Over the last few years or so there has been something of a boom in fancy coin laundries that also double as coffee shops, providing spaces people can actually relax in rather than simply return to. In Tokyo’s older neighbourhoods, however, it’s still the traditional versions that tend to dominate. Smaller and decidedly more dated places that aren’t anywhere near as comfortable. But while they may lack creature comforts, they make up for it with character, retro detergent dispensers, and somewhat inexplicably, cute dog pictures.
Steve says
I like these. You have made coin laundries look interesting! 🙂
Lee says
Thank you. They are certainly interesting to look at and into, but not sure they’d be quite so interesting if you had to use them regularly…
cdilla says
What a treasure of photographs. Love the details, the benches, the faded lost cat flyer, the pile of shells, the snowman! and that’s just from the first one. And that proved an interesting starting point for a wander around the area. Just a block away is what could be taken for a relocation of a small part of Angkor Wat (https://rainbowsharpsleep.com/overgrown.jpg).
Definitely an area to wander around.
Lee says
Cheers. Yes, the more you look the more you find.
Oh, interesting. Thanks. Looks like I need to go back for another wander. Not somewhere I’ve spent an awful of of time, but there’s clearly a lot more to see.
Denise says
I was taken back to my student days with these but we didn’t have cute doggie pictures to enjoy! 🙂 🙂
Lee says
Haha, no, can’t say I ever saw any either!
Marc says
Somewhere in Tokyo (possibly a kilometer west of Shibuya station) we witnessed a man walk in, place his bag of laundry in the machine, take of all his clothes & put those in the machine. Then proceeded to take a bath in the sink.
Lee says
Wow, that was quite the experience. One to remember that’s for sure.
Some coin laundries have showers, but clearly he much preferred a bath!
Martin B says
The first shot once again sums up what you’ve documented about the real Tokyo, forget the central shopping area with the bright gaudy video adverts, this is what I imagine living in Tokyo feels like (or at least what I would like to think living in Tokyo should be like), the little family owned laundromat with a vending machine outside.
What would Tokyo be without the little family owned outlets that have the ubiquitous vending machine out front?
Lee says
Totally agree. Where people go for entertainment, shopping etc is for most Tokyoites very different from where they live. And yes, the top photo is much more what a lot of Tokyo looks and feels like. It’d be a lot less interesting without such sights too.