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May 17 2022 16 Comments

An old Tokyo home like no other

This tiny building has fascinated me since I first found it over a decade ago. Its size, shape and dilapidated state are intriguing enough, but added to all that is the fact that somebody may actually live there. And even if they don’t, it’s certainly somewhere they spend a lot of time, as more often than not there’s a light on inside and the door, for want of a better description, is open. On top of that, the house behind it was recently demolished, providing a proper look at the rear of the property, although in many ways that has created more questions than answers.

That said, I finally do have one answer, and that’s whose property it is. When walking by alone, I always stop for a little while in the hope of someone appearing, and at long last that happened the other day. It doesn’t confirm whether it is indeed a home or not, but at least I now have a face to add to the building’s incredible facade.

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

A tiny and dilapidated Tokyo house

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Günter says

    5/17/2022 at 10:19 am

    This is quite shocking to me. I don’t think I’ve seen such a building in a wealthy modern city before.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/18/2022 at 9:41 am

      It is shocking the state of some homes in such a rich country. This is a fairly extreme example, but it’s definitely not a rarity.

      Reply
  2. Sean says

    5/17/2022 at 1:05 pm

    Whoa! 😮 I applaud your commitment!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/18/2022 at 9:43 am

      Haha, cheers. Felt more like a sense of accomplishment than any real commitment. Maybe in another 10 years or so I might get a shot inside!

      Reply
  3. yuiny says

    5/17/2022 at 4:43 pm

    Oh! How interesting! I hope you managed to have a little conversation with the mysterious owner!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/18/2022 at 9:46 am

      It’s definitely unique. But nah, unfortunately not. Having surprised him by standing outside his home taking photos, I didn’t want to bother him further by asking questions. He also seemed in a bit of a rush, so that made me even more reluctant.

      Reply
  4. Rob Dyer says

    5/17/2022 at 6:59 pm

    Nicely captured for prosperity Lee.

    Was the guy OK with you taking photos?

    I’m always at pains to ask or be super discrete.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/18/2022 at 9:50 am

      Thank you.

      He was definitely surprised but not overly concerned. Well, don’t think so anyway.

      I’m only super discrete when I really have to be, otherwise I’m happy to be open about what I’m doing. That approach also has the advantage (to me at least) of getting some eye contact as well.

      Reply
  5. Once an Expat in Japan says

    5/17/2022 at 9:03 pm

    Wow.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/18/2022 at 9:53 am

      That was my reaction when I first found it all those years ago. And to be honest it still surprises me to this day.

      Reply
  6. cdilla says

    5/18/2022 at 5:51 pm

    A fascinating series of photographs.
    I wonder if he uses it as a shed for storing tools, mabe he is a gardener.
    The carefully stacked containers suggest he is catching rainwater, and there are some cleaning utensils, to offset the lack of water supply.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/19/2022 at 7:37 pm

      Thank you. I honestly I have no idea. You don’t generally get sheds in the middle of a street like that. In fact you don’t usually get sheds at all. And yet can it really be a home? Definitely still more questions than answers.

      Reply
  7. Richard says

    5/19/2022 at 12:36 pm

    Amazing photos, thanks. Must be living on a very small fixed income.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/19/2022 at 7:39 pm

      Thank you. Don’t know what the story is to be honest, but yeah, you’d certainly imagine something like that.

      Reply
  8. Scruffy says

    5/20/2022 at 11:00 pm

    Soooo intriguing. Wondering what they do with those buckets, really, it’ll be in the back of my mind all day, perhaps all month!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/21/2022 at 9:32 am

      I know eh? So many questions. The buckets are a recent mystery for me as they weren’t visible before, but the building itself has intrigued me for years. It’s always interesting to speculate, but it’d be great to get some answers. Seeing the owner was really exciting at first, but now I want to know the full story even more…

      Reply

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