First Published in 1995. Some thirty years have passed since the death of Noel Nouet. He was a revered teacher, historian, writer and talented woodblock artist who became the author's person friend during the 1950s in Japan. The original French edition of this book (1961) began with Noel Nouer's description of what he intended his book to be. He had no claims, he said, to have written a scholarly work. Rather he wanted 'to present a kind of emakimono, picture-scroll, of Tokyo' that would be 'pleasant to peruse? ?.