Observations on the banlieux of Tokyo

On the outskirts of Tokyo, viewed from the express train rushing out toward Narita, one sees a very different city than that of even the quieter corners of Tokyo proper. Still impossibly dense and endlessly expansive, but less confident, less quirky - though still unlike anywhere in 'western' cities I know... Tall, drab working-class residential districts. Hoards of men in suits leaving tower blocks with bars on the windows. Surrounded by bright green rice fields and the occasional massive shipping canal.


Ultimately this gives way to more expected - if always quite Japanese - 'suburban' communities, notable mainly for their greenery and engagement with agriculture both in and around them.