A Study On The History Of 'Cinema-City' In Asakusa; Tokyo: Analysis of land use and landscape transformations based on cadastral maps and photos

摘要

During the 20th century, Asakusa was known as "Eiga-gai" which means "Cinema-City ", since it was a place with the highest concentration of cinemas in Japan. Nowadays, few cinemas are still opened and the popularity of Asakusa, as an entertainment district, has fallen inexorably. The first step in doing this study was to perform a land use analysis through several periods, including the Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and the present. The second step was to collect all data and compare them to understand how the"Cinema-City" was born in Asakusa and how the area developed, changed, and declined over the past century. The results of this study make clear the following points: 1) The Cinema-City presented the highest concentration cinemas in Japanese history. 2) The Cinema-City experienced many changes in architectural styles, land use, ownerships, and landscape. These changes are carefully examined and reported in the present study.