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Dec 05 2016 10 Comments

An old and cluttered Tokyo fabric shop

Tucked away down a quiet little side street, this man was working away on a Sunday. Presumably just like he has done on countless other traditional days off. But that didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. And fortunately neither did a foreigner poking his head through the window to take a photograph.

an old tokyo fabric shop

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. brett says

    12/5/2016 at 11:50 am

    Quite a backlog of work he’s got stored under that table.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/5/2016 at 3:45 pm

      He has. Possibly generations of work. There could be stuff under there that he’s utterly unaware of.

      Reply
  2. Al says

    12/5/2016 at 2:21 pm

    Love the little sumo figures! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/5/2016 at 3:45 pm

      Yes, they were a very nice surprise. Didn’t notice them at all at the time.

      Reply
  3. cdilla says

    12/5/2016 at 7:24 pm

    Great photograph. One of those rare occasions when the subject does spot you, doesn’t change pose but lights up with a wonderfully rich and sincere smile.
    Your photographs of probably-soo-to-be-gone bars, eateries and workshops would make a fantastic large format book alongside short texts on the people and location. Like the books Greg Girard has published for example.
    I’ve probably said the above or similar before – but I’ll keep badgering you until I have a copy 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/5/2016 at 9:08 pm

      Thanks. Yes, he was a lovely fella. And like you said, with a lovely warm and genuine smile too.

      And thanks ever so much for the wonderful encouragement too. Really kind of you. I’m certainly building up a collection of photos depicting a side of Tokyo that’s slowly disappearing. Producing something that preserves them as it were really would be nice. Greg Girard’s book on Kowloon Walled City is simply incredible. That’s definitely how a fading way of life is properly captured.

      Reply
  4. cdilla says

    12/5/2016 at 10:51 pm

    The City of Darkness, possibly because of the text alongside the photographs, is one I view and read over and over. I am hoping to get the “Revisited” version of the book for Christmas – fingers crossed. The same small commentary you often provide, and the comments you elicit from viewers who also know the locale well, add such value to your record of a passing stage in Tokyo’s evolution.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/6/2016 at 9:04 am

      Thanks again. Really good to know what I try to do is coming across. Even better that it has appeal, and is not simply a document.

      Excellent. I don’t actually have a copy myself. Just looked at it, and the photos online. Something I should correct soon. Perhaps a nice Christmas present to myself!

      Reply
  5. Janice says

    12/14/2016 at 4:05 am

    This looks like a place where I worked back in the late 70’s, a window shade factory. The table is almost identical, with years worth of scraps and the wrong stuff crammed beneath.

    I’m getting a picture of a place where walmart stores are not prevalent? This is a photo of the good old days, when people frequented little shops in their neighborhood and the clerks had personalities……

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/14/2016 at 11:05 am

      Yes, it was in a quiet neighborhood away from the big shops and businesses. Happy top say there are still a good number of places like this in Tokyo. Small businesses, workshops, bars etc. Always a pleasure to see and visit. But so many of them are run by people already past retirement age, so sadly when they finally decided to call it a day, their business will close. And of course once closed, they never come back…

      Reply

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