Episode 638 – The Catastrophe, Part 6

August 21, 2026 Leave a comment

At long last, the fight over how to reconstruct Tokyo is done. But what did rebuilding the imperial capital actually look like?

Sources

Schencking, J. Charles. The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan

A great essay from the Kanto Quake Museum on the reconstruction process.

Images

One of the parts of the 1930s ceremonies I didn’t mention: a sumo tournament!
Map of the reconstruction plans showing where the major areas slated for full reconstruction within Tokyo proper were.
District 12, centered on Hamacho. You can see the fairly minimal adjustments to the lots.
Commemorative postcards for the end of the reconstruction process showing some of the new infrastructure that had been completed.
Tokyo’s bedecked streetcars in 1930

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