VOL.83/2025.06

 

[New Ways of Walking Through Cities ②]

A City Where the Past and Future Meet: Tokyo

 

2025.02.17

 

 

Korea and Japan are countries that are both close and far away at the same time. They are located in East Asia and have similar climates, four seasons, and no time difference. Even the cityscapes look similar at first glance. Seoul and Tokyo both feature a mix of skyscrapers and traditional architecture. However, if you look a little deeper, you start to see the subtle differences between them. Whereas tradition and modernity blend together naturally in Korea, the two seem to be more starkly separated in Japan. For example, Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul seems to blend into the modern cafes and shops surrounding it, but in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, the shrines and temples are quiet reminders of a time gone by.
When you first step foot in Tokyo, you feel like you have just walked into a giant puzzle. While bright neon signs and sleek skyscrapers soar into the sky, quiet shrines and traditional gardens sit serenely in the background. Snacks from street vendors give a sense of the city’s unpretentious daily life, while Ginza’s high-tech malls prove that Tokyo is a global trendsetter. Amidst the city’s fast-paced changes, Tokyo remains a special place where the past and future coexist. So, what stories do Tokyo’s two faces have to tell?

 

A journey towards solidarity and healing

 

 

Juliana Tokyo (Swimmingkul) by Han Jung-Hyun is set in the real-life club Juliana Tokyo, which existed from 1991-1994. The story unfolds as characters who never actually experienced the club connect. It explores the intertwined histories of Korean and Japanese women, the isolated lives of LGBTQ people, and the nature of hate. It tells the story of people seeking connection and healing amid pain and loneliness. Hanju, the protagonist of the story, is subjected to constant violence in the name of love, and as a result, she develops foreign accent syndrome and loses her native Korean language. She meets Yukino, a fellow bookseller in Tokyo, who becomes an important companion on her journey. As an LGBTQ person, Yukino has faced discrimination and prejudice, but through their shared pain and understanding of each other, they find hope that makes the stagnant time pass.

 

 

Beginning with the above conversation, the two embrace each other’s loneliness and spend time finding their favorite things together, but Yukino’s sudden disappearance sends the story in a different direction. The author suggests the possibility that we can connect with others beyond our personal wounds, and believes that solidarity can be achieved. A perfect winter read, Juliana Tokyo, is a novel that comes to mind on a snowy day, demonstrating the power to live anew through solidarity and healing, even in the face of personal wounds and the imperfections of love. It also reminds us what it means to experience deep connection with others, and helps us move closer to understanding our own and others’ suffering.

 

A timeless story of a mother and daughter in Tokyo

 

 

A Little About My Mother (Hyohyung Book) is the story of a mother and daughter who left Korea and lived in Tokyo for twenty years. In the story, the mother, who worked as a DJ in a music bar in Seoul when she was young, loses her husband after less than ten years of marriage and moves to Japan with her two children. Raising her two children alone while running a late-night restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo, she was a strong single mother and a stunning woman who always maintained a slim and attractive figure. However, just a month before her 60th birthday, she unexpectedly gets diagnosed with oral cancer.

 

 

With her mother’s death approaching, the author, her daughter, recalls her precious memories of her mother in Tokyo. The book is organized into four themes: Taste, Space, Traces, and Travel, and each chapter is filled with heartwarming recollections of moments with her mother. The book is interspersed with photographs of everyday life in Tokyo, taken by the author herself, which evoke nostalgia for those who have traveled to Tokyo, and familiarity for those who have yet to experience the city. As the reader travels through the alleys of Tokyo over a 20 years time span, the reader is drawn into the moments of the mother and daughter. Reminiscing about family love and life, this book is a record of life’s highs and lows, set against the backdrop of Tokyo.

 

A compass that charts new pathways

 

 

The last book introduces how to prepare for the future by looking at Japan today. Tokyo Trend Insight 2025 (One&one books) presents 5 key trends identified in Japan in the face of societal challenges of low growth, aging, and changing consumption, and corresponding business strategies. Among them are the strategies of Japanese companies that are redefining their markets and finding new customers even in times of low growth, and changing the consumption patterns of Japan’s Generation Z, who view consumption as a frugal virtue. Meanwhile, changes in space create greater opportunities. In Japan, commercial spaces that maximize the consumer experience and emphasize data collection, such as “shops that don’t sell,” are flourishing. This has lessons for businesses around the world in the post-COVID-19 era.

 

 

Moreover, Japan’s various attempts to address the aging population, such as utilizing abandoned homes and pet services, provide valuable insights for other countries. Last but not least, how retailers have developed survival strategies through technology, PB product development, and targeted marketing in the face of population decline and changing consumption is a good model for business innovation. This book provides practical ideas and insights for Korean companies to prepare for the changing times through the case of Japan. It is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in shifting consumption patterns and expanding their perspective.

 

 

Tokyo is not just a tourist destination, but a place where you create your own story through new experiences. Despite the fast-paced rhythm of the city, anyone can enjoy Tokyo at their own pace. Some discover Tokyo’s charms through shopping and gourmet cuisine, some through serene strolls, and some through new encounters. Depending on the time of day and how you look at it, Tokyo will always be different. You might encounter the past in a traditional alleyway one day, and walk the streets of cutting-edge technology the next. These are just a few of the many faces of Tokyo that came to mind while flipping through the book. I wonder what Tokyo will look like next?

 

 

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Written by Choi Ha-Yeong