully enough visitors will show the city doesn't need another concert venue!
Sadly, this has a very long history in Japan. Osaka Mayor Hajime Seki (關 一, 1873–1935) fought the developers and lost. But he did get a lot done, so there is hope for politicians with mettle.
There is a good book about Seki: "The City as Subject: Seki Hajime and the Reinvention of Modern Osaka." Jeffrey E. Hanes (2002).
I think that even most Japanese have never heard of the pond although there are lots of Japanese language articles about it online. In English there is very little information.
When done, this article will be the most informative one about Jūnisō in any language. Not a boast, just a statement of fact 😊
So glad to read that you like the maps ❤️
I put even more effort into the selection and creation of maps than usual this time. I spent several days just on researching, thinking up, and creating the map with the tea fields and the modern buildings transposed on top.
Thank you for your comments and sharing your additional information. Keep up the very good work! I’ll look forward to your announcement. Morelle
Hello Kjeld, I have spent too much time studying your lead photo of the Juniso Pond as there is quite a bit of drama going on there in that photo. The first boat, punt closest to the camera has two women in kimonos, one at the helm, the second with two poles attempting to catch fish? The fellow in the bow is trying not to fall in and is acting as an advisor to the woman in the middle. The second punt, has a crew of boys who find themselves subject to the camera and perhaps can hear the woman in the first punt. They have grins all around. Then the two boys swimming across the pond.
I love the system of supports provided to the large fir tree to support its very sizable lowest limb. All the structures are encroaching upon the pond. People love to be near the water. Hard to comprehend the fact that is is all gone today. Thank you for your articles. Morelle
I love your observations, Morelle. Thank you for sharing them.
I have been wondering what the woman is doing with the sticks. She wears a hat that looks like the hats that nurses wore. See an example here: https://www.meijishowa.com/photography/5337/160305-0009-doctors-and-nurses But I see no cross on the hat!
There were carps in the pond and I remember reading in one of the contemporary newspaper articles that I found that the carps were on the menu of one or more of the teahouses. But this seems like a very unwieldy way to catch fish…
I imagined that the boys were reacting to the photographer. Cameras were still rare in those days. But they could indeed be reacting to the three adults in the boat. Or perhaps both.
I don't see any boys swimming. Only poles sticking out of the water. I have found one more photo taken from the same direction a few years before this photo was taken where all the poles are more visible. But perhaps I am missing something?
I hadn't paid much attention to the support to the large fir tree. Thank you so much for attracting my attention to that. The craggy trees on that side of the pond play an important role in a discovery I have made and hope to announce soon. I will go back and compare these trees more carefully again.
In reference to Kristin Newton’s comment above regarding loss of natural areas: Are there no Zoning Laws in a city as large and as densely occupied. Surely zoning would have gone ahead years ago to preserve the past. Ironic that a culture that honors the past to the extent that the Japanese honor there would be quick to preserve the past. Morelle
Compared with other Asian countries Japan has strong zoning laws, but compared to Western countries they are quite weak. Japan essentially only has mixed-use zoning.
When it comes to buildings there is almost no respect for the past in Japan. The average Japanese home fully depreciates after 22 years, and is often torn down and rebuild after three decades or so. Most public buildings don't last very long either. Nature has little chance to survive unless it is a sacred forest around a shrine or temple. But many of those have also been razed…
Even the beautiful Imperial Hotel in Tokyo by Frank Lloyd Wright was torn down. Incidentally, I wrote about this hotel last year: https://oldphotosjapan.substack.com/p/tokyo-1930s-imperial-hotel
Thank you for this fascinating collection of information & photography! I moved to Tokyo last year--it's unimaginable to me that Juniso once existed where Shinjuku skyscrapers are now. Very interesting how the city center migrates between districts or neighborhoods over time. There's always discussion around what the latest "trendy" or "hip" neighborhood is (still Shimokita or somewhere else now?) but this might be something we think about less often.
Excited for part 2!
Thank you very much for your kind words, Vanessa!
I have lived in Japan for 42 years, and right on the border of Shinjuku since 2011, and I find it just as unimaginable as you.
I was a Japan Correspondent for almost three decades, and the "what is hot now" and "how many people died today" was something I had to deal with on a daily basis. I like this long-term view much better. It offers understanding instead of mere knowledge—a knowledge which is also outdated frightfully quickly.
PART 2 is live already. I think you meant PART 3? It goes live tomorrow 😊
42 years! You must have seen some impressive change with your own eyes too.
And no, I really meant part 2, haven't read it yet but hope to catch up very soon!
