Tokyo - 1915
After taking a look at Tokyo's impressive modern skyline earlier in the year - we return to Tokyo in today's update for a historical look at this iconic city. We'll be viewing some of Tokyo's most noteworthy sights in the year 1915 - which was during an era where the city's center and outskirts saw great growth and big changes to it's infrastructure and streetscapes. We'll begin with a trip to central Ginza - with a look at the recently rebuilt Kabuki-za, one of the city's most beautiful structures. Designed by Tashichi Kashiwagi, it served as the city's principal theatre for the traditional Kabuki drama and was one of Tokyo's most popular spots for entertainment. The early 1900s also saw some of the first cars on Tokyo's streets - and the introduction of mass transit in the late 19th century with streetcars (pictured below), train lines, subways, and buses made transportation as convenient as ever and forever changed the ways the city's residents lived and worked. These changes along with an improved economy during the Meiji era helped to bring huge population growth to Tokyo - and the city's population more than doubled from 1900 to 1920.
Here we see an overview of central Ginza in late 1918.
A look at the Kabuki-za and the surrounding district of Ginza at nighttime. Around this time, the city's electrical infrastructure saw big improvements as well and crowded power lines were now a common sight above the streets - which meant the city could finally come to life at nighttime.
1915 saw the first full year of operation for one of the city's most iconic structures that still stands today - Tokyo Station. Located in central Marunouchi near the Imperial Palace grounds, it was designed by Kingo Tatsuno (1854—1919), the father of modern Japanese architecture and remains as a historical building today, representing the style of western buildings in the Meiji (1868—1912) and Taisho (1912—26) periods. With four platforms supporting two electric trains (current Yamanote/Keihin–Tohoku Line platforms) and two non-electric trains (current Tokaido Line platforms), the station would serve as a vital transportation link for central Tokyo and would see numerous renovations and expansions throughout the years.
Tokyo's railroads would also see plenty of other improvements during this era as well, and many smaller railway stations were built and renovated throughout the year to further improve the city's railway infrastructure. Here we see a typical scene showcasing a railroad station and a surrounding industrial area in Tokyo's suburbs.
Here we see another common sight from Tokyo's outskirts during the early 1900s - a steam locomotive on the Tokaido Main Line.
Our trip into the past concludes with another scene from Tokyo's outskirts, along the city's rural border with Okutama. This scenic area of Tokyo is noted for it's natural beauty - but during the early 1900s, the city's expanding metropolitan area meant that more and more of these natural areas would soon see human activity and development. Rice paddies, small farming plots, water wheels, dirt roads, and traditional Japanese housing were now all usual sights - dramatically changing the look of the city's surrounding countryside.
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-korver
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