Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Photography

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A dilapidated little Tokyo drinking alleyway

Recently I posted a series of photos covering the impending demolition of two narrow drinking alleyways. A location that was fairly well known due to its old school vibe, so its demise, and indeed the area’s better days, were fully documented.

The tiny spot below, however, gets far less coverage. Unfortunately its dilapidated state suggests it’ll likely go the same way and also disappear, but until that day comes, it offers a wonderful little slice of the past, and a glimpse of sorts of how much more of Tokyo once was.

A dilapidated little Tokyo drinking alleyway

A dilapidated little Tokyo drinking alleyway

A dilapidated little Tokyo drinking alleyway

A dilapidated little Tokyo drinking alleyway

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The ordinary charm of old Japanese shops at night

There are plenty of photos featuring old shops and the like on these pages. Buildings that all have a sort of ordinary charm, although very few of them were taken late in the day with the lights on, and as they tend to look quite different in the dark, here is a small selection of evening shots. The second and last ones were photographed very recently, with the others taken over the previous year or so, but each and every one has a beauty all its own.

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

old Japanese shops at night

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The fantastically dated hotels of a few Japanese coastal towns

In the previous post I put together a series of faded scenes from a few coastal towns not far from Tokyo, so as a small addition to that, below are some of the similarly dated hotels from the same trip. A couple of them I stayed in (photos 1-4 & 10), and the others I simply found interesting.

It’s the kind of accommodation that is perhaps surprisingly still plentiful outside Japan’s bigger cities and tourist hubs. Places to stay that may lack the comfort and sometimes even cleanliness of their modern cousins, but they invariably make up for that in character and retro charm.

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

old and dated Japanese hotels

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Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

There are more than a few series of faded towns and locations on these pages. That’s partly due to the fact that I find them so fascinating, but also because outside Japan’s cities and major hubs, so much of the country is very visibly stuck in the past. A combination of economic factors, urban migration and a rapidly ageing population.

Below then are photographs from a short trip along the coast in Shizuoka prefecture. A region not far at all from Tokyo, but despite the proximity, it sometimes felt like a very different world indeed.

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

Faded scenes from a few Japanese coastal towns

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An incredible array of broken and taped up old Japanese vending machines

I’ve posted photos of broken Japanese vending machines before. Old and long defunct metal boxes that absolutely fascinate me due to their retro designs and the way they still diligently stand there despite no longer being able to dispense anything.

Stumbling upon even one, however, isn’t a common occurrence, so to find a small collection like below is especially rare. Add to that their colourfully taped up nature and the old shop sign above, and it was a special find to say the least.

broken and taped up Japanese booze vending machines

broken and taped up Japanese booze vending machines

broken and taped up Japanese booze vending machines

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A Tokyo man having a much needed break

It’s impossible to know if it had simply been one of those mornings, a horribly busy one, or something else altogether, but which or indeed whatever it was, it was very clear that this man most definitely needed a break and some tobacco.

A Tokyo man having a much needed cigarette break