Food and Drink

For something slightly different, these are photos from in and around Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red light district.

A recent client of mine wanted to try and capture some solitary, modern era Edward Hopper-like moments, both in the daytime and after dark, so for the latter, Shinjuku seemed ideal. The plan being to try and seek out quiet, and if we were very lucky, reflective scenes amidst the crowds and mayhem one usually associates with the area.

These then are what I took that evening, along with a few others shot in the same location over the last few years or so. I’ve also added one older, daylight photo, as in many ways it was the kind of image I had in mind when we set out.

There are quite a few before and after photos on these pages. Images that document both a building and its sad disappearance. However, just recently, I saw a demolition notice on an old lodging house that I first photographed a good few years ago. A shot that also included its owner (the one that opens this series), making a quickly taken moment a now very poignant reminder of not only a particular time, but also a person’s life.

An image that got me thinking about similar pictures I’ve taken in Tokyo. Visual documents that at the time meant so much more with the owner present, and yet now arguably mean even more without them.

It’s always nice to have a person in the frame no matter how interesting the surroundings might be. Arguably better still though is to include someone in their natural environment — a location where they live, work or spend a good amount of their time.

These then are some such moments, along with a few that may not quite match the description but still work nicely anyway.

A friend and I first visited this wonderful old bar in 2019. Even then it was clear the area was changing. There were numerous gaps where old businesses once stood, and other plots already boasted brand new apartment buildings.

We went back again towards the end of 2023, and the little establishment was one of the last original structures remaining. Also, with its neighbours no more, the nearby train station was clearly visible. A thoroughly apt view, as its close proximity is what presumably made the land so sought after.

The end then was sadly imminent. Merely a matter of time before the demolition notice was delivered, calling last orders on 52 years of its lovely proprietors serving up drinks, food and good humour.

Except for once it wasn’t.

The bar was indeed pulled down not long after, but the owners carefully saved the counter, along with most of what made the interior so distinctive. All of which they moved into a slightly newer building not that far away, making for a reassuring and very rare case of renewal. A new spot that once we sat down felt just like the old one. Like a home from home.

For something else new, I’ve started a monthly newsletter. A way to talk a little more about certain images, Japan and photography in general, plus other stuff that tends not to work here or on social media. This first offering includes details about a couple of recent shots and some just about saved film photos. Oh, and print sales too.

If that sounds of interest, you can access it on the web here, and this is the subscribe form for future updates:

Wandering Tokyo with a camera always feels worthwhile, as do the brief sights and encounters of local daily life, so these are some such moments taken during a couple of my recent Tokyo photowalk tours.