A less than glamorous Tokyo red carpet at lunch time
With the lights, the drinks and the elaborately bouffanted hosts and hostesses, it was likely all very different the night before. In the decidedly less than forgiving light of lunch time the following day, however, the glamour had most definitely long gone.
Scenery and sounds from the Japanese Alps on the cusp of autumn
Landscape photography isn’t something I generally do, but when recently out of the city with someone who does, it would have been silly not to try, and sillier still considering the scenery on display. Below then are my efforts, the results of which are very different from the usual photos seen on Tokyo Times. Basically the Japanese Alps basking in just about the last of the summer sun, along with the sounds and serenity of some rice fields in the valley below.
A faded and covered old Tokyo shopping street
The first photograph was taken over 12 months ago. It was quiet then, and it clearly has been for many years — the one-time shopping element of the street having long since gone. Nowadays, it’s almost entirely dated little karaoke bars, and the faint warbling of the generally older men who frequent such establishments can usually be heard. Tokyo’s virus-related and seemingly endless state of emergencies, however, have sadly changed even that, as none of the places were open when I took the second photo just recently. That said, with the number of vaccinated rapidly increasing, and infections seemingly under control, the suitably melancholy sound of enka will hopefully return once again.
The empty plots and exposed buildings of disappearing old Tokyo
Over the last year and a half or so, I’ve been putting together before and after photos of traditional old Tokyo homes, bars and little businesses that have sadly been demolished. Places full of stories that have now gone forever, plus in most cases the end result is like the buildings never even existed at all.
All that said, such changes aren’t unusual, and it’s probably fair to say that one shouldn’t get overly sentimental, but of late, the pace of destruction does seem to have quickened. The photos below, for example, were all taken in just the last few weeks.
Of course, whether deemed good or bad, new structures almost always replace the old ones, but for a short while at least, it’s often possible to see freshly exposed walls and buildings that very likely haven’t seen proper daylight in decades. Like scenes from the past suddenly thrust into a very uncertain future.
Old and modern Tokyo together
A small glimpse of how Tokyo was, and increasingly how so much of it now is. Something I couldn’t help but marvel at — the colours, the corrugated panels, and of course the contrast. Having seen it all and more before, however, the owner of the house was clearly happy to just enjoy the growth of her potted plants rather than worry about the similarly spreading concrete that surrounds them.