<figure id="attachment_468279" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468279" style="width: 1648px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a9acfb04"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/28bc5c6c18cb6729fbfc5a61bf782697.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468279" class="wp-caption-text">Claims written on cardboard held up by participants in the march</figcaption></figure>
<h3> High-rise condominiums loomed over the area.</h3>
<p> I was surprised when I visited the site for the first time in four years.</p>
<p> A 13-story condominium building rises above the former cluster of simple lodging houses, and the parking lot is full of construction vehicles. Large trucks came and went along the narrow streets, and the existing old buildings would probably be demolished sooner or later.</p>
<p> The area is called &#8220;Yamaya,&#8221; which consists of Kiyokawa River, Nihon Tsutsumi, and Higashi Asakusa in Taito Ward, Tokyo. Since the Edo period (1603-1867), the area has been home to &#8220;wooden inns&#8221; where people stayed overnight without meals, and in the Showa period (1926-1989), it became famous as a town for day laborers. Recently, however, the appearance of Yamaya is about to change drastically.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Don&#8217;t destroy the &#8220;do-ya!　Don&#8217;t build condominiums in Yamaya!&#8221;</span></p>
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<p> It was in January of this year that the voices of opposition to the construction of high-rise condominiums resounded in this town. About 30 staff members supporting the workers marched in a demonstration. Surrounded by about 80 policemen, they chanted sprechkolls.</p>
<p> My first visit to the Yamaya was about 13 years ago. It was when I covered a medical visit. Since then, I have talked to workers living in the valley from time to time, and even helped out at a soup kitchen on New Year&#8217;s Eve.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In the past, actors who supported the workers would take to the streets on New Year&#8217;s Eve to put on a play to entertain them. In addition, they would cook hot New Year&#8217;s Eve soba noodles in a pot and serve them to the workers. However, the COVID-19 crisis changed the situation. The plays where people were crowded together were cancelled to prevent infection, and the New Year&#8217;s Eve soba was replaced by cup noodles,&#8221; said a worker support staff member.</span></p>
<p> New apartments began to be built one after another in Yamaya &#8230;&#8230;. A man in his 50s, who lives in a simple lodging house while receiving public assistance, laments, &#8220;The Yamatani is a place where the cartoon &#8220;Tomorrow&#8217;s Soba Noodles.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Yamaya was the setting for the comic book &#8220;Ashita no Joe&#8221; (Tomorrow&#8217;s Joe), and before Corona, the area was lively with workers coming from all over the country. But recently there are fewer festivals, plays, and other events, and the 300-meter-long arcade of the &#8220;Irohakai Shopping Street,&#8221; which has been in existence since the Taisho era (1912-1926), was removed a few years ago. &#8230;&#8230; The reason is said to be aging and disaster prevention, but there is no longer a place for people living on the street to shelter from the wind and rain,&#8221; he said.</span></p>
<p> The few remaining guesthouses are about to be transformed into new guesthouses for inbound travelers.</p>
<p> The Bureau of Social Welfare of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been working on a project called the &#8220;Tokyo Metropolitan Government Comprehensive Project Plan for the Yamatani Area. The plan aims to improve the local environment. The plan includes the following &#8220;direction of measures&#8221;.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The face of the Yamaya area is changing dramatically as new residents move into the area due to the increase in the number of new condominiums. In light of this background, we will work to improve the environment of the Yamatani area, including environmental beautification activities.</span></p>
<p> Koichiro Mukai, a member of the Yamatani Workers&#8217; Welfare Hall Activities Committee, is indignant.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is only talking nicely. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is only talking nicely,&#8221; said Koichiro Mukai, a member of the Yamatani Workers&#8217; Welfare Hall Activities Committee, angrily. That is the reality of the valley today.</span></p>
<p> The &#8220;workers&#8217; town&#8221; is being transformed into a &#8220;residential area&#8221; lined with condominiums.</p>
<p> From the May 29, 2026 issue of &#8220;FRIDAY</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The ever-changing &quot;Yamatani&quot;... &quot;Now and then&quot; comparison photos"></div>
<figure id="attachment_468280" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468280" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="353e3f7e"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/4f8c2b1945df6c5171e686f2522d6a70.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468280" class="wp-caption-text">Before <br>December &#8217;19. On New Year&#8217;s Eve, after the workers finished their supper from the soup kitchen, a street play was started by actors who supported them</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468281" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468281" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="fcc1de74"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/43d4c328d809789379507e91798a39a0.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468281" class="wp-caption-text"> After <br>December &#8217;25. The street plays were cancelled to prevent the transmission of the new coronavirus. The simple lodging house on the left in the photo above has been cleared.