Naoki Sakai wrote an excellent review and I am reprinting it.

Mr. Fukuda has published a book titled “Streetwise City 2022. The book is selling very well and has already been reprinted. We hope that those who are considering housing with an eye on After Corona will read this book.

The concept of this book is, simply put, that the city should not be a closed skyscraper that stretches “vertically” but a street-style city that spreads “horizontally”. This is an interesting proposal that could be said to be the exact opposite of Mori Building’s vision. Mori Building’s business is based on the idea that in Tokyo, where land is limited, there is no choice but to grow upward.

The word “street” as used in “Street Cities 2022” means a punk, democratic place where anyone can participate. It must reflect the free lifestyle of ordinary people, which is the opposite of a city created by capitalism (authority). Shibuya, too, has been heavily developed and has become nothing but buildings. It has gone beyond human size. I went to Shinsen and Ura-Shibuya the other day, where “adults” gather to escape the hustle and bustle of skyscrapers in Shibuya, and felt that the charm of the street store culture is still alive.

The apparel business I founded in Harajuku in the 1970s was known as Mansion Maker, and there were countless brands. I also opened a boutique store, but this location was not Shibuya or Shinjuku, but Harajuku, where no major capital had yet established a presence. As Mr. Fukuda said, it was a punk, democratic town where anyone could participate. And for us entrepreneurs, Harajuku was still a place where real estate costs made it possible to open stores. However, I recalled that such a town became “a town created by capitalism (authority)” over the past 10 to 20 years, as big capitalists continued to open new stores. This book has many hints for those involved in urban development.”

If you read it, please give us an Amazon review!

If you have not yet done so, please purchase the book at bookstores nationwide or on Amazon or Kindle below.