There are plenty of photos featuring old shops and the like on these pages. Buildings that all have a sort of ordinary charm, although very few of them were taken late in the day with the lights on, and as they tend to look quite different in the dark, here is a small selection of evening shots. The second and last ones were photographed very recently, with the others taken over the previous year or so, but each and every one has a beauty all its own.
The fantastically dated hotels of a few Japanese coastal towns
In the previous post I put together a series of faded scenes from a few coastal towns not far from Tokyo, so as a small addition to that, below are some of the similarly dated hotels from the same trip. A couple of them I stayed in (photos 1-4 & 10), and the others I simply found interesting.
It’s the kind of accommodation that is perhaps surprisingly still plentiful outside Japan’s bigger cities and tourist hubs. Places to stay that may lack the comfort and sometimes even cleanliness of their modern cousins, but they invariably make up for that in character and retro charm.
Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns
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.
An incredible array of broken and taped up old Japanese vending machines
I’ve posted photos of broken Japanese vending machines before. Old and long defunct metal boxes that absolutely fascinate me due to their retro designs and the way they still diligently stand there despite no longer being able to dispense anything.
Stumbling upon even one, however, isn’t a common occurrence, so to find a small collection like below is especially rare. Add to that their colourfully taped up nature and the old shop sign above, and it was a special find to say the least.
A Tokyo man having a much needed break
The sad demolition of two iconic Tokyo drinking alleyways and their environs
Recently I posted a couple of ‘before and after’ series featuring the disappearing people and places of Tokyo. Small vignettes of change and lost lives in a vast metropolis. Elements that make the city what it is, but are also easily forgotten and left undocumented.
The photos below are similar in some respects, but also quite different, as the area being demolished is sizeable to say the least. It’s also fairly well known due to its old school charm and looks. A vast array of buildings, businesses, and most strikingly a couple of iconic drinking alleyways, that are all making way for a massive apartment complex. Large scale demolition that is also happening in several of the city’s older neighbourhoods.
The pictures were all taken after pretty much everywhere had been emptied and locked up, but fortunately just before the barriers blocking access were put in place. In a similar vein as those aforementioned ‘before and after’ sets, I’ve also included some photos taken over the years in the same locations.
And with that it’s farewell to a large part of Tateishi. A once truly fascinating area that Tokyo will never see the likes of again.