First published in 2015, the Tokyo Genso (東京幻想) art book imagines a post-apocalyptic Japan through a series of fascinating illustrations depicting a barren and desolate Tokyo landscape gradually reclaimed by nature. The images will certainly resonate strongly with any Tokyoite ( or anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time in Tokyo ) because the sights portrayed are landmarks that have come to define the sprawling metropolis.
This new 2020 edition comes with many new pieces of art work, and finished with more detail and realism than the original version.
(above) The Tokyo Metropolitan building in Shinjuku, prominently featured in Mamoru Oshii’s Patlabor 2 animated film.
(below) The Roppongi Mori Hills Tower, a trendy mall/cinema area with a fantastic museum on top. The Ghibli Expo of 2016 was held right here.
(above) The JR Shinjuku station South exit, as seen here in my 2016 photograph. Shinkuku station is the busiest train station in the world, with some 12 million passengers passing through it daily ( last time I checked ).
Back in the day my film school was located in Takadanobaba, a short distance away from Shinjuku, so I used to hang out there alot. Despite been messy and dirty, it is an endearing place to me. :]
(above) The old Harajuku Station Takeshita exit. This exit is no longer in use after a new building was erected in March 2020.
An imaginative and beautifully rendered collection of a wasted Tokyo cityscape, perhaps a few thousand years in the future. Recommended, especially for folks who are familiar with Tokyo’s urban landscape.
Note : This is the 2020 updated edition. View the older 2016 edition here.
“Tokyo Genso Art Book 東京幻想作品集” details :
Dimensions – 26 x 18.2 x 2 cm
Soft cover, 144 pages
Color, in Japanese ( book is mostly illustrations )
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June 22nd, 2020 at 3:07 pm
Is it worth buying this if I own the original?
I noticed there seems to be slightly fewer pages in this version.
June 23rd, 2020 at 4:24 am
Mark – Only if you wish to collect his latest art work. Unfortunately I don’t have my older edition with me to do a side by side comparison, but there is a fair bit of overlap in content looking at the pictures of my review for the older edition. I’m not entirely sure why the newer edition has a smaller page count; its possible the publisher chose not to include some art work from the older edition in this new one. ( this is purely my conjecture )