Photography

Jan 03 2025 6 Comments

Tokyo bar looks and inexplicable opera glasses

Laughter and conversation are regular finds in local Tokyo bars. Opera glasses, on the other hand, are much rarer. An unexpected addition that made this already wonderful little establishment even better.

Once part of a chain consisting of ten bars owned by the same person, that connection has long since broken, with the business shifting to multiple, and completely separate ownership. That said, the majority now no longer exist, with this and one other the last two hold outs. However, with a relatively young proprietor who has already been there for a couple of decades, this particular place will hopefully be around for many more years to come.

Dec 24 2024 12 Comments

A selection of my favourite photo series from 2024

In seemingly no time at all, 2024 is rapidly drawing to a close, meaning it’s time once again to share my favourite photographs from the last 12 months.

The year has been both a busy and productive one. My photowalk business has seen a healthy amount of bookings, plus Osaka is now an added option as well. I’ve also had the pleasure of licensing my images to a variety of products, publications and outlets. Doing a couple of album covers was new and interesting, plus I finally got in the print version of the Guardian — something I’d wanted to do for the longest time. The main image was a good size too, which made it even better.

Since February, I’ve also been taking photos for a project that should see the light of day this coming spring. An initially simple idea that turned out to be far bigger and more involved than any of the team envisioned. At the same time, the extra work it entailed, and the difficulties we’ve overcome, have ultimately made the whole thing better in every conceivable way. Along with that, the challenge of having to quickly capture a whole host of required scenes under difficult lighting was totally new, so to have produced everything that was needed, and be happy with the results, has been a huge confidence boost. Needless to say imposter syndrome is still never far away, but those thoughts have at least been suppressed a little bit. All of which means I can’t wait to share the results and see our creation released into the world.

And talking of sharing, my selection of photos this year is slightly different from those of the past. Having fully moved to posting only sets of images, my aim is to always try and cover a theme, or tell a story, and the sets I’ve chosen are more down to those collective aspects rather than the strength or looks of any one single image. The selection I’ve made is also about the overriding narrative of these series, as they cover what I really want to try and do with my photography — namely documenting the disappearing and the already lost, along with individual histories and human perseverance. To keep things manageable, I can only show a few shots from each series here, but there are links to the original posts below the relevant images.

All of which nicely wraps up Tokyo Times for 2024, so until the normal Tuesday and Friday updates resume from January 3rd, enjoy the holiday celebrations and the people you spend the break with.

Japan nobody

Tokyo life and death

The disappearance of a beautiful old yakitori shop

The life and retirement of an elderly Tokyo pickle maker

Timeless Osaka photowalks

The end of a traditional old Tokyo sweet shop

Scