Tokyo Times

For me at least, the regularly repeated philosophical view of Japan’s cherry blossom representing transience and the fleeting beauty of life always seemed a little overplayed, particularly so as the general practice is to get comatose under the trees rather than attempt any kind of contemplation. But that was then, this is now, and my opinions have changed considerably.

The full bloom last year coincided with the news that my wife’s time was limited, and as Akiko never got to see the blossoms again, this spring’s flowers felt especially poignant. So much so in fact that I didn’t seek them out, and on the whole didn’t have any real urge to photograph them.

The scene below, on the other hand, was different. I liked the urban element, and the petals gradually falling away, but most of all it was the peacefulness, along with a strange sense of the boat and its occupants being somehow significant.

This keen Tokyo golfer may well live way out west in the mountainous, decidedly non-urban outskirts of the capital, and yet the lush fairways of his dreams must still seem incredibly far away.

Public telephones are still a surprisingly common sight in Tokyo, and the very distinctive green models never fail to catch the eye, so with that in mind, it seemed like a good idea to put some photos together as a small homage of sorts.

The timing also makes sense, as last spring a decision was made to gradually reduce their presence to about a quarter of the current number, marking a very definite turning point in the future visibility of these once invaluable devices. They were also made obsolete on all shinkansen, with the still installed but no longer operational unit in photo 8 presumably the last one I’ll ever see.

Perhaps more than anything though is that there’s just something about them. Something that’s admittedly hard to define, and yet along with the obvious element of nostalgia, they also seem to posses a kind of quiet dignity. Maybe even a sense of loneliness in their always ready to serve but now rarely used state. All of which is probably a little over the top, but what’s for certain is that visibly at least they will be missed.