Of late I’ve quite enjoyed putting together small series from long and meandering photowalks. Some of the photos only really work as part of a set, whereas others could possibly stand alone as single images. Put together, however, my hope is they give a feel of sorts for a certain part of Tokyo. Or failing that, at least a sense of a day out and its varied discoveries.
A series of old school Tokyo barber shops
In recent months I’ve been documenting old school Tokyo barber shops when out and about on photowalks. They are wonderfully dated establishments, with their colours, plants and signage making them an absolute joy to behold. There’s also the ever present barber’s pole too, which can seem like an archaic legal requirement, as pretty much every single exterior boasts one of some description.
Unsurprisingly a couple of those featured are quite clearly no longer in business, but the rest are still very much going concerns. Shops that will likely continue for as long as their aging owners can manage, which will hopefully mean many more years to come.
The sad demolition of a beautiful 100 year old house
The sight of this century old house was always a pleasing one. The patterned glass and ornate door were arguably the highlights, but then there was the addition of the roof, sometimes flowers, and even the colours of the containers outside.
Seeing the owner one time was a lovely treat as well. He was the one who told me the age of the place. An extra detail that made it even more special in an area heavily bombed during the war. But while it survived those aerial raids, not to mention countless earthquakes and typhoons, it ultimately couldn’t evade the ever encroaching demolition crew.
A cluttered and tiny old Tokyo tonkatsu restaurant
There are no shortage of tiny old restaurants in Tokyo, and yet despite such competition, this place still stands out. In business for half a century, with the current owner having taken over from his father, its clutter and grime speak of each and every year it has been open. A true step back in time along with the added inclusion of a bit of baseball memorabilia. The latter I know nothing about, but what I do know is that the food is absolutely top notch, and the atmosphere always relaxed. Like a home from home in many ways, albeit one with a decidedly carefree attitude to cleanliness.
A meander in the rain just south of Tokyo
Yokohama, just south of Tokyo, is a popular destination for many, but personally I’ve always struggled to like it. Quite why is hard to pinpoint, but my jaunts there never left me especially eager to return. That said, a couple of little areas have been fairly fruitful of late, so below — aside from the first frame which was taken on the way — are some scenes from a recent visit. A location that’s rarely seen on these pages, plus it was in the rain, which is similarly infrequent in my photography. Something I should really do more of despite the fumbling awkwardness of manually focusing while holding an umbrella, as results-wise, a few of these came out reasonably well.
The disappearance of a beautiful old yakitori shop
I photographed this lovely old take-out yakitori shop towards the end of 2022. A place I’d previously tried to capture on several occasions, but the light had always been unhelpful, and one time it had rather frustratingly been shut. So to finally record its real, retro beauty was genuinely pleasing. Even better was the ownership situation, prompting me to conclude my write-up with these uncharacteristically positive words:
“A little shop that has been serving freshly grilled chicken for 45 years. Another near half a century is hard to imagine, but with a younger family member now on board, many more years do remain a distinct possibility.”
Optimism that was sadly very much misplaced, as returning recently at a slightly different time of year, but at the same time of day, we found nothing except an empty plot of land.