Photography

There are more than a few series of faded towns and locations on these pages. That’s partly due to the fact that I find them so fascinating, but also because outside Japan’s cities and major hubs, so much of the country is very visibly stuck in the past. A combination of economic factors, urban migration and a rapidly ageing population.

Below then are photographs from a short trip along the coast in Shizuoka prefecture. A region not far at all from Tokyo, but despite the proximity, it sometimes felt like a very different world indeed.

It’s impossible to know if it had simply been one of those mornings, a horribly busy one, or something else altogether, but which or indeed whatever it was, it was very clear that this man most definitely needed a break and some tobacco.

My recent 3 week or so return to England didn’t involve a lot of photography. Primarily it was to see family and spend some quality time together, as due to distance, quantity simply isn’t an option. That said, I did take my camera, and the pictures I took seemed to compliment the enjoyably quiet vacation it was.

Along with that, the photos were in many ways reflective of my past. Or at least my childhood spent in and around the local area. Places that were also well and truly in the collective past before I came along. That latter element in particular providing some similarities with those I take in Japan.

The one exception of sorts is the last photo. It’s a train line that used to be somewhere to explore, as at the time it was no longer in use. Since then, however, it’s been resurrected for steam and diesel train journeys, and on one particular day, there was a visitor from many millions of people’s past. A now global face in a once very unexpected place.

I should also add that I’m now back and settled into Tokyo life, so the usual Tuesday and Friday posts will resume once again.

Earlier this year I put together a post of Tokyo graffiti from over the years — street scenes that for some reason or other are rarely associated with Japan.

To be fair, there isn’t exactly a huge amount of such artwork to be seen, but at the same time it’s also far from non-existent. Something that was confirmed once again on a recent stay in Osaka. So here then is just some of what I saw in the space of several days.