Photographs from a small group of islands
The crowded nights and bright lights of Shinjuku’s famous Kabukicho red light district do a good job of disguising a lot of its general dinginess. It’s also a fairly similar story when it comes to the much darker reality of what goes on behind the area’s often garishly decorated exteriors.
Away from the capital, however, and in a much smaller city with the time approaching dusk, any hint of glamour surrounding such locations can be considerably harder to find.
Initially I was a little underwhelmed with this old shopping arcade. The dated signs and rusting freezer were stunning. As was the old school vibe. Yet without an open shop, or a person in the frame, it somehow felt a bit lacking.
The calendars in the one place not shuttered up were recent, but we presumed it was simply used now and again rather than still being a functioning business. And then, as if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared. Turns out is indeed still open (albeit only a few times a week), and the lovely proprietor wasn’t fazed in the slightest by the sight of two foreigners taking photos. Quite the opposite in fact, and she happily chatted away as she set up shop for the day.
Then, to make things even better, a customer from the local area dropped by. She was just as friendly, and hearing about our love of old buildings, we were offered the chance to see her house that dated back to the the early 1920s. An opportunity we simply couldn’t refuse, so she put in her seafood order, and then we went for a tour of her truly stunning home. Afterwards, we returned to the arcade, took a few last photos, and then said our goodbyes. A visit that started off a little bit disappointing, and yet ended up being the complete opposite.
As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, the horribly intense summer heat and humidity can make it a struggle to be out and about with a camera at the moment, so while going through my archive in blissfully cool, air-conditioned comfort, I chose 20 of my favourite portraits. All of them taken in Tokyo, except the 4th frame which is from Osaka. A photo I simply could not leave out.
A few of them were shot fairly recently, whereas others date back to over a decade ago, but all feel special in their own way. Some simply because of the result. Others due to the interaction involved. Plus many are a combination of the two.
Lastly, and on a totally different topic, the usual 2 posts a week will resume next Friday (16th), and due to just returning from southern Japan, there should be upcoming photos of some different locations. A bit of travelling that timing-wise wasn’t exactly the wisest, as it was even hotter than the capital, but the sights and experiences more than made up for it. Until then, however, it’s Tokyo scenery and the faces of its citizens featured below.
The contrasting sights of the old and new, modern and rundown, are constant finds in Tokyo. Similarly, while the demolition I regularly document takes away a lot of the city’s character, the empty spaces created, and the new structures that ultimately fill them, only add to the sometimes striking scenery.
Below then are some examples, and the first frame is a spot I’ve photographed before. This one is just the latest. The others, however, are all new discoveries.
Quite a few years ago I had the pleasure of finding a concrete park telephone. A push-button themed slide that I’ve also included here, as considering its rarity and lovely retro looks, how could I not?
To be honest, I didn’t think it’d be beaten, as there’s just so much to like about it. There’s also the added extra of the kids it’s designed for likely having no idea whatsoever what the reference is.
Yet beaten it might well have been by the new discovery of a rotary dial version that is both more complex and considerably more obscure for those who’ll have fun on it. Above all else though, it simply looks fabulous, especially so in an otherwise rather drab and nondescript local park.
On a very different topic, with the summer weather now in full-on heat and humidity mode, I’m going to slow Tokyo Times down for a bit, and instead of the usual Tuesday and Friday updates, I’ll instead just be posting on Fridays until August 16th. Then, from that date onwards, the usual 2 posts a week will resume.
Crossing the border from Tokyo to one of its neighbouring prefectures is almost always a non-event. The urban sprawl simply continues, with barely any perceptible scenery changes whatsoever. Travel a little further, however, and there can be some subtle differences, so with that in mind, this is what I saw on a recent walk south of the capital.
