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Lee

May 20 2020 18 Comments

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

Tokyo is an extraordinary city with a lot of similarly extraordinary people, yet on the whole it’s the rather more regular, day-to-day sights and scenarios that appeal the most. A factor that has definitely made the last two months of locally restricted walks and bike rides more bearable. Among other things, there has been an old housing complex to document, a wonderfully bleak park and the terribly sad discovery of an abandoned little bar.

On these almost daily excursions, I’ve also noticed the varied, and sometimes rather haphazard seating at local bus stops. Settings that are arguably much more mundane than merely ordinary, and yet for some inexplicable reason I find them appealing. Partly it’s the random chairs and the old school ads, but there’s also something else. Something I can’t really explain. A quietness perhaps, or maybe just their unfussy nature, but whatever it is, I do hope it’s not just me that feels it.

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

The silence of suburban Tokyo bus stop seats

Categorized: Photography

May 18 2020 6 Comments

Steely Tokyo looks?

steely tokyo looks

Categorized: Photography

May 15 2020 6 Comments

The tatters of Tokyo 2020

The tatters of Tokyo 2020, and Tokyo in 2020.

tokyo 2020 olympics in tatters

Categorized: Photography

May 13 2020 6 Comments

An urban Tokyo cowboy?

An urban cowboy expertly navigating the shadowy valleys of Tokyo’s skyscrapers perhaps? Or rather more prosaically, simply an entertainment district host with a love of hats on his way home from work?

Either way though, his intriguing and very distinctive look that day was as welcome as the similarly wonderful light.

an urban Tokyo cowboy

Categorized: Photography

May 11 2020 24 Comments

The life and death of a traditional little Tokyo bar

Tokyo’s old and traditional little bars are genuinely wonderful places to visit and spend some quality time in. There’s the joy, the banter and perhaps more than anything, the invariably advanced age of the owner. All positives of course, but the latter in particular offers the addition of extra wisdom and life stories, plus a refreshingly carefree attitude when it comes to hygiene and even heating.

The downside, on the other hand, is that every visit could well be the very last visit. Admittedly this is arguably true of any establishment, but when the sole person in charge is in their 70s, 80s and sometimes even 90s, there’s sadly only so long they can physically sustain the workload. And so one day the shutters come down, the demolition crew arrive, or as in the case below, the bar is simply stripped bare.

the life and death of a small tokyo bar

the life and death of a small tokyo bar

the life and death of a small tokyo bar

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

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