Photographs from a small group of islands
Last week I was in Japan’s Kansai region to explore and photograph Osaka again, along with a brief hop over to Hyogo prefecture. There was, however, also time for a short evening stroll in Kyoto, and despite the weather not being the best, we did manage to see a little of the old and traditional in some of the city’s lesser known areas. So here then is a small series of photos from the country’s former capital.
With rainy season now upon us, the increasing heat and humidity, along with the aforementioned wet weather, means Tokyo’s already flourishing foliage is set to become even more lush and vibrant. Colours that are sometimes as amazing as the ability of trees and bushes to take over a building, and in a few cases almost become the building. So here then are some such structures from over the years. A few of which I’ve shown before. Each one is a businesses of some kind — or at least was a businesses back in the day. All of them, however, remain a treat to regularly revisit.
With their enormously varied stock, convenience stores certainly live up to their name, and the sheer number of them in the Japanese capital only makes that moniker even more appropriate. None of them, however, look anywhere near as lovely as this little Tokyo shop. A wonderfully old school place that offers colour coordination opportunities for passersby, as well as the far more important element of community and conversation.
Age and time has taken its toll on these two old friends. The lady’s husband sadly died, and her neighbour’s wife is now in hospital. None of that, however, has stopped them making the most of what they still have, and with a friendship like this, what they do have is truly special indeed.
Back in April I posted a series of photos from Tokyo’s Shinjuku entertainment district. All of them were of quiet moments amidst the lights, crowds and general cacophony that is Shinjuku from early evening onwards. Scenes that don’t always spring to mind when one thinks about the area, but they are arguably just as relevant as the noise and sometimes almost absurd number of revellers. Little vignettes of life that I like to seek out and capture, so here are some more. All of them taken since the previous set. The latest being from last weekend, which also appeared to mark the beginning of the dreaded summer humidity. A time when the city will start to look and feel very different once again.
A month or so ago I posted a small series of dated old shops boasting similarly faded Coca-Cola signs, and in trying to explain my fascination with such retro advertisements, I wrote this:
“What specifically it is about about them I don’t really know, but their faded colours and textures are clearly a factor, as is the similarly dated nature of the buildings they are attached to. Then there’s that mix of East and West, plus in some cases at least, the rapidly encroaching modernity of the surroundings. All of which adds up to something really quite special, making them great to stumble upon and occasionally seek out.”
Needless to say that desire to photograph more has continued, and this latest find is arguably the best one yet. It’s certainly the biggest anyway, and the utterly dilapidated state of the one-time shop and the added Sprite logo make it even more special. A true joy to behold and then some.
