Some sights are unexpected to say the least, and yet this Shinjuku street scene sums up certain aspects of Tokyo surprisingly well.
Urban Tokyo greenery
Tokyo’s concrete environment and incredible urban density means any vegetation that’s not carefully cultivated has a tough time to do little more than just exist. Or at least that’s what you’d think, anyway. Mother Nature, on the other hand, often has very different ideas, and when spring begins its transition into summer, some plants genuinely thrive rather than merely survive.
Old school Tokyo food and ill feeling?
Nothing fancy or unfathomable here. Just simple food served with a similarly uncomplicated stare.
A small and atmospheric Tokyo bar
Back in February, I took two photos of the little bar below. The first shot I preferred in its natural hues, and the second one in more simple black and white. Both of them appealed, but an aversion to mixing monochrome and colour meant I didn’t want to post both, so after a fair bit of dithering the latter eventually won out. It’s here if you’d like to see it.
Searching for a different photo the other day, however, I came across the shots again, and as sightings of slightly sinister looking men in trilbies aren’t an everyday occurrence, it seemed a shame to leave that shadowy look left unseen.
A colourful and imaginatively pierced motorised unicycle rider
For a country and culture known for its strict adherence to social norms and uniformity, Japan thankfully has a good number of people who clearly never read the rule book. Eccentrics and nonconformists who, whether intentionally or otherwise, brighten up the daily lives of those around them. Some of whom I’ve had the pleasure of photographing, allowing me to create a small series of sorts which can be seen here. A set that for an awfully long time didn’t contain a colourful and imaginatively pierced motorised unicycle rider — but it does now.
