Food and Drink

From January 8 to March 21, Tokyo was under its second state of emergency, which, just like the first one, pressed establishments serving alcohol into calling last orders at 7pm. It was a mostly observed request that resulted in fewer people going out drinking, and perhaps inevitably, more people just drinking early. Either way though, that freedom was missed, and the man below missed it so much that it rather ironically resulted in a temporarily enforced lockdown all his own making.

A restrictive measure that did lift after a little while, but just like the aforementioned rule on serving times that has been reintroduced again this week, the poor fella was forced into a further lockdown shortly afterwards.

On Monday, I sadly had to write an update concerning my wife’s now terminal cancer. It was an incredibly difficult post to put together, but I’m so very glad I did, as the warmth and support in the comments that followed were absolutely lovely. Responses that we both appreciate enormously.

Along with detailing my wife’s situation, I also mentioned that the time now devoted to care, and also simply being together, would inevitably mean a reduction of photographic updates from the usual three posts a week to just the one. Since then, however, I’ve realised that when the various health workers are here doing their thing, and when rest is required, I suddenly have a lot of time on my hands. Time that obviously has to be spent at home, indoors, which is something I’m really not that used to. As such, I’ve found myself going through older photos, doing some re-edits, and also thinking about different ways of presenting them. Hence the set below, and another schedule change, meaning for the time being at least, I’ll almost certainly be updating Fridays and Tuesdays. The latter with new photos, and the former with mostly older, or reworked images. The results of which will hopefully be as interesting for you as they are a welcome distraction for me.

These shots then are all from 2012. Photographically it was a pivotal year I think. After investing in a Leica in late 2011, I fully embraced the switch to a more compact camera system, and along with exploring certain themes, there was a concerted effort to get a bit closer, as well as embracing eye-contact instead of shying away from it. Approaches I’ve continued and hopefully expanded on ever since.

An urban hike to see the last of the cherry blossom is always a good idea, and for this Tokyo couple, the addition of a lunchtime beer apiece must have made the stroll even more pleasant. The only trouble was that the morning walk and midday drinks very visibly put paid to any further viewings.

With trains regularly rattling by behind us, and lots of people walking past, this ramshackle old alleyway was definitely an unusual place to drink. In fact, its unique characteristics made it feel like the absolutely best place to drink — no two ways about it. A spot so special that the photos really don’t do it justice, so I’ve also included a bit of audio to try and better recreate the atmosphere.

Early last year I posted a set of old and broken vending machines that I’d photographed over several years. A few months later I managed to find a few more, and then later in the year got lucky again with a wonderful looking machine discovered in a long-abandoned apartment complex.

Now there’s another one to add to the collection. One so unique due to its television-like vending machines within a vending machine that it deserves a post all of its own. A lovely chance find that made a cold and dull day considerably brighter.