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_468285" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468285" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4ca51cdb"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/0cc33402a056b9d85a2782632d1e4342.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468285" class="wp-caption-text"> Before <br>The streetscape of Yamaya, where there were many low buildings, in July &#8217;13.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468284" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468284" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="355ec30f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/dfbb38f5493751b7eaeaa7e4f4d0890c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468284" class="wp-caption-text"> After <br>A 13-story apartment building was built in the same area (July &#8217;25)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468283" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468283" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8937d068"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/2ca5ba3a1773020b40143247767562ec.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468283" class="wp-caption-text"> Before <br>A two-story simple lodging house taken in January &#8217;19</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468282" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468282" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="73a6c45d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/a53cfc3cab55d25d8858470422bbba82.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468282" class="wp-caption-text"> After <br>Three months later, demolition work began and apartments were built</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_468292" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468292" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="47c91845"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/3d7f573ceae21fe43bdc2a063533dfcb.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468292" class="wp-caption-text"> Before <br>The site where three simple lodging houses were located (December &#8217;25)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468293" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468293" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2300f0af"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/f46ea319b2b53afc08306f23088e2ac9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468293" class="wp-caption-text"> After <br>A 12-story apartment building is scheduled for completion in August &#8217;27 (March &#8217;26)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468288" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468288" style="width: 1778px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b6674ea8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/8783985566177f8318343798806ad67d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468288" class="wp-caption-text"> Before <br>A parade advertising the Yamaya Summer Festival (August &#8217;15)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468289" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468289" style="width: 1789px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7950e53d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/bf5f3ff22615b4081ddde645b1b16d32.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468289" class="wp-caption-text"> After <br>The atmosphere has changed dramatically with the construction of an apartment building on the left (February &#8217;26)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468286" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468286" style="width: 1701px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d44eaedc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/a9b82f8c455a292fe012c0430488c971.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468286" class="wp-caption-text"> Before <br>Making New Year&#8217;s Eve soba noodles (New Year&#8217;s Eve &#8217;15)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468287" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468287" style="width: 1969px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3f1a10a8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/ec6e0784a441c4e6127bb019cd0d1ff8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468287" class="wp-caption-text"> After <br>Due to the lack of manpower of the supporters, the soba noodles are now cup noodles (New Year&#8217;s Eve, &#8217;25)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468290" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468290" style="width: 1694px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="fabdbc40"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/a5790fbe5412d3e4560e0ab6b23dd057.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468290" class="wp-caption-text"> Before <br>A worker with a cup in his pocket (&#8217;15 January)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_468291" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468291" style="width: 1704px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b3064dff"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/129e458698c4745a32d44582161b51d8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468291" class="wp-caption-text"> After <br>His regular lodging also became an apartment (February &#8217;26)</figcaption></figure>


 Yasuko Funamoto (FRIDAY photographer)

 In Yamaya, Tokyo, redevelopment projects have led to the construction of condominiums and the conversion of inns into guesthouses. The workers' culture and places of support are disappearing, and support groups are protesting that they are "eliminating the weak". Where will the former town of day laborers disappear to?

The setting of the manga “Ashita no Joe” is undergoing drastic change..! Close-up report on the changing workers’ town “Yamaya

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