A young man with an appearance very much of this time, and yet also of a very different time.
Photography
The last remaining stores of a little Japanese shopping arcade
It was once a little hub of local shops, but these days this narrow arcade is more or less just a wooden shell with empty spaces where most of the businesses once stood. Only two of the original stores are still open, and even then, the green tea outlet looks more like a museum piece than a fully functioning operation. The tofu place next door, on the other hand, is very much a going concern, and considering the location, it still has a steady enough supply of customers.
A more modern appendage at one end seems to enjoy the majority of visitors, but presumably when either that or the tofu shop call it a day, then the bulldozers will finally move in. Until then, however, it remains a fascinating glimpse of Japan before supermarkets and convenience stores became common.
An old and truly unique part of Tokyo’s subway system
Some of these photos have appeared on Tokyo Times before, but with the addition of several taken very recently, and others from quite a few years ago, it seemed like the right time to put them all together as a document of sorts. My little photographic homage to a part of Tokyo’s subway system that is genuinely unlike the rest of it.
There have been changes in the time I’ve been visiting. The bars have new owners and now look quite different. Also, the unusually located vending machine is sadly no longer there. But on the whole it’s pretty much still the same. Presumably the same as it has been for many decades too. A rare glimpse of how things once looked, and in regards these photos, how it has looked over the last 10 years or so.
An old Japanese bar that’s little more than a shed
Many of the little bars and eateries I like to visit are completely unknown quantities on the inside — their faded exteriors not always reflective of what lies behind the sliding doors. The contents of this ramshackle structure by the side of a road several hours north of Tokyo, on the other hand, were pretty much exactly as imagined, right down to the septuagenarian owner. A man who has been running the place for nearly half a decade, and at 78 years of age, has no intention of shutting up shop just yet. In fact he rarely even has holidays, opening seven nights a week and only taking time off to celebrate special occasions.
The one unexpected thing, however, was the complete lack of a toilet. A situation that’s not ideal when beers are being consumed. So it was either try and somehow gallantly hold on, or pop round the side and brave the elements. And so somewhat inevitably, several unceremonious sojourns into the bushes were added to the experience of the evening.
A selection of my favourite photographs from 2022
With the year approaching its end, it is time once again to post some of my favourite photos from the last 12 months.
2022 hasn’t been the easiest of years it has to be said. Some days are better than others, but life simply isn’t the same since my wife Akiko died last summer. These things take time of course. Maybe even a lifetime. But I miss her enormously each and every day. Even the good things that happen are tinged with sadness, as I’m not able to share them with her, or enjoy the moment together.
And good things have happened. With Japan finally relaxing its strict pandemic regulations, I was able to head back to Britain for the first time in three years. A much needed and way overdue chance to see family and old friends. Those same easing of border controls have also allowed me to start doing my Tokyo photowalk tours again, and much to my surprise, I hit the ground running — or perhaps I should say walking — the moment visitors were allowed in again. Something I hope will continue as we head into the new year.
The other real positive has been Tokyo Conversations, the book I made, crowdfunded and just released with my good friend Giovanni. At times it seemed hard to believe we could actually make a book. Even when it was finished, I had real doubts about us getting the necessary funding. But it all worked out way better than I could have ever imagined, and now, a good while after we started the process of sending each other photos, the book is a real thing. Something that still feels unreal at times. We actually have a photobook. Not just something on a screen like we are so used to, but an actual book. There’s more info about the whole process here, and if you fancy buying a copy, it’s available for pre-order in the shop on my portfolio site.
So all in all a very mixed year to say the least. Akiko would have been over the moon to see the book come to life. I dearly wish she could have seen it. But I’ve had the honour of dedicating it to her, and without her encouragement over the years, not to mention her critical eye, there’s no way I’d have been confident enough to put out a book. So she was and is a key component of it. Something that makes me happy and also terribly sad.
Finally, photography itself has meant an enormous amount to me over the years, a fact I’ve mentioned before in these roundups, but in the last 12-18 months or so it has meant even more. Without the distraction it provides, the need to be out in the world, and the necessary dedication, it’s hard sometimes to imagine how I’d have got through everything that has happened. And as for the year’s actual photos, which this post is supposed to be about, I’ve gone down the usual path of choosing shots that mean something to me, either in regards the results, or the experience surrounding them. I’ve moved more towards sets of images in the last few years, meaning quite a lot are part of a longer series, so I’ve linked the original posts beneath each photo or photos. So at long last then, here are the results from 2022. Just photographs at the end of the day, but the process of getting them felt almost essential.
Images that wrap-up Tokyo Times for the year, but the usual Tuesday and Friday posts will start up again on January 6th. So until then, enjoy the break, and be sure to make the most of the moments you have with your loved ones.
A terrifically old school little Tokyo bar
An overgrown and crumbling old Tokyo hotel
Broken and abandoned Japanese vending machines
An old Tokyo home like no other
A Tokyo cherry blossom journey
Tokyo summer and spring urban pinks
The stark transition from old Tokyo home to just an old Tokyo house
An abandoned, almost Bond villain-like billionaire’s mansion
An old school Tokyo barber shop and its elderly owner
An incredible looking old Tokyo building that sadly no longer exists
The colours, decay and increasing emptiness of Japan’s countryside
An old school Tokyo record shop
Sights and sounds from a truly lovely little yakitori restaurant
A small homage to Japan’s humble and green public telephones
The misty mountains and abandoned homes of Tokyo’s far west
Beautifully bleak scenes of a Japanese village in a snow storm
An old Tokyo restaurant that has barely changed in decades
The little Chinese restaurant below looks suitably dated from the outside, and while that can be rather deceptive when it comes to the interiors of some places, it’s absolutely not the case with this one.
In business for over 50 years, and situated in the middle of a red light district, the changes around it must have been substantial to say the least, but inside it feels like nothing has changed for decades — if indeed at all.
