The on and off drizzle throughout the day wasn’t quite the weather I was hoping for. On the other hand, the wet roads and pavements, along with the pleasantly soft light, did make the varied colours of dated shops and urban flowers pop way more than they might have otherwise. A nice reminder, as I sometimes need one, that there’s not necessarily any bad weather when it comes to photography.
Scenes of urban Tokyo in spring
Most of my posts these days are small sets or series. They are generally a good way of trying to tell stories, as well as putting together connected themes or scenes. The latter in particular come about over time. Not really planned, but regularly photographing what genuinely appeals invariably results in photos that compliment each other.
That said, it doesn’t always work out that way, and these are some recent images taken when out on photowalks with clients, friends or long meanders alone. Urban encounters that for now at least don’t really fit with any others, so here they are as a simple document of urban Tokyo in spring.
Dated Japanese shops both open and otherwise
There’s no shortage of old shop and restaurant fronts on Tokyo Times. For starters there are so many of them, and for me at least they are endlessly fascinating as they are fully intertwined with the lives of their owners — both past and present. Stories we will never know, but at the same that doesn’t stop us wondering what they may be. On top of that there’s also the very real danger that what is here one day, won’t be the next, so photographing them always feels like a must.
So with that said, here is a set of recent finds. Some in Tokyo, and others further afield. Most are still in use, but clearly one or two aren’t. All of them, however, offered something, or indeed someone, of interest.
Personal Tokyo transportation
Tokyo’s public transportation system is quite rightly held in high esteem. The sheer scale of it, not to mention its incredible reliability, is a genuine thing of wonder. That said, personal transportation is very much a thing as well, and it’s something that can vary wildly, from the cool to merely convenient, and the stylish to the really rather silly. Here then are some examples, along with the people in control of them.
Far from perfect Tokyo days
A surprising amount of what I see and read about Japan online seems to cover the same topics. The food, manners, modernity, safety, a lack of real poverty, and of course the cleanliness. Elements of the country that are genuine positives. Lots of truth in there too, even if it is just in a comparative sense. What often seems to get lost, however, is that just like everywhere else in the world, Japan has its fair share of problems, meaning for many, life is tough, and those much touted aspects that supposedly make it such a special place are an irrelevance, or worse still, simply don’t ring true at all.
All of which came to mind when I saw the scene below. I’ve photographed this coin laundry before, but seeing it stripped of the lockers it once housed, I assumed it was no longer in use. But I was wrong. It still is. And surrounded as it is by accommodation in a similarly sorry state, it remains the nearest and most accessible option for many.
Tokyo’s most comical car park?
There are sadly plenty of car park photos on these pages, as all too often they replace old buildings and businesses. This one, however, is very different, as it’s downright comedic rather than disappointing. Unusually for a simple parking space, it also asks questions galore. None of which, it has to be said, are easy to answer in any way whatsoever.