Photographs from a small group of islands
Unlike many other kinds of eateries, cleanliness isn’t something one necessarily looks for when it comes to yakitori. In fact, it arguably involves an inverse correlation of sorts (if that makes any kind of sense), meaning the dirtier the place is, the more delicious the food will be. An idea that would suggest the chicken on a stick in this place is top notch.
A conclusion I can happily confirm is absolutely spot on.
For all of its much touted modernity, Tokyo is also incredibly old fashioned — archaic even. An element that does have plenty of positives, not least of which is a large number of utterly endearing, lost in time bars and eateries.
Not so positive, on the other hand, is a good amount of the city’s accommodation. Places that in many ways are only a minor step up from camping, and a world away from the robot filled, high-tech toilet world portrayed in the media. Ramshackle abodes that are horrendously cold in winter, and the total opposite in summer. Plus for more than a few, there is only a toilet. No bathroom. A throwback presumably to a time when every neighbourhood had a sento (public bath).
Nowadays, however, these bathhouses are rapidly disappearing, and for those that do remain, their opening hours and time consuming nature may not be in tune with the modern world, or indeed its workforce. So public showers like this can sometimes be found.
Open most of the time.
Plus nice and quick.
If not necessarily nice and clean.
Another year. Another day. Another batch of sports newspapers sold.
The incessant heat and humidity make Tokyo’s increasingly long summers difficult to deal with. And on the countless days when it simply wears one down, there really don’t seem to be any benefits. Except one that is. The simple pleasure of sitting somewhere totally bereft of pretension and enjoying a wonderfully cold beverage.
Cycling is a hugely popular pastime in Japan, with massive numbers of lycra-clad Tokyoites heading for the city’s cycle paths and more wild western regions every weekend. But the bicycle also remains the most convenient method for many people to get about, whether it be to work, the local supermarket, or just the station. And what better way to enjoy this traditional form of travel than in equally traditional attire?
