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Jan 04 2013 16 Comments

An outdoor, considerably low-tech, Japanese kitchen

Much is made of Japan’s high-tech cities and the nation’s love of gadgets, but an awful lot of day-to-day life remains stuck very much in the past. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the home. A place where very often even basics along the lines of insulation and double glazing are inventions to be merely marvelled at, than actually made use of.

Such uncomfortable omissions, particularly in older houses and apartments, making the whole experience somewhat akin to camping — only colder. And yet even such inadequacies don’t come close to a lack of roofing or walls.

low-tech Japanese kitchen

Although to be fair, there is running water. Lots of it too.

low-tech Japanese kitchen

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martin says

    1/4/2013 at 8:36 am

    That’s amazing. Is it a home or is it a shop of some sort?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/4/2013 at 1:12 pm

      Just a home. Or at least part of it. It came as quite a surprise when we turned the corner. Not what I was expecting at all.

      Reply
  2. MrSatyre says

    1/4/2013 at 10:04 am

    Clearly the rednecks of West Virginia are going to have to step up their game if they don’t want to be outshone by their distant kinfolk. That’s some impressive handiwork!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/4/2013 at 1:14 pm

      Haha, it is that!

      Reply
    • James Newlin says

      3/4/2013 at 10:03 pm

      There is something to be said for simple living. While glass condo towers look neat, it’s an incredibly destructive way to live. We could learn more from traditional people in Thailand or the Middle East than from our modern wonders.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        3/4/2013 at 10:58 pm

        Yeah, that’s very true. The only trouble is those kind of houses in Japan are incredibly cold. They certainly don’t make living very comfortable.

        Reply
  3. winnie says

    1/4/2013 at 2:09 pm

    Great shot!

    I was stunned. It is so cold now yet the lady is able to do the food preparation outside.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/4/2013 at 10:46 pm

      Thanks. Yes, she’s tougher than me. A lot tougher.

      Reply
  4. Hans ter Horst says

    1/4/2013 at 5:10 pm

    Amazing, it is true, you can get around Japan as a photographer and by selecting the right subjects, you can make it look like a futuristic country, a country in a timeslip of 200 years ago or like a slum. That’s why it is so fascinating to me.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/4/2013 at 10:49 pm

      Yeah, I totally agree. It’s often all those things in a very small area too.

      Reply
  5. An Expat says

    1/4/2013 at 9:02 pm

    Its bad to generalize, but I wonder if the woman has a designer (or a knock off) bag or two?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/4/2013 at 10:52 pm

      I doubt it. All the houses round there were very similar — pretty old and battered. People just seemed to be making do.

      Reply
  6. eshinesu says

    1/5/2013 at 1:08 pm

    Some leaves stay on and do not fall in the winter,
    showing the sunset in deeper colors.
    Unless the day is cloudy.

    Reply
    • Willy says

      1/6/2013 at 6:35 pm

      Indeed.

      Reply
  7. Willy says

    1/6/2013 at 6:37 pm

    The drainpipe. Well that’s almost a family member! Certainly some family members are as such…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/7/2013 at 1:23 pm

      Yes, and it was naturally hot water coming out of it too. Although obviously not hot enough to warm up the ‘kitchen’.

      Reply

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