Photographs from a small group of islands
There are sadly plenty of car park photos on these pages, as all too often they replace old buildings and businesses. This one, however, is very different, as it’s downright comedic rather than disappointing. Unusually for a simple parking space, it also asks questions galore. None of which, it has to be said, are easy to answer in any way whatsoever.
Japan’s shrinking population is well documented, but while it’s hard to appreciate such societal changes when in and around Tokyo, once away from the capital or the country’s other major hubs, the resultant decline and distinct lack of people very quickly become apparent.
Closed businesses, abandoned homes and general decay are often the norm, and the images below are an example of that. A small selection of the photographs I took during 3 days driving round a relatively small area several hours north of Tokyo.
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.
For a while now I’ve mostly been posting small sets of photographs as it’s often easier to try and tell stories, or at the very least hint at them, over a short series rather than just a single image.
This photo, however, feels different. It doesn’t really tell a story either. Instead, it seems to perfectly sum up the sometimes extraordinary nature of what is merely the ordinary. A man walking home through a Tokyo suburb is about as unremarkable as it gets, and yet the scene that presented itself felt, for me at least, quite the opposite.
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.
Discovering this old Tokyo tobacconist 18 months or so ago was a real treat, as turning a fairly nondescript corner complete with an empty plot, the wonderfully ramshackle structure that came into view was a genuine surprise. So unexpected in fact, that after taking some photos I was still so enamoured by it that I completely forgot to mark the location.
Fast forward to fairly recently and I tried to find it once again, but nothing appeared quite right when looking at maps online. Also, any spot that did seem even remotely possible proved the complete opposite when checked on street view.
The only option then was to go back to the area where I thought it was and explore properly. An approach that proved similarly unsuccessful, so as darkness fell, a friend and I gave up and headed for a few consolation beers. On the way there, and absolutely not where I thought the tobacconist was, we stumbled upon a little car park with a rare camera and screen combo. A set-up that caused us to briefly stop for a look. And, when standing there, noticing it was a new house on the corner, there was both relief and the awful realisation that I was actually in the exact spot where the tobacconist once stood.
