Food and Drink

At the height of his alcohol-fuelled feelings of complete and utter invincibility, this fella’s last can — a cheap and cheerful chu-hi — must have seemed like an absolutely fantastic idea. But, due to either a very early start, or an impressively late finish, its only effect seems to have been to quickly summon an embarrassingly public, mid-afternoon slumber.

Should you wish to see more photos of similarly inebriated Japanese drinkers, an ever-growing set of them can be seen here.

Bars, of course, are almost always pleasant places to be, but Japan’s standing bars in particular are more than a little special. Mostly used as pitstops for a very quick bit of food and booze, the resultant flow of customers makes them absolutely perfect for people watching. Then add to that their rough and ready nature, and it’s a match made in a very hazy heaven.

For more photos of Japanese drinkers, there’s a full set of them on my portfolio site, here.

A sit down, a cigarette and some sake.

Seeing people drunk and asleep on the street isn’t all that unusual in Tokyo. In fact, it’s so relatively common that I’ve managed to build up a fair sized series of both men and women publicly sleeping off a very big night out.

Passed out transvestites, on the other hand, are a much rarer breed. So rare in fact that up until recently I’d only ever seen one — this one to be exact.

Now, however, that number has doubled to two.

When he was a fresh faced 29-year-old, the chef below opened his own little Chinese restaurant. Now, 52 years later, he’s still cooking behind the same counter. A staggering amount of time by any standards, and yet it’s a post he doesn’t intend to leave any time soon.