Photographs from a small group of islands
Old and broken vending machines have featured on these pages before. There’s just something so incredibly appealing about them with their retro looks and quiet dignity — standing, as they still do, despite destined to never dispense again.
As such, it was the beautifully coloured Sapporo beer machine that caught my eye, but then the shop itself seemed to have a similar kind of feel. Lovely to look at still, but long since closed, it too stands empty and quiet.
Japan may well have loads of fancy, well stocked department stores, but thankfully it also boasts a huge number of fabulously dated old businesses to balance things out a bit. So many in fact that the photos below were all taken very recently.
That said, the sad truth is that the vast majority will only last as long as those who own them, but for now for at least these shops are there to be seen and enjoyed, as we will likely never see their kind again.
The lights and iconic signboards of Osaka’s Dotonbori district are well documented, but personally, it’s the rather less well known after dark sides of the city that appeal. Quiet corners and little bars that arguably speak more about the lives and times of those who live there.
So here then is a set of scenes from some nocturnal wanders and drinks a couple of weeks ago. Photos that go nicely with my recently posted daytime series of people and similarly local places.
The dilapidated barber shop on the corner was what initially caught our attention. Old school places like that are always a treat, but it’s rare to see one so faded and forlorn looking. However, having spent the morning shivering through the first genuinely wintery weather of the year, the coffee shop next door turned out to be the real find of our day.
In business for 51 years and run by the same woman the whole time, it was a warm refuge from the cold in both temperature and the welcome we received. A place that my friend and I felt completely at home in the minute we stepped through the door.
Now 83 years old, the mama-san moved to Osaka from her native Gumna prefecture when she got married. Her husband is sadly no longer with us, but she has children in the area, and of course the coffee shop. A business that’s an extension of her personality, and as such it felt very much a part of the past as well as the present. An element that was encapsulated the moment we heard the distinctive ring of the old rotary phone. A sound and resultant scene that was the icing on the cake of our time there. Or perhaps more appropriately, the thickly spread butter on top of our toast.
Oh, and it turns out the old barber shop that was so integral to our visit has been closed for a staggering 31 years.
Tokyo may well be my adopted home as well as a fantastic place for street photography, but I also have a huge soft spot for Osaka, and in particular its many less than salubrious locations. Along with such interesting urban scenery, there’s generally more openness and honesty on the streets, with eye contact, interaction, and a noticeable lack of wariness in regards a foreigner carrying a camera. Elements that make the city an absolute joy to explore and photograph. In fact, there are so many picture making opportunities, that I’m planning to offer a package of photowalk tours in Tokyo and Osaka — a four or five day experience designed to cover comparable areas in each region. Locations that’ll highlight the similarities and differences, along with the chance to document the older, lesser-seen sides of both.
That’s for the future though, so for now, here are some people and urban scenes I captured on a very recent visit.
The previous post consisted of quieter night scenes in Tokyo’s western suburbs. Moments not all that dissimilar to those seen in the city’s more famous entertainment hubs, but at the same time much calmer and considerably less chaotic.
The photos below, however, really are quite different. Little slices of post-daylight life in east Tokyo. An area I’ve photographed for years, but for one reason or another, almost exclusively during the day. So here then are a few glimpses of what I saw on a recent stroll.
