• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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

Jan 08 2021 13 Comments

Ancient Tokyo gun squads, train tracks and traffic lights

Tokyo is a city that’s constantly reinventing itself, which is something I’ve been trying to document of late in relation to the capital’s disappearing old bars and businesses. But those kinds of changes are nothing when you start going back further in time. Like way back to the1600s for example, when the area below was home to a 100-man gun squad — which given its current guise, feels more akin to fantasy than historical fact.

Ancient Tokyo gun squads, train tracks and traffic lights

Categorized: Culture, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. john says

    1/8/2021 at 10:17 am

    That must have been the start of the show-gun period? It looks like they had a fair number of gardeners too.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/8/2021 at 7:34 pm

      Haha, very nicely done! I know eh? War might well have been their game, but they clearly weren’t afraid of showing their softer side.

      Reply
      • john says

        1/9/2021 at 12:43 am

        The current ‘bloom’ of train track flora just doesn’t compare does it.
        I just couldn’t resist that one. If there had been an eight man gun squad, it could have been even more groan worthy.
        I hope such epic epoch Brexit re-invention by billboard doesn’t catch on in Blighty.

        Reply
        • Lee says

          1/9/2021 at 7:33 pm

          No, it really doesn’t. Flowers were brighter, not to mention way bigger back then.

          I do hope not, but at the same time it wouldn’t surprise me…

          Reply
  2. ellen says

    1/8/2021 at 10:42 am

    The contrast of the men on the mural and the guy on his bicycle is priceless! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/8/2021 at 7:36 pm

      It’s quite something, isn’t? From 100 guns to a solitary cyclist!

      Reply
  3. Stephan says

    1/8/2021 at 1:50 pm

    Yup, it sure has changed!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/8/2021 at 7:38 pm

      Just a bit!

      Reply
    • Richard says

      1/8/2021 at 9:45 pm

      What has fascinated me about Tokyo over the 50 years I have known it is the following paradox: it is constantly changing but its essence is still the same. The continuity of the Japanese culture can be both its greatest strength and yet its greatest weakness.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        1/9/2021 at 7:39 pm

        That’s a very good point. Agree with that completely.

        Reply
        • Richard says

          1/9/2021 at 9:50 pm

          Thanks!

          Reply
  4. cdilla says

    1/11/2021 at 7:09 am

    I love the green paintwork on the bridges along that stretch. Nice to see it’s been there so long and that bicycles are also a motif captured on streetview. The 2009 one especially looks like the lady is riding into battle 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/11/2021 at 5:06 pm

      Yes, it’s very distinctive. Don’t go past there all that often, but I always enjoy seeing those bridges when I do. Surprised to see how frequently the streetview cars pass by. Don’t see them very often, but they are clearly constantly out and about.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to ellen Cancel reply

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

Footer

Copyright © 2021 · Tokyo Times