Food and Drink

Most of my posts these days are small sets or series. They are generally a good way of trying to tell stories, as well as putting together connected themes or scenes. The latter in particular come about over time. Not really planned, but regularly photographing what genuinely appeals invariably results in photos that compliment each other.

That said, it doesn’t always work out that way, and these are some recent images taken when out on photowalks with clients, friends or long meanders alone. Urban encounters that for now at least don’t really fit with any others, so here they are as a simple document of urban Tokyo in spring.

There’s no shortage of old shop and restaurant fronts on Tokyo Times. For starters there are so many of them, and for me at least they are endlessly fascinating as they are fully intertwined with the lives of their owners — both past and present. Stories we will never know, but at the same that doesn’t stop us wondering what they may be. On top of that there’s also the very real danger that what is here one day, won’t be the next, so photographing them always feels like a must.

So with that said, here is a set of recent finds. Some in Tokyo, and others further afield. Most are still in use, but clearly one or two aren’t. All of them, however, offered something, or indeed someone, of interest.

I’ve posted photos of this lovely, long-closed liquor store before, but its signage and no longer functioning vending machines mean it’s impossible not to take pictures every time I see it. And this particular time worked out better than most, as in the space of a few minutes, an interesting mix of people passed by, adding a bit of life to a place that shut up shop many moons ago.

When leaving home the other day, the weather forecast predicted the rain would have stopped by the time I got off the train. The forecast, however, was out by quite a margin, meaning the first few hours of my walk were considerably wetter than expected. Those conditions, however, helped create a few scenes that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise, so here then are photos of some older, lesser seen sides of Tokyo in the rain.

In the past I’ve posted numerous daytime photos from Ueno on these pages, as at the right time of year, the light is absolutely lovely. Night scenery, on the other hand, has been much rarer, so for a different take on a favourite area, here is a small series shot during a walk that way a week or so ago.

Old stores run by elderly owners aren’t unusual in Tokyo, with one of my most memorable visits in recent times being a lovely looking little sweet shop managed by a 94 year old. A business that’s even more amazing considering he opened it when only 20 years of age.

In a very different way, this one is also incredibly special. I’ve photographed it before, but on this occasion I finally got to speak to the proprietor and take his portrait. He’s 85 and has been running the shop for half a century. A place that sort of sells everything, but at the same time absolutely nothing. And yet despite all those decades and the decidedly ramshackle surroundings, he shows no sign of giving up any time soon.