Civilization and enlightenment,
and recovery from the earthquake

Japan began to modernize at the same time as the Meiji Restoration. After the Meiji Restoration, Tokyo became the capital of Japan and was the first city in the country to modernize. The entire nation worked to build brick buildings modeled after Western architecture, luxurious palaces, and even railways. However, after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, many of the brick buildings that were symbols of modernization collapsed, which prompted a reexamination of architecture. Buildings and structures made of reinforced concrete, which can withstand earthquakes better than brick structures, began to be constructed, and modernization suited to Japan began to progress. There are many buildings remaining in Tokyo that convey this history to the present day, and they show the Japanese people's search for a modern architecture suited to Japan.