Snapshots of Tokyo 50 Years Ago and Today

Above, the Shibuya 109 department store is one of the subjects of the article. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Where would we be today if photography had never been invented?

Luckily, we have photographic records of people and places of years gone by. This has been the case since the advent of photography in the nineteenth century.

To once again prove that point, Rocket News 24 has posted an article of photographs of Tokyo that are a "visual comparison" of places fifty years ago and today.

They begin it with:

Once upon a time, Tokyo was nowhere near the sprawling megalopolis that it is today. Long ago, it wasn’t a sure thing that the small fishing village known as Edo would someday become one of the most bustling cities in the world. 

But let’s skip Tokyo’s early years and fast-forward to a slightly more recent age. Ever wondered what the city looked like half a century ago, before the towering skyscrapers and iconic neon lights? Today, we are proud to present a visual comparison of Tokyo, 50 years ago versus the modern day!

To see Tokyo "then and now," go here.