Tokyo Times

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.

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.

In the past I’ve posted photos of quiet, fairly solitary scenes in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red light district. Little vignettes that provide an interesting counterpoint to a location quite righty known for its bright lights and busy streets,

Here then are more similar moments. A few of which are continuations of sorts from those earlier photos. All of which were taken recently. A time that also marked the last gasp of a very long summer.

Old style Chinese restaurants were ubiquitous in Japan’s post-war period, and while there are thankfully still plenty left to seek out and enjoy, their numbers are dwindling due to the age of those running them. Serving simple, and what for many could be classed as soul food, they are wonderful, no-nonsense places that almost always offer the same dishes, but each with its own particular taste or style. Their interiors too are instantly recognisable, with red counters a common design choice.

Boxes that the little eatery above effortlessly ticked. A home from home where one could relax and enjoy some cheap and tasty food. A few beers too if you fancied it. But alas it is no more, as it has now also gone the way of so many little Tokyo bars and restaurants. An ending that while seemingly inevitable, is always terribly sad to see.

The majority of my Tokyo photos are of old places or people in a rapidly changing urban environment, but when looking for a particular image the other day, I noticed some shots that struck me as similar, but at the same time also different. A few I posted when they were first taken. Most of them, however, haven’t been shown before. At least not in the current versions anyway.

It could be the memories I have of each scene, or simply the natural passage of time, but either way, they do seem to have a different feel. Somehow much more dated, rather than merely older subjects in contemporary settings. The reason, perhaps, why I initially didn’t bother doing anything with several of them, and only now, after a number of years, have they become more appealing. Not nostalgia as such, but just something about them that seems to speak of a time before they were actually taken. The fashion perhaps? Less smartphone use? The slightly different colours my previous Leicas produced? A combination of all three more than likely, with some other stuff thrown in for good measure.

None of which, it has to be said, fully articulates my feelings, but hopefully that jumble of words made at least some sort of sense. I also hope that whatever it is about the photos isn’t just felt by me. So with that said, here they are.

A friend and I first visited the wonderful little bar below almost 4 years ago. Back then it was already clear that the area was changing, as a large number of buildings had already been pulled down to make way for numerous new apartment blocks.

Fast forward to the present day, and the redevelopment has progressed considerably, with the bar itself one of the last original structures still standing. The nearby train station, which makes the land so precious, now clearly visible behind it.

The lovely owners, however, are simply carrying on regardless, cheerfully serving food and drinks just like they have for the last 52 years. Something they are intent on doing until the demolition crew can be deterred no more. And from a customer perspective, once seated inside, everything felt exactly the same aside from the natural passage of time.