Beautification and Gentrification
Ken Ninomiya

This was more than 40 years ago when I was working at our headquarters near Shinagawa Station. We usually worked late until suddenly, someone would call out loudly. “Let’s call it a day.” “Yes, let’s,” several loud voices would respond.

We would then clear our work benches and leave the office in a group. After a 15 minute walk along a dim street, we could see a group of lanterns. They were from a collection of pub-stands (Yata) in front of Shinagawa Station. Each covered stand had several stools at the counter. They served dishes like grilled chicken Yakitori, Oden, Okonomiyaki and others - all with beer or other liquor. We usually strolled around for a while looking for the best dish of the day until we would finally sit down on the stools at one of the stands. After that, we would enjoy our chosen dishes while chatting loudly as we relaxed with sake or liquor.

This was our daily ceremony before riding the train home and it was a very important time for us to communicate with each other in a relaxed atmosphere.

One morning, to my great disappointment, I saw that the area had been suddenly closed off and all the equipment and stalls removed. And one year later, the area had become a clean and handsome traffic circle with parking space for taxies. There was nothing left to remind me of the enjoyable, relaxed times we once had. All these years later, whenever I get off the train at Shinagawa Station, I still miss the atmosphere and the aroma of those special dishes from the old days.

Thus beautification always deprives us of the pleasure of such places that leave us with good memories and which are gradually disappearing from Japan and I cannot help feeling a little dreary to see another newly beautified or gentrified place.