Showa is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Showa Emperor, Hirohito, from 25 December 1926 to 7 January 1989. All the photographs in this book were taken in 1960, Showa 35, and they mix many subjects, among them gambling, children, a demonstration in the suburbs, a burning house and jazz musicians. Although they come from the past, they still apply to the present day. The black-and-white pictures include a crowded street strewn with debris, a man in an overcoat standing on waste ground and a building covered in posters. The red cloth cover carries the title in English and Japanese.