Tokyo Times

Nov 14 2023 6 Comments

Scenes from an evening walk in Tokyo’s western suburbs

The bright lights and busy streets of Tokyo’s well known entertainment hubs are similarly well known and documented. In fact I posted a small series of photos from Shinjuku’s red light district and its environs just the other week.

Head a bit further west into the city’s more suburban areas, however, and the scenery isn’t all that different, it’s simply much calmer, and nowhere near as in your face. A factor that in many ways isn’t a bad thing. Far from it in fact. So here then are photos from several hours of simply wandering a little over a week ago.

Nov 10 2023 6 Comments

The end and long life of a fabulously rickety old Tokyo restaurant

At the end of last year I posted photos of this incredibly rickety old Chinese restaurant in east Tokyo. Back then it had been in operation for 65 years, with the master carrying on from his grandfather, and the mama-san a cheerful addition to the family run operation.

However, like so many such businesses, locations, and dated buildings in general, it’s not if but when the end will come. Old age, the dilapidated state of the structures, and the understandable reticence of a younger generation to take over, means there’s invariably only one outcome. And this particular closure hurt more than most, as I ate there on countless occasions. Each and every visit as fascinating as the last one, as there was always a new little detail to discover, along with the simple pleasure of just being there. But that was then and this is now and sadly it is no more.

Nov 07 2023 4 Comments

A huge and unique old Japanese government housing complex

Photos of this huge housing complex have appeared on Tokyo Times before, but despite several visits, it remains as fascinating as the first time I saw it. The design is incredibly distinctive, plus exploring a building from 1972 that was once seen as the future, but which is now very much a part of the past, gives it added poignancy. The selection of photos below then is a mix of old and new ones, which seemed like the best approach.

Known as danchi, these government buildings (whether big or small) were a key element in the rapid, post-war growth of the capital and its surrounding areas. They helped ease a housing crisis, as well as creating homes for an increasing number of young, middle class families looking to move into the suburbs.

Partly influenced by Soviet Khrushchyovka, danchi primarily offered affordable, but at the same time modern and well-equipped apartments. Along with those modern fittings, they had the benefit of separate rooms for parents and children, although at the same time not enough space for different generations of the same family — an element that was a key factor in Japan’s gradual break with the long-held tradition of extended family members living under one roof.

The rush to build, and the similar rush of people wanting to move into these state-of-the-art concrete estates eventually peaked in the early 1970s, when the authorities officially determined that the housing crisis was over. A decision that, planned or otherwise, resulted in the slow, perhaps inevitable decline of the once fabled danchi, both in regards reputation and actual real estate.

That said, lots of these buildings still remain, and having initially moved in with their young, or soon to be young families, a considerable number of those early residents decided to stay. Nowadays though they are old, often alone, and their surroundings are generally far from ideal when it comes to the needs of the elderly. Isolation due to limited mobility and a dwindling network is an obvious problem, and along with other hardships, it has given rise to the terribly sad phenomena of kodokushi, or lonely, unnoticed deaths.

And yet at the same time, renovation and upgrades of these properties, both by government and independent organisations, has given them new life. Without some of the often eye-watering upfront costs of renting privately owned properties, they provide decent homes with good access to schools, local facilities etc, making them ideal places for a new generation of young families and those moving to the city. Some buildings also have comparatively large foreign populations, once again putting them at the forefront of social change. So while still very much a part of the past, this incredible structure may once again play a part in Japan’s future.

Nov 03 2023 6 Comments

An abandoned old Japanese shopping arcade

Last week I posted photos from an old and traditional little shopping street that is just about holding on with only two shops still open for business. The incredible looking little arcade below, however, lost that battle quite some time ago.

With a small selection of stores to cover the daily needs of local residents, it was presumably both well used and an integral part of the community. That was back in the day though, and those days have sadly long gone, with the only sign of life being one of the former proprietors pottering around inside.

Oct 31 2023 10 Comments

Late summer days in Shinjuku

Last week I posted some recent, late summer night scenes shot in and around Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red light district, so as a companion series of sorts, here is a set of daytime photos from the same area and time period. Moments that just like those previous pictures, are quiet interludes amidst the crowds and general hullabaloo of the area. With their variety, colours and contrasts, they are also suitably reflective of this consistently fascinating part of the city, along with a couple of frames that offer more than just a hint of its famous, round the clock hedonism.

Oct 27 2023 11 Comments

A Japanese shopping street from another time

At the beginning of the year I posted a few photographs from this incredibly old and dated shopping street, but with better light on a recent return, I managed to capture more of what makes it so special.

There used to be a comparatively modern store at one end, but now even that has gone, leaving only the still popular tofu shop, along with the green tea place that remains more like a museum piece than an actual business. Nothing at all about the latter has changed in nearly 12 months. Probably the same goes for the last 12 years as well.

Yet busy or otherwise, they are all that’s left, with their former neighbours long since shuttered up. Only their slowly fading signs remain. All of which provides a fascinating glimpse of how local life and commerce once was before supermarkets, cars and convenience stores changed the landscape forever.

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