Photographs from a small group of islands
Earlier this year I put together a post of Tokyo graffiti from over the years — street scenes that for some reason or other are rarely associated with Japan.
To be fair, there isn’t exactly a huge amount of such artwork to be seen, but at the same time it’s also far from non-existent. Something that was confirmed once again on a recent stay in Osaka. So here then is just some of what I saw in the space of several days.
Keirin, Japanese track cycling, is a sport that generates over a trillion yen of bets a year. A huge amount of money that along with the Olympic variant conjures up images of a rather glamorous pastime. Even more so when the traditional location of Kyoto is added to the mix.
The reality, however, is different, as just like many tracks up and down the country, the Kyoto velodrome is wonderfully dated. A place stuck in a past when attendances were much larger, with many of the booths where people once bought tickets now shuttered up or covered with curtains.
Not that efforts aren’t made to entice new fans, and the likes of the decidedly grim playground in the photos below are part of an attempt to attract young families. Plus on the day we were there, there was the unexpected appearance of an idol group. Performers who brought in a very different crowd as well as providing quite a contrast to the surroundings.
A combination that all added up to a good day out. One that, as always, would have only been better if it had also involved a win.
Last week I wrote about the ‘before’ photos below and how, over time, they became much more than I ever imagined. Poignant vignettes of lives lived and structures now long gone in a forever changing city.
That state of flux Tokyo constantly seems to be in, along with a generation of people and buildings approaching their end, means there will be more photos to come, but for now at least these (along with those previously posted) are some of what I have at present. Little moments that offer a brief glimpse of lost lives in a very large metropolis.
The vast majority of the ‘before’ photos in this series were taken for no other reason than I found the scene interesting. Over the years, however, they unexpectedly became something more as death or demolition changed what I first saw forever. Outcomes that didn’t cross my mind when I initially pressed the shutter, but needless to say they do now. Tokyo changes fast, and time, for better or worse, simply can’t be held back. Elements that make the photographs far more poignant than I could have ever imagined.
That said, I don’t really know what to do with them. A book at some point would be lovely, but at the same time I’m not sure the images alone say enough without written backstories. A magazine or newspaper article would perhaps work better in that sense, but then the necessary pitches involved in that process are an increasingly thankless task, so we shall see. There’s no particular rush anyway.
The one thing I do know is that there will almost certainly be many more photos to come. A generation of buildings and their inhabitants is sadly coming to an end, so the documentation of them will definitely continue.
For now though, here (and next week in part 2) is a selection of what I have already. Small vignettes of Tokyo life that are gone, but at the same time aren’t completely forgotten.
Riverside campsites with small cabins aren’t uncommon at all in the Japanese countryside. This place, however, is different. For starters it has clearly been abandoned for decades, but what makes it truly special are the one-time lodgings and their accompanying shower huts. Compact and decidedly basic accommodation that must have looked quite novel back in the day, but now, all overgrown and slowly disintegrating, they are what I can only describe as rather gloriously grim.
Traditional shotengai (shopping streets) are everywhere in Tokyo. Areas both big and small that are always interesting due to their independent little stores and eateries. For me personally, however, it’s the older and decidedly rundown ones that are the most appealing, and due to the people in particular, they are places well worth regular re-visits. An approach that allows for a more accurate and thorough document of both the streets and their structures.
That desire to return again and again was something I felt keenly when in Osaka recently, as the dated shotengai there are truly fascinating. Long, criss-crossing and mostly covered streets that while similar to those in the capital, also feel quite different. Routes that I walked back and forth for days. A period of time that was both fulfilling and, it has to be said, slightly frustrating, as the more I saw, the more I wanted to return. Unfortunately that won’t be anytime soon, so until I do, here is a small taste of what I witnessed.
