Photography

It has always been nice to walk past this old school Tokyo garage. The place looks and smells fantastic, plus the owner is absolutely lovely. Then the red mini appeared, and the whole thing became even more wonderful. Better still the car was in there ages for repairs and a repaint, resulting in chances galore to see its bright dash of colour and that iconic design.

These then are some photos from that process. Ideally I’d have been there when it was driven out, but that’s okay. Seeing it just the once would have been great, but I was fortunate enough to get way more chances than that.

In recent months I’ve been documenting old school Tokyo barber shops when out and about on photowalks. They are wonderfully dated establishments, with their colours, plants and signage making them an absolute joy to behold. There’s also the ever present barber’s pole too, which can seem like an archaic legal requirement, as pretty much every single exterior boasts one of some description.

Unsurprisingly a couple of those featured are quite clearly no longer in business, but the rest are still very much going concerns. Shops that will likely continue for as long as their aging owners can manage, which will hopefully mean many more years to come.

The sight of this century old house was always a pleasing one. The patterned glass and ornate door were arguably the highlights, but then there was the addition of the roof, sometimes flowers, and even the colours of the containers outside.

Seeing the owner one time was a lovely treat as well. He was the one who told me the age of the place. An extra detail that made it even more special in an area heavily bombed during the war. But while it survived those aerial raids, not to mention countless earthquakes and typhoons, it ultimately couldn’t evade the ever encroaching demolition crew.