The Greatest City on Earth
Tokyo. 400 years of life. Over 13 million inhabitants. Layers upon layers of identities, constantly changing. The city has probably been leveled to the ground more than any other city on the planet. Reduced to ashes after the WWII firebombings, torn to the ground by the 1923 Kantō earthquake, and in its days as a town made largely out of paper and wood during the Tokugawa era, the city was literally burnt to the ground almost every year. It is from this destruction though that the city has been allowed really grow and reshape itself. A phoenix, a perpetually rising sun.
To me, this city is a symbol of hope. Yes, the human game can be a dirty one at times, but distancing oneself from the game is not the answer. What is required is participation, and if a symbol of nothing else, it is the word “activity” that sums up the nature of this great city. Have faith and play the game, and you will see just how beautiful the scope of our creations may be.
totorobaga 