Edo-Tokyo: History & Culture
Edo-Sakariba and Ginza/Asakusa: A comparison of similarities and differences
Instead of an economic or sociologic determination, [Seidensticker] focuses on the effect upon society of the disappearance of this theater building, that cafe, those geisha houses, markets, and other landmarks, and their replacement stores, subways, and so on... Packed with original material and insights, [this book is] invaluable to scholars, students, and Tokyophiles."
-- Kirkus Reviews
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/reviews/SEITOX_R.html
Are Ginza and Asakusa representative at all of Edo sakariba? If so, how? The two are certainly related to one another. Each boasts many "seething" crowds; nightlife and entertainment for would be passers by. Edo sakariba was a romantic and social community, one where people would gather in the streets a hundred years ago to socialize and discuss the goings on. The streets themselves were alive with vendors and entertainers, a welcome site for community members. Public baths and communal gatherings certainly were not uncommon. The community was the center of Edo-sakariba. How has this changed, and how does it compare to Ginza and Asakusa, modern and old?
Ginza and Asakusa, though thriving in the sense that they attract thousands of visitors, and offer entertainment and shopping, are very different from their traditional Edo ancestor. A once grand landscape based on the ideas of vastness an openness is now cluttered with a more cosmopolitan face, one that is characteristically Westernized in nature. Many have in fact regarded the change as "ugly" and unappealing. Of the two, Asakusa is definitely most compatible with its traditional Edo ancestor, even though cosmetically the area has changed over the last fifty years.
In "Low City, High City" Seidensticker discusses the folklore, culture, architecture and entertainment of the great city of Tokyo. Ginza and Asakusa represent to Tokyo places that most vividly capture the "modernization of sakariba" (udel, 2003). Ginza is more often represented as a cosmopolitan, very urban, popular and modern culture. Asakusa however is more often representative of deeper Edo roots and still has many stage shows, movie houses...
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