For those English speakers curious what this says and why it has 64 upvotes at this very moment. This is what it says. "When viewed over the 18-year period from 2001 to 2019, one can grasp how short 18 years is, intuitively. It is remarkable how this place has recovered so much from a scorched and desolate wasteland in just 18 years. We should not only offer gratitude once again to the two million plus souls, both military and civilian, who perished in the war but also to all those who endured the war and contributed to the post-war reconstruction."
When I look at Tokyo, and its vastness, I often think about how the whole metropolis was flattened in WW2. It's sad in a way because there aren't many old buildings in Tokyo, but it's also amazing that so much has been built since that time. Countless buildings covering every bit of land.
Actually Tokyo has always been a highly developed city. In the 70s and 80s , no one could even compete with Tokyo's infrastructure.. now many cities in Asia like Seoul , Hong Kong , Singapore , Kuala Lumpur ( Somewhat ) and Shenzhen have comparable infrastructure to Tokyo. If you see Tokyo in 2019 , you can still observe many similarities.
Alex The entire WAS bombed. For all the videos that talk about Japan hardly having any space to develop (aka cramped, can’t grow food, dependent on natural resources from elsewhere) is direct evidence of why bombing Japan in its totality was easy, as its urban are are all concentrated in specific areas, and much of it on the Pacific coast. Tokyo itself was fire bombed, as with many other cities. Fire bombing was known to be far more effective than the nuclear bombs, so the fact that you even mention them as examples of catastrophic damage is ridiculous (they’re incredibly powerful for being one bomb, but still caused less damage than fire bombs and other bombs on each city in total) For example Hamamatsu is the number one city to be bombed by air and coastal guns over 90%. There’s an entire graph of the entire percentage of cities destroyed and all major cities, ESPECIALLY TOKYO, was seriously affected, and hundreds of thousands of people died
@@alexandercrush You sound like you are saying that other countries would have achieved what Japan has achieved if they are not invaded, but is that really the truth?
I lived in Tokyo in Datemachi in the house of a Japanese diplomat staying abroad, a street I cannot find anymore. When I worked in our Kobe office I stayed in James estate Shioya. Sorry I forgot whether I saw that Okuna Building or Ginza Apartments. It is more than half a century ago!
I had the honor of living in Japan from ‘59’to’61’. My respect and admiration for the Japanese has stayed with me always. If I were not an American I would want to be Japanese!
Translation for English speakers. "It's surprising to see this appearance, just 18 years after the end of the war. Again, it's deeply moving to think about how rapid the reconstruction took place. The other day, while I was on the Toden Arakawa Line heading towards Minowa Bridge, I overheard two elderly ladies reminiscing about the area around Mukouhara. One of them said, "Come to think of it, this area was also partly burned during that air raid, wasn't it?" It seemed like they were sharing their memories. I imagine that for those elderly ladies and many others, Tokyo's appearance has left vivid memories from the day it was completely destroyed by the bombing until today, with various changes in the cityscape over time."
Looks like my walk through Tokyo's suburbs yesterday. Same school uniforms, same business, same stations, same food. Still see families in tatami rooms, but there are western style homes too. Most people in suits, but some traditional or casual - same as now. Same insane work ethic. Still super orderly, quiet and clean. Love Japan!
I spent the summer of 1970 in Yokohama, when my mother took me there to visit her family, which included my grandmother, uncle, aunt, and cousins. She hadn't been back since 1963; the time previous to that was 1961, and again before that was 1959, when she had left Japan permanently for New York City. She was born, in 1932, and raised in Yokohama Chinatown, and she is 87 today. We were also in Yokohama in part to travel to Osaka for Expo '70. Aside from a few things that would have changed between 1963 and 1970, this film is very much like I remember of my summer in Yokohama. :-)
Man, the music... I'm gonna cry. How is it possible to so much miss places and times you have never witnessed? People rarey get this, byt everyday life and simple things in it are SACRED.
What a blast form the past! It brought me back to my childhood. I was born in 1962. I am glad to be able to communicate with the person who actually filmed it. Thank you for uploading it, Michael.
It's crazy how Japan could achieve that level of stability and prosperity when 18 years before the country was in ruins. In fact 60s Japan looks more modern and futuristic than my country here in the 21st century
Shashank Sharma Yea ...Our family’s trusty Japanese car was like an extended family member ....Datsun , Nissan , Toyota and Infinity as well as others...the occasional American brands and even VW didn’t seem to cut it. Japanese quality and economy was what we depended on for our mobility. I still miss my Tacoma...perfect little truck.
Precious, amazing records of 1963 Tokyo, family scene!! So moving to me personally, for I, born in Tokyo and raised there, left for USA, with one suitcase and one way ticket to Chicago, (but not definite idea how to live) in end of March, 1963!!!! My home is USA now. That year was very significant time of my life. The every scene makes my heart treble. Am grateful you showed this video. Lucky I found it.
What a thoughtful editing ! Probably, somebody has been involved in editing who really knows Japan. 2:43 Starts the beautiful orchestration of a rural children song “Karasu no Ko(Seven Children of A Crow) “ , on the background of a rush hour in the city. At that time, Tokyo was crowded with youth of extreme rural origins. Such spirits of their birthplace has been concealed in their swinging urban living of early 60’s.
I missed Japan i was stationed there when i was in the U.S. Navy In Atsugi, Kanagawa prefecture near Yamato City in 1972-76 and 1986-89. From Glendale, CA
I have lived in Japan since 2000 and while parts of this video have changed, I still see some familiar things such as some of the houses look the same especially in the countryside. They still have the concrete block fences that the Dad and son walked past in your video. I was amazed to see the highway next to the train lines - its solid construction like a big lego block but now they are built like bridges. Very interested in the “Samuraiya pan” shop
This is a landscape three years before I was born . Such a landscape does not exist in Japan today . Good old days .家族揃って何かする事がもう無い。大人が大人らしく子供が子供らしい時代。すっかり大人の年齢になった私はこの時代の人に何も言えない。
I showed this video to my 73-yr-old dad. He says that the family that appears in the video are actors, and he says a guy that played the father in the film was a well-known actor back them, though my dad could not remember his name.
@@monkeywkeys3916 This the life I truly want again. People enjoying the fresh air and not looking at any devices. Not a single phone glued to anyone's hands and ears.
1963 My goodness. I was a student at the university and lived at the area where film has been shot. So many of the shots are the same as I can recall and gives me nostalgia. This was a year before the previous Olympics of 64, and everything was confusing. Taxis were running as Kamikaze everywhere. We were more aggressive I recall. The film has been taken by professionals as the lighting says, but may be by Japanese because the lighting skill was not good enough even though at that time. The music tells as it was selected by non Japanese but well done. But, totally, this is a precious record of this time, for everything has been changed so much now. I appreciate the work.
