A Day in Tokyo: A 1968 Film Captures a City Reborn 23 Years After Its Destruction

During World War II, Tokyo sustained heavy damage, especially with the bombings conducted by the U.S. military in March 1945. Known as Operation Meetinghouse, US air raids destroyed 16 square miles in central Tokyo, leaving 100,000 civilians dead and one million homeless. Tokyo didn’t recover quickly. It took until the 1950s for reconstruction to really gain momentum. But gain momentum it did. By 1964, Tokyo found itself largely rebuilt, modernized, and ready to host the Olympics. That brings us to the 1968 film above, A Day in Tokyo, created by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) to promote tourism in the rebuilt city.

The website Japanese Nostalgic Car sets the scene:

The year 1968 was a special time for Japan. It was emerging as a modern country. The Tokyo Olympics had just been held a few years prior. Bullet trains, high-speed expressways, and color television broadcasts were spreading throughout the land. The year before saw the Toyota 2000GT and Mazda Cosmo Sport, Japan’s contemporary sports cars, debut. It must have been incredibly exciting.

In the 23-minute film above, you can revisit this moment of transformation and renewal, when Tokyo—as the film’s narrator put it—combined the best of new and old. Here, in the “constant metabolic cycle of destruction and creation, Tokyo progresses at a dizzying pace.” And it’s a sight to behold. Enjoy.

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