• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

  • Photowalks
  • Book and Prints
  • Portfolio
  • About/Contact
  • Support
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Mar 14 2016 21 Comments

A giant tortoise out and about in Tokyo

A lot of people like to take their children out at the weekend, but the odd individual or two opt for a giant tortoise instead. And when it comes to the reactions of complete strangers, it’s not in the least bit surprising that even the cutest of kids can’t compete with a truly colossal pet.

giant tortoise in Tokyo

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martin says

    3/14/2016 at 8:40 am

    That’s just weird! Of course he could be taking it home for dinner.

    Reply
    • Ron says

      3/14/2016 at 9:50 am

      ha ha! But this is Japan not China.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        3/14/2016 at 1:09 pm

        He did seem very fond of it, so hopefully not…

        Reply
  2. Ron says

    3/14/2016 at 9:51 am

    I’ve seen something like this before, was that from something you posted?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/14/2016 at 1:10 pm

      Not something I’ve posted. But I’ve seen photos of an older fella in Tokyo who takes his giant tortoise for walks. So perhaps you’ve seen similar photos?

      Reply
  3. Al says

    3/14/2016 at 2:06 pm

    Ha, love this kind of thing. Just so random! 🙂 I can’t stop looking at the reactions of people passing. The guy’s surprised expression is priceless!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/14/2016 at 9:19 pm

      It was a fantastically odd thing to see. Not at all what I expected. And yeah, the reactions from people were great to watch. The two of them made a lot of people very happy.

      Reply
  4. cdilla says

    3/14/2016 at 5:32 pm

    What a superb shot. The expressions are all great. Even the tortoise carrier has an amusing “must not open mouth or tongue is a gonner” look. You should open a caption competion on this one 🙂
    On the subject of being eaten they are supposed to be very tastey indeed, to the point where even the scientific specimins were eaten before being returned home because the crews couldn’t resest them. https://youtu.be/coFiAUjTWLE
    The location looks like the Asakusa Kaminari Gate, but not quite. Is it another temple entrance?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/14/2016 at 9:14 pm

      Thanks! Getting a photo of him having his tongue bitten by the tortoise would have really been something!

      A beast like that would be a big meal too.

      Nah, you are spot on. It was Asakusa. But the gate just before the temple itself, and not the one by the road.

      Reply
  5. Hans ter Horst says

    3/14/2016 at 7:51 pm

    Hope you didn’t forget White Day 🙂
    Love the way the image is mirrored between the bloke with the tortoise and the woman with the kid, identical in how they carry their charges, perfectly timed shot!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/14/2016 at 9:17 pm

      I don’t do the Japanese thing, just Feb 14th. Easier, and more importantly, less forgettable!

      Cheers! Very pleased to get the woman in the frame too. Both essentially the same, and yet so wonderfully different.

      Reply
    • cdilla says

      3/15/2016 at 12:24 am

      White Day – I had to look that up. Strange that girls give boys stuff on Valentines day in Japan, but not so strange that the boys are then expected to give triple the value back a month later 🙂
      I took the expedient measure of getting married on Valentines day – which makes it absolutely impossible for me to forget my anniversary.
      Today is also Pi day. So perhaps I’ll suprise my wife with a pie for dinner – so long as it’s backed up with chocolate of some kind she’ll forgive the nerdery.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        3/15/2016 at 10:18 am

        A very smart move!

        White Day was marketing genius. One gift day doubled into two. And with the obligation culture of Japan, chocolates and other goodies are given to all and sundry, rather than a prticular favourite, boosting sales even further.

        Enjoy the pie. You can never go wrong with a pie!

        Reply
  6. john says

    3/15/2016 at 12:40 am

    Bet he keeps its nails trimmed!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/15/2016 at 10:19 am

      Hadn’t thought of that. He must do. Could be pretty unpleasant if he didn’t…

      Reply
  7. Taki says

    3/15/2016 at 1:02 pm

    There’s been quite a few photos of people with odd pets on the streets of Tokyo. Looked a bit like kaminari-mon

    It was also Einstein’s birthday

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/15/2016 at 3:17 pm

      Yeah, not something you see everyday, but there are a good number of odd pets about. Pets whose owners are very keen on showing them off too.

      Reply
  8. willy says

    3/15/2016 at 7:57 pm

    teddy tort? torty ted? ereptile dysfunction?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/15/2016 at 9:41 pm

      Or an alternate shell suit of sorts.

      Reply
  9. Marcin says

    3/19/2016 at 7:08 am

    I love it, he looks so proud of himself, like, compared to the mother in the background his “kid” is waaaay cooler 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/19/2016 at 12:47 pm

      Definitely. Giant tortoise always trumps little kid!

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Tokyo Times