The setting, as well as the animated faces of the older fellas were interesting, but in the end, it was the amused look of the young woman in the corner that really made the moment for me.
Tokyo festival faces and fatigue
Traditional Japanese festivals are always worth seeing as there’s a unique energy that makes each and every one of them enjoyable. But for those involved, the effort to create that dynamic can clearly be exhausting.
The faces of capitalism in Tokyo?
The starkly differing faces of capitalism’s winners, and losers?
A Tokyo geisha
On an ordinary, nondescript Tokyo street, was a decidedly far from ordinary pedestrian.
I’d heard there were still some geisha in Tokyo, but I’d never seen one, and to be honest, never really expected to. Then turning a corner there she was, quickly making her way to an appointment. A wonderfully unusual moment that was almost as surreal as it was surprising.
A truly lovely old Tokyo bar owner
The bar below has been in operation for 39 years, and its owner, perhaps unusually for such a back to basics little establishment, is a fully trained French chef. Leaving his native Kyushu at 14, he worked in Tokyo and Sapporo, before packing it all in and opening his own place.
And what a place it is.
We first drank there almost 5 years ago to the day. Half a decade that has seen several substantial changes. The Master-san is now 83-years-old, plus fairly recent health issues forced him to close for several months. And yet at the same time, nothing has really changed at all. The bar still looks and feels exactly the same, and the main man himself continues to love what he does, as well as being as wonderfully lovely as ever.
