The image series chronicles the completion and development of Tokyo's crucial inner railway ring, the Yamanote Line (marked in red). The Yamanote ring was completed in 1924. Although it was not preconceived, once in place it provided the mechanism of Tokyo’s modern development. Municiple routes extended radially while private systems interoperated. The resultant network, though it strikes me as a parody of efficiency when I am maneuvering from one line to the next, has proven highly effective at coordinating the city’s tremendous population density (source: The Japan Architect 63 : Urban Design Strategies for Shrinking Tokyo).
