It has no doubt been a good while since this lady’s dry cleaning shop closed, and it’s similarly likely that the building has also been her home for many more years on top of that, so how much the view has changed from that small, upstairs window, must be nothing short of a daily source of wonder.
Denise says
I feel a sense of melancholy in her look but I hope I’m mistaken. 🙁
Lee says
It’s a distinct possibility. She certainly seemed deep in thought…
cdilla says
What a an evocative photograph. The clarity of her face is remarkable. Was she looking for weather clues, following a plane, or daydreaming or past/lost times.
If she looks down there is a striking rayed sun painted on a green background right across the road. And many years ago if she’d looked the other way perhaps she would have seen Mount Fuji. It was fun to track a stright line between her and Fuji – there is, of course, a serious amount of architecture in between, not least the Roppongi Hills tower, but I’m sure she feels its presence.
Lee says
Thank you.
I really don’t know. It was late afternoon, although that doesn’t offer any real clues.
Ah, interesting. Probable that could she see it back in the day, but an awful lot has changed since then that’s for sure.
john says
A ‘sunny’ and verdant (albeit painted) outlook perhaps, and maybe outside of the range of the surveillance camera, but that drainpipe could be problematic, even if it is held in place with matching tape. Oops! that’s two sources of wonder.
john says
She’s a lady who’s sure
that the drainpipe is old..
– so it would make her wonder.
Lee says
Glad you noticed the drainpipe and the matching tape. That little detail made it for me. Made me wonder if she just happened to have perfectly matching tape in the house, or she went on a mission and scoured the local shops til she found the exact colour. Do hope it was the latter.
cdilla says
That drainpipe was originally draining water from a high gutter on the right side of the building. Back in 2009 it had already come away at the top and has year by year fallen further away from it’s origin as bits dropped off (2016) wall fasteners rusted away (2018, 2020) and it slid along the wall to it’s current position in the last year or so. The carefully procured tape might prevent damage to passers by, but the pipe hasn’t functioned as designed for 13 years at least.
Damn, I really should get a life 🙂
Lee says
Maybe, maybe not, but now we do know the life of this drainpipe!
john says
Perhaps as a regular customer for the blue gaffa, with a word she could get what she came for. After all these years the pipe seems suspended in gaffa.
The light becomes rain, the rain becomes a river.. http://bitly.ws/qBTg
Incidentally, I’m sure there’s a lot of life leaking out of these photos.