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Mar 07 2023 18 Comments

A 94-year-old and his little Tokyo sweet shop

A couple of years or so ago I took the first photograph. The scene really appealed, but as some customers turned up I didn’t get a chance to speak. Only a picture.

Returning last week, I was pleased to see the shop still there. The last of two businesses in a little alleyway that must have once been quite busy. And yet that said, it was both lovely and a little surprising to see a steady stream of youngsters turning up with their parents or grandparents. Many of the latter likely reliving their childhood days, as remarkably the shop has been in operation for 74 years. Even more incredible is that the owner has been there the whole time, and remains there undeterred at 94. A man who despite his age, and dealing with the public everyday, is quiet, and endearingly really quite shy.

an old and retro Tokyo sweet shop

an old and retro Tokyo sweet shop

an old and retro Tokyo sweet shop

an old and retro Tokyo sweet shop

an old and retro Tokyo sweet shop

an old and retro Tokyo sweet shop

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denise says

    3/7/2023 at 9:29 am

    What an adorable little shop. 🙂 I can’t imagine living to 94 but working until then?!! 😮

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/7/2023 at 8:54 pm

      Yeah, it’s a wonderful looking little place. And yes, that really is an incredible age to still be working. Probably 6 days a week too.

      Reply
  2. Günter says

    3/7/2023 at 12:11 pm

    I admire his dedication. I can not imagine working at his age.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/7/2023 at 8:55 pm

      No, likewise. His little part of the world that clearly means a lot to him.

      Reply
  3. Richard says

    3/7/2023 at 9:12 pm

    THAT is an amazing inventory! I bet he knows where each thing is. How heartwarming that he is still working after 74 years. As a grandparent myself I am sure they get as much pleasure out of going there as their grandkids.

    Would you share where this shop is? I would like to let friends of mine know who live in Tokyo. They might take their granddaughter there.

    THANKS for a great set of photos!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/8/2023 at 9:53 am

      You are welcome.

      Yeah, I reckon so. He was meticulously filling up all the boxes after a few sales too.

      The shop rather unusually doesn’t come up on Google Maps, but it’s near Shimura-Sakaue station.

      Reply
      • Richard says

        3/8/2023 at 10:38 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
  4. cdilla says

    3/8/2023 at 11:15 pm

    Ah the joy back in the 60s and 70s of eking out your pocket money on an almost daily visit to see the vast array of cheap confectionary down at the local corner shop. Fruit salad, black jacks, sherbet pips, liquorice root, luck bags, pear drops… It’s wasn’t a dedicated shop, but a sizeable section of it. Run by a family whose name was same as the shop. Then across the road to the offy to get the soda siphon filled, and back home for a fizzy drink and handful of sugar that would fuel us for hours as we ran around our kingdom.
    These photographs, despite being from half way around the world and half a century later spark all the above memories. Thank you.

    Reply
    • john says

      3/9/2023 at 8:16 am

      no flying saucers?

      Reply
      • cdilla says

        3/9/2023 at 3:51 pm

        Absolutely! But they were in the lucky bags. Don’t know why they were not sold on their own – too fragile perhaps.

        Reply
        • john says

          3/10/2023 at 9:09 am

          I’m glad they had space for a few :O).

          Reply
    • Lee says

      3/9/2023 at 8:20 am

      You are very welcome. I enjoyed taking them and returning there. Great to get the chance for a quick chat too.

      A lot is different of course , but some things in the world do reassuringly seem to be universal.

      Reply
  5. john says

    3/9/2023 at 8:15 am

    It looks like the sort of place where serious decisions must be made and old calendars can be used.
    I like the action shots and his addition of a few images to brighten the corners.
    I wonder if the figure in the shadows was intentional in that first image.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/9/2023 at 8:26 am

      It was funny watching the kids. So much thought went into their decisions. They weren’t spending much, but it was spent very carefully.

      Cheers. It was nice to get some shots of customers, and the old fella re-filling the boxes. And yes, I was pleased to get that shadow there. A little something extra.

      Reply
  6. YTSL says

    3/9/2023 at 12:48 pm

    Beautiful! Thank you for sharing. (And not only did you make the right decision to return but also share more than one photo of the man and his sweet shop.)

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/9/2023 at 1:28 pm

      Thanks a lot. And absolutely my pleasure. It’s such a wonderful little shop, and it deserved way more than the original, solitary shot. It also felt important to take more, as for obvious reasons it might not be there next time…

      Reply
  7. LAObserver says

    3/11/2023 at 8:23 am

    An interesting study in marketing. As I cannot read Nihongo, just the bright colors draws my eyes and makes me want to know what is inside each package. The different shapes can be as magnetic as the colors for that matter.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/12/2023 at 10:36 pm

      Yes, that’s a good call. Each one is unique and distinct. And in a shop like that, they need to stand out. The sheer amount of choice certainly had the kids spending a lot of time making their purchases.

      Reply

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