Changing Faces of Tokyo: Regeneration, Tourism and Tokyo 2020

Abstract

Tokyo has been Japan’s capital since the beginning of the Meiji period (1868). Since then, the first incident to completely change Tokyo’s cityscape was the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923. Soon after recovering from the 1923 earthquake, Tokyo was destroyed again by WWII. Tokyo 1964 Olympics was a great opportunity to showcase its recovery from the war and the nation’s ability to present a developed country to the international audience. Many imperial and military properties were converted to sports facilities and hotels in preparation for the 1964 Games. Japan’s economy reached its peak in the late 1980s, but has suffered from deflation after that. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics are expected to improve this situation. The ongoing regeneration includes construction of a new main stadium, redevelopment of urban districts and verticalisation of buildings. Along with recent inbound tourism boom and diverse cultural heritage of the city, current urban regeneration linked to Tokyo 2020 is expected to revitalise Tokyo and Japan as a whole.