1am-5am: Tokyo, Urban rhythms and the politics of train schedules

At the centre of this article is arguably one of the most significant yet underexplored voids at the heart of the major cities in Japan: the temporal void of approximately four hours, which occurs between the last train on any day and the first train of the following one. Many cities, including Tokyo, have witnessed debates in recent years about their competitiveness as "always on" 24-hour global cities. In these debates "night" is often characterised as a temporal void, a comparatively unproductive urban time that might be better utilized to improve the city's economic position as well as urban experience. This article argues that such a view is institutionally biased, as it marginalizes or ignores the everyday experiences of city inhabitants and is also a misunderstanding of the broader temporal and spatial context of "night" and the apparent void it creates.