All cities change, there’s no doubt about that, but Tokyo sometimes seems like it’s in an almost constant state of flux, with shops regularly being reinvented and buildings getting razed and rebuilt at a really quite staggering rate.
In fact, even in the 12 years or so that I’ve been here, some of the areas I’m familiar with have changed enormously, so what kind of transformation this old lady has seen as she leisurely looks out from her balcony must be truly mind-blowing.