Food and Drink

There are so many photographs on these pages of old Tokyo businesses and their owners that no longer exist. Death, redevelopment and quite often both combining to change how many parts of the capital now look and feel.

That said, there is thankfully still a lot of history left to see and enjoy, so for something of a change from the more regular scenes of before and after, here are some survivors, all of which were shot very recently.

First is a traditional shoe shop that has been open for a century. It’s now in the hands of its 3rd generation owner, with the 4th already working there and preparing to take over.

Then there’s a similarly aged liquor store run by an 85-year-old who’s also the 3rd generation proprietor. For added interest, the building it’s housed in is even older. Quite something for a wooden structure, particularly so in a city that was heavily firebombed and is prone to both earthquakes and typhoons.

Lastly is a neighbourhood fishmonger that I first photographed in 2020, so I’ve included that shot as well — a memory that made seeing the place still operational even nicer.

The shop was founded by the current owner’s father in 1935. Sadly he died young, so his even younger son took over. That was in 1953, and now, 73 years later, that once fresh-faced youngster is still working there at the ripe old age of 89.

In a city on such a scale, it’s not the least bit surprising that there’s an endless variety of Tokyo people and places to be seen. All of which are even better if there’s a potential photo to be found as well. So these then are just some such scenes encountered on recent Tokyo Photowalk Tours.

In January I took the last photo in this series — the kind of shot that’s something of a rarity for me, so despite being happy with the results, I wasn’t really sure what to do with it.

That said, with the view overlooking Shinjuku, it did make me think about all the time I’ve spent there over the years, along with the many photographs I’ve taken. A good few of which have become all time faves.

Thoughts then that resulted in this series. A ‘Shinjuku Best’ kind of collection. Or perhaps more accurately, the best at the present moment, as such tastes do tend to change over time. It was hard though whittling them down to a manageable number, so I decided to make this set the more cohesive sequence, and then put all of them together in my latest newsletter. It’s viewable here, and this is where you can subscribe if you’d like to.

This sushi restaurant had been closed for a long time. The lady’s husband sadly died, so the business went that way as well. However, like many old and traditional places, it also doubled as a home, so she continued to live there.

Well, until recently that is, as when passing by last week, I found the building and those to the left of it emptied out and scheduled for demolition. An all too inevitable end it has to be said, but hopefully not for the lady, who fingers crossed is now living somewhere that is a lot comfier, even if it likely doesn’t have the same kind of character.

Photographs from this lovely old and traditional Japanese shopping street appeared on Tokyo Times a couple of years ago. By then, only two businesses remained, and while the tofu seller appeared to do pretty well, the green tea shop seemed more like a museum piece than somewhere to actually make a purchase.

Still, those two stores and all the old signs made it a sight to behold. Returning recently, however, the inevitable had happened. In fact, not only had it been completely demolished, but a new house was already standing on part of the land it once occupied.

Like I mentioned in my July newsletter, I’m trying to be more zen about these kinds of disappearances, and rather than feeling sad, I simply try to be grateful for the chance I had to see, experience and photograph such places. And being fortunate enough to have seen this little street really is something to feel thankful for.