Abstract

“Tokyo Bay Archipelago”… While this name does not officially appear on any map, the artificial islands being created one after another have filled the shores of Tokyo Bay, forming a cluster of islands—an archipelago—so vast that it is narrowing the bay itself. Their number easily exceeds 70. However, the reality is that very little is known about why these islands were built or what lies within them.
Islands occupied by a single corporation, islands occupied by the U.S. military, islands that never sleep, islands that handle the city’s sewage, natural hot springs bubbling up on artificial islands, maritime fortresses strictly off-limits to the public, and deities enshrined on artificial islands…
This book unravels the mystery behind the question, “Why were these artificial islands created?” and, by extension, explores the wonder, fascination, and profundity of the city of Tokyo from the perspective of “artificial islands.”

Author’s Information

Photographer and photo essayist.
An “island specialist” who has spent 45 years traveling across the inhabited islands of Japan, documenting their landscapes through photography and writing.
Born in Aichi Prefecture and raised in Tokyo.