Home sweet tumbledown Tokyo home?
Tokyo police band stares
After the Tokyo police band had played, it was very quickly back to business as usual: staring suspiciously at the public they had briefly entertained.
Japanese alley cat
Tokyo’s dark and dingy alleyways are often good hunting grounds — this one being no exception. I certainly got lucky, and the way this cat was eyeing a small hole in the wall, I suspect he may have done too.
Seppuku street art in Tokyo
There’s a fair bit of street art in Tokyo. Some of it can be decidedly gritty, whereas other work is more whimsical — and this artistic take on seppuku is arguably somewhere in between.
A little Tokyo bar that an old lady also sleeps in
Despite the city’s modern, neon-lit image, small, old and cluttered bars are not a rarity in Tokyo. Quite the opposite in fact. It’s just finding them that’s all, as they are often tucked away down side streets near the capital’s more suburban train stations. Although even when a potential drinking spot has been spied, it’s generally impossible to say what it will be like on the inside. Now and again of course the exterior suggests it’ll be interesting, but invariably it’s just a case of opening the door and hoping for the best. Amazingly, however, the best is very often what you get: whether it be an ex-French chef cooking up a storm; an establishment where the bathroom absolutely beggars belief; or a cozy little concern packed full of character but not necessarily particular when it comes to cleanliness.
And this place, to happily prove the point, was no exception.
Like so many others, it too has the clutter and memories of many a year. An impressive fifty to be exact. But what really sets it apart is the old lady who basically lives in the small space by the end of the counter. A counter that itself only seats about six, although even that would be a push.
And from her position there, she regularly scowls at and berates her son — now (supposedly) in charge of the operation. A lovely fella who, from years of practice, cleverly gives the impression of listening to her, when in reality he clearly isn’t doing anything of the sort.
