VANISHING JAPAN: Modern Architecture, Gone But Not Forgotten published by the extraordinary house of Thames & Hudson will be available September 1 and we highly recommend pre-ordering this visual celebration of gems.  

Written by author and architect Naomi Pollock (The Japanese House Since 1945, Japanese Design Since 1945), this compelling book focuses on some ninety buildings throughout Japan that have been demolished since 2000, including many that achieved new architectural milestones and become landmarks in the public eye.

Pollock examines the reasons why buildings regularly get torn down in Japan—real-estate values, costs, and improvements to construction techniques in a country plagued by earthquakes— and provides invaluable context. In the book, she spotlights theaters, shopping centers, offices, gymnasiums, hotels, and residential buildings, mostly built between the 1950s and 1970s. They include recognizable edifices that continue to inspire as examples of architectural innovation, such as the Nagakin Capsule Tower, the National Stadium built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Hokkaido Centennial Tower, and the National Aquarium in Okinawa—all conceived by some of the country’s most respected architects.

Illustrated throughout with fascinating photographs, VANISHING JAPAN is the first book to shine a light on these gems, becoming an important record of buildings that have already been lost and preserving their memory for a wide audience of readers around the world.