Photographs from a small group of islands
Despite the almost absurd number of convenience stores in Tokyo, small, independently run tobacconists are still a surprisingly common sight. That said, I’ve yet to find one that’s quite as forlorn looking as the one below. An utterly dismal attempt at appealing to passing trade that is perfectly matched by the apathetic appearance of the proprietor.
Some newspaper readers are definitely more interesting than other newspaper readers.
On the topic of news, last week my wife got a third all clear after her cancer diagnosis and treatment back in 2015. A result that, along with the obvious joy and relief, means that summer holiday flights have now been bought. So, from today, the usual 3 posts a week will be reduced to a more manageable 1 each Monday. Then, from September 3rd, the usual Monday, Wednesday and Friday updates will resume as normal.
When he was a fresh faced 29-year-old, the chef below opened his own little Chinese restaurant. Now, 52 years later, he’s still cooking behind the same counter. A staggering amount of time by any standards, and yet it’s a post he doesn’t intend to leave any time soon.
With the Tokyo Olympics now only two years away, the city is changing at an even greater pace than usual, meaning the future is increasingly bright, reflective and generally rather bland. But for now at least there are still older structures to be found, and this one in particular is in such a bad way it’s arguably more post-apocalyptic than merely crumbling.
With Tokyo now unrelentingly hot and humid every single day, the traditional fan can offer a slight respite. Bottles of cold beer, of course, are a much better option. And yet for some, cigarettes, it would seem, are absolutely sensational.
Should you wish to see more shots of this wonderfully photogenic bar, I’ve built up a little series of sorts which is located here.
Tokyo is far from perfect, but one of the city’s many positives is its ability to regularly produce the unexpected. And while the scene below doesn’t quite hit the heights of someone carrying a massive tortoise around the capital, a man and his cat whizzing through Shinjuku on a unicycle is definitely not ordinary.
