Tales of the City

Authors

Vera C. Mackie, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

44090

Publication Details

Mackie, V. C. 2011, 'Tales of the City', Japanese Studies, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 299-304.

Abstract

Every day millions of people pass through Shinjuku Station, the massive transport hub in Western Toyko, transferring between public and private railways, subways and bus lines. In the underground passageway near the western exit is a ten-metre-wide acrylic sculpture, known as 'Shinjuku no Me'/'L'Oeil de Shinjuku' (The Eye of Shinjuku). This gigantic eye. set into the wall, has looked out over the commuters since some time in 1969. Most people just walk past the sculpture without paying much attention on their way to the high-rise buildings just outside the western exit, or on their way to the nearby bus terminus. The 'Eye' is also, however, a convenient landmark for meeting friends. It can be difficult to find people in the largest railway station in the world.