A comparative sociological study on the images of urban residence and the role of housing advertisement

focusing on the advertisement of high-rise condominiums in Tokyo

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the supply trends in high-rise condominiums in Tokyo since 2000 and clarify the modes of expression in the advertisements designed for people to purchase these condominiums, using social theories of consumption. A scrutiny of these advertisements demonstrates that the modes of expression are constructed by the uneasy narratives stemming from the huge size and height specific to high-rise towers as well as the clichéd narratives about their facilities, safety and comfortableness. In addition, examining the conditions and narratives of high-rise condominiums in Manhattan, we offer a perspective for the comparative studies of high-rise condominiums.