Tokyo Times

Jul 18 2023 12 Comments

Quiet scenes from a dated Japanese fishing town

There’s nothing at all remarkable about this small and sleepy coastal town. Like so many places outside Japan’s major hubs, its better days are long gone, with signs of that slow decline visible almost everywhere. And yet in many ways that makes it as fascinating as it is faded. A real mixture of the now and then, the before and after. All of which create scenes that are completely mundane and yet at the same time quietly compelling.

Before the photos, just a quick note to say I’ll be leaving Japan’s shores for the summer this week, so from today, new posts will be reduced to one every Tuesday. Then, from September 5th, the usual Tuesday and Friday updates will resume.

Jul 14 2023 5 Comments

Old and dated shops of the past in the present

There’s invariably a lot of coverage detailing Japan’s cutting edge technology and Tokyo’s futuristic looks, but an awful lot of that modernity is little more than a thin veneer over what is in many ways a dated and ageing society. That said, it is changing — at least appearance wise anyway, with a lot of history being unceremoniously erased. And yet so much remains. Little vignettes of the past that still sit firmly in the present. These old shops then are examples of that. All of which were photographed during the last month in Osaka, Hyogo and Tokyo.

Jul 11 2023 11 Comments

Another look at an incredibly overgrown old Tokyo hotel

Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the benefit of re-visiting various streets, areas and locations. Primarily it’s because the people are always different, plus in a city that changes as fast as Tokyo, it’s not uncommon for the buildings to be completely different too.

The photos below are an example of both those elements, although somewhat unusually, the structure’s appearance gradually changes over the seasons. Also, there was the unexpected benefit of a new vantage point. A view I hoped would be worth the effort, but getting up there had always remained elusive. Until the other week that is. So here it is. The first frame in the series. An image that further emphasises how this long-term hotel for some of Tokyo’s poorest residents has been almost completely consumed by nature. Along with that shot are the other photos I’ve taken over the years — minus of course the many I’ve wanted, but have never got, on more visits than I care to recall.

Jul 07 2023 14 Comments

An old Japanese coffee shop like no other

Japan has plenty of old and dated coffee shops. Establishments that look and feel like they belong in a completely different era. At the same time, it’s a spell that can easily be broken by a TV playing in the corner, or even something minor like a modern appliance or menu.

This almost 80 year old establishment, on the other hand, has no such distractions. Everything from the dust and grime to the ageing proprietor takes you back to an earlier time. A business that has been in the owner’s family since its inception, and with coffee only costing ¥160 a cup, it’s very clearly love rather than money that keeps him going. For how much longer it’s impossible to say, but until the day it finally closes, it’ll remain a place that is truly like no other.

Jul 04 2023 6 Comments

Tsuruhashi, Osaka’s truly unique Korea Town

In Osaka’s Ikuno ward, where Tsuruhashi, the city’s Korea Town is located, 1 in 4 residents are foreign nationals, which in largely homogenous Japan is a truly huge number. An element that makes the area interesting on a purely sociological level, along with the history behind those statistics — particularly so as many of the listed ‘foreigners’ were actually born and raised in Japan.

At the same time, Tsuruhashi is also an incredible location to explore. A place that really does look and feel like nowhere else I’ve been to in Japan. On top of that, the people are interesting and open, making the whole area a joy to photograph. So below then are some shots from a few hours spent there several weeks ago.

Jun 30 2023 8 Comments

The endearing ordinariness of an old Tokyo restaurant

This old school Chinese restaurant is ordinary in every way. The signage, red countered interior, and the ageing couple diligently working away just like they have done for decades. None of it is unusual or especially memorable. And yet at the same time, there’s so much beauty to be found there, along with that simple pleasure of a simple, everyday experience.

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