Photographs from a small group of islands
Tokyo has plenty of gleaming, glass-fronted modern buildings. And with the Olympics on the horizon, there’ll no doubt be many more by 2020. But for now at least, there are still a good number of little pockets that seem wonderfully frozen in time. Plus on really good days, they are even frequented by people who seem perfectly at home in both the past and the present.
The ferocity of the summer sun has happily long since faded, but with it have also gone the vast majority of Japan’s festivals; traditional events that make the long, hot months far more bearable. Fortunately, however, there are still a few that come later, and while the heat may lack its former intensity, the colours and concentration on display most definitely don’t.
As a side note, I have finally got round to producing a proper portfolio of my photography, so if you fancy a look, it’s here, at leechapman.photos.
In Kabukicho, Tokyo’s infamous red light district, hosts are a common sight. Often distinctly attired young men, they entertain similarly young women in exchange for considerable financial rewards. A weirdly cyclical system that sees hostesses, and mostly other adult entertainment workers, use the money they have earned in their particular roles to subsidise hosts involved in exactly the same game. Namely the pretence of interest and affection paid for by cold hard cash.
Hosts like the ones below. Two likely lads, who, after a long night of indulgences and upfront deception, were simply hanging out on the street; the fella on the left as proud of his number 1 host status, as he was the tattoo covering his back.
It’s often said that Japanese people aren’t overly fond of eye contact or interaction with strangers — a trait that’s supposedly even more pronounced when those strangers are of a foreign persuasion. But like most sweeping generalisations, it’s not entirely true.
