Since the publication of Trope Tokyo in 2020, the city has continued to transform and evolve. The skyline has grown, new landmarks have been built, and familiar neighborhoods have taken on new forms.
The updated 2026 edition of Trope Tokyo (Revised + Expanded) reflects these changes through new photography, new photographer's contributions, and a broader view of the city’s evolving architecture and street life. While a majority of landmarks and neighborhoods from the original book still remain, the new imagery showcases the changes in Tokyo over the past 5 years that did not exist when the first edition was printed.
Below are a few places that show how the city, and the book itself, has changed.
Tokyo's Iconic Landmarks
Locations such as Tokyo Tower, Shibuya Crossing, and the neighborhoods surrounding them were central to the original 2020 edition and continue to appear in the revised book. What's changed is not their importance, but the perspective from which they are seen. New photography revisits these familiar locations with updated points of view, different light, and the way the city continues to evolve around them.
Tokyo Skytree from Kappabashi Shopping Street. Photo taken by Yusuke Komatsu.
As one of Tokyo’s most recognizable districts, theShibuya area has undergone continued redevelopment over the past several years. New towers, pedestrian spaces, and architectural additions have evolved the skyline and the way the neighborhood looks and feels.
New Architecture to Tokyo
One of the most visible changes in Tokyo over the past five years is the building of several major architectural developments. These new buildings have quickly become part of Tokyo's visual skyline.
Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower
Completed in 2023, the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower has quickly become one of Tokyo’s most striking additions. The tower anchors a newly developed urban complex that blends architecture, public space, and greenery, including multi‑floor theaters, art installations, hotels, and dining venues.
Its sculptural form and expansive views offer a perspective of Tokyo that simply did not exist when the first edition of Trope Tokyo was produced. Photographs in the new edition capture both the tower itself and the shifting cityscape that surrounds it.
Tokyo Tower from Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower. Photo taken by Sanmi Krueger.
Change in Shibuya
Few areas of Tokyo have evolved as quickly as Shibuya. While the famous Shibuya crossing remains one of the city’s most recognizable scenes, the surrounding district has been transforming.
New towers, pedestrian terraces, and updated public spaces have reshaped the neighborhood over the past several years. The revised edition of Trope Tokyo reflects this redevelopment through updated photography that captures Shibuya’s shifting architecture and layered street life.
Above Shibuya from Shibuya Sky. Photo Taken by Shōgo Misawa.
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo. Photo taken by Antonio Lopez.
The Revised + Expanded Edition
Beyond architectural additions, the revised and expanded edition of Trope Tokyo also introduces new photographers and new viewpoints that extend the book’s coverage across the city.
The updated imagery captures Tokyo’s evolving relationship between tradition and innovation, fusing the ancient and the ultramodern. From quiet residential streets to transforming skylines, these photographs create a richer portrait of the city as it exists today.
This is reflected on the book's new cover. The image of Tokyo Skytree and Nakamise Shopping Street by newly added photographer Sanmi Krueger captures the city's ongoing contrast of the past and present.
In the original 2020 edition, the cover featured Tokyo Tower, the iconic broadcast tower that was completed in the late 1950s. For the revised edition, Trope chose to highlight Tokyo Tower and the famous Nakamise Shopping Street. While the original cover was focused on an architectural staple of Tokyo at night, the new cover shows the traditional storefronts with people shopping and the modern Skytree in the distance. The result of this image shows the consistent dichotomy between the traditional and the modern of the city.
Tokyo Skytree from Nakamise Shopping Street. Photo taken by Sanmi Krueger.
The revised and expanded edition of Trope Tokyo reflects a city that has not simply changed, but continues to evolve. New buildings, transforming districts, and new photographic perspectives all contribute to an expansive portrait of Tokyo.