Yes, I have indeed seen some change. Lots of historical buildings with soul replaced by modern towers with clean lines… There is lots of modern architecture I love, but I don't always like the 'either–or' concept. We need the beauty of the past too.
Looking forward to reading your feedback about Part 2!
Thank you—fascinating! I love the pictures and the map.
Thank you, Katrin! As I mentioned in another comment, this time I put even more effort into the maps than I usually do. Glad it is appreciated.
The next article in this series is scheduled for Friday!
Thanks and sorry about the map. I actually tried many different colors, but didn’t want the footprints of the buildings to dominate the map so ended up with the transparent white.
Which color do you recommend?
Another great piece! I'm looking forward to future installments.
(P.S. I found it really difficult to interpret the map with the overlays of the Hilton Hotel etc. I finally realized the white outlines were the footprints of the buildings. A color other than white would really help dunces like me understand!)
Thank you so much for all your research, Kjeld! It’s heartbreaking!
Yesterday, a friend of mine said it was 43 degrees Celsius in his neighborhood! The “Empress of Tree-Cutting” (伐採女帝), Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, has unfortunately been re-elected so assuredly Jingu Gaien’s days are numbered. Hibiya Park is being “re-developed” to monetize it for profit, rather than the public’s enjoyment. The rose bushes were removed, along with the many memorial benches donated by the public (¥200,000 each!) In August, the iconic fountain will be destroyed. All the parks in Japan must now be monetized and Kishida recently announced that he is planning to invite luxury hotels to build in the national parks to attract more tourists. The Kyoto Botanical Garden is in danger. Over 12,000 trees have been cut down in Osaka.
Jingu Gaien Redevelopment Sparks Outrage in Tokyo. Is the Backlash Too Little, Too Late? – The Diplomat:
https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/jingu-gaien-redevelopment-sparks-outrage-in-tokyo-is-the-backlash-too-little-too-late/
“Jingu Gaien’s gorgeous trees, the iconic Meiji Jingu stadium, and the pleas from the public to preserve these historic and beautiful pieces of Tokyo are profoundly important. They should be heeded, and the possibility that they will be ignored is deeply concerning. It speaks to a larger absence of representation and democratic process across Japan, to the too frequently unchecked power of the construction and real estate industries, and the willingness of Koike to indulge and perpetuate an autocratic system.
But far too many did not care enough to speak out when Tokyo’s most marginal were attacked, harassed, and displaced. Jingu Gaien is not the first but just the latest in a growing list of projects more invested in fostering consumerism and facilitating exclusion than building an equitable society. In our collective indifference, the foundation was laid for a contemporary Tokyo where even the voices of the famous and influential struggle to stop the destruction of the beautiful and historic when it serves the interests of the monied and powerful.
Jingu Gaien’s gorgeous trees, the iconic Meiji Jingu stadium, and the pleas from the public to preserve these historic and beautiful pieces of Tokyo are profoundly important. They should be heeded, and the possibility that they will be ignored is deeply concerning. It speaks to a larger absence of representation and democratic process across Japan, to the too frequently unchecked power of the construction and real estate industries, and the willingness of Koike to indulge and perpetuate an autocratic system. But the outcry around this specific project also betrays an absence of broader principles that demand protection of public space, the vulnerable, and aspiration to a fair, equitable, and transparent social order. Jingu Gaien has generated a striking level of opposition and engagement. But other projects that operate with similar intentions – tearing down the old, placating the public with new consumerist spaces, and in doing so fostering a more exclusionary and unequal Tokyo – have not.”
Is there any hope?
Seems like the Kyoto Botanical Garden has shelves redevelop plans (for now!)
Also: a corpse flower is going to bloom soon (once every 7~10 years), so hopefully enough visitors will show the city doesn't need another concert venue!
Sadly, this has a very long history in Japan. Osaka Mayor Hajime Seki (關 一, 1873–1935) fought the developers and lost. But he did get a lot done, so there is hope for politicians with mettle.
There is a good book about Seki: "The City as Subject: Seki Hajime and the Reinvention of Modern Osaka." Jeffrey E. Hanes (2002).
Thank you, Glennis!
I think that even most Japanese have never heard of the pond although there are lots of Japanese language articles about it online. In English there is very little information.
When done, this article will be the most informative one about Jūnisō in any language. Not a boast, just a statement of fact 😊
So glad to read that you like the maps ❤️
I put even more effort into the selection and creation of maps than usual this time. I spent several days just on researching, thinking up, and creating the map with the tea fields and the modern buildings transposed on top.
Many more in the upcoming articles!
What an amazing transformation. I did not know anything about the Juniso pond. Loved the maps to situate myself to this history.
Looking forward to the development story under Ieyasu.