04/09/2026
I just returned from a research trip to Tokyo for my forthcoming book Streetlife () where I rode the city’s narrow streets with Kosuke Miyata .k_miyata and Chad Feyen@chadfeyen of the . In a city where the majority of trips by bike are made by women, I interviewed cyclists and "mamachari" riders who use their bikes daily to move through the city. Thank you, Megumi Feyen , Midori Morita, and .
Invited by urbanist Yosuke Homma, I met with a passionate group of Suginami residents who, facing the widening of their street, are exploring creative ways to plan for the future. I interviewed City Councilor Aska Blanchard .minnanomachi2023 and Mayor Satako Kishimoto once I returned. These exceptional female politicians are putting community leadership at the heart of planning efforts in Suginami.
Shino Miura and Léo Martial, from Chou University, showed me through the old streets of Oyama and new plans for Omotesando Avenue. I walked the Kirakira Tachibana shotengei with Kazumichi Oowa, whose care and vision have been crucial in making this community street a success. We visited its incredible food shops and generous community spaces; saw a performance by
's “Cupid Girls,” who rally support for the street with their performances; and visited with artists Tengyo Kura and Egumi Mabuchi at their storefront studio featuring an ice cream windowl! This inspiring street, and many others throughout Tokyo, renewed my faith in the creative energy possible on our city streets when people are at the core of making them.
Thank you Heide Imai , Kazuki Nakamura, chr.dimmer , Koichiro Tamura, Aya Okuaki, M Sana Ullah Khan, Yuichi Ikeda, Kaori Saya, Kenji Hashidate, Shiho Kato, and Fukazawa Kohei & Sugiura Kimiko
for helping me to understand the complexities of Tokyo. I so appreciate my friend and translator, ; my son, , who filmed many of these experiences; and , who introduced me to so many wonderful people.
I look forward to sharing more in Streelife!
