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A comment on Tokyo's retro shotengai arcades are falling victim to gentrification. Parent comment

Re:Tokyo's retro shotengai arcades are falling victim to gen... by nitwit005 on Tuesday July 22, 2025 @06:37PM (#44653820)
These older districts were also doubtless considered bland and character-less when built.

There are small homes near me that were built right after WW2. They were built as quickly and cheaply as possible, with almost no effort made at looking pretty. Now considered charming.

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Re:Tokyo's retro shotengai arcades are falling victim to gen... by ZenoArrow on Wednesday July 23, 2025 @02:28AM (#44656252)
> These older districts were also doubtless considered bland and character-less when built.

It's not about the buildings, it's about the human interactions. The buildings that replace the ones at risk may be more aesthetically pleasing, but it seems very unlikely to support something that is as interesting to visit as what they currently have in that area. Gentrification rarely leads to a blossoming of culture.

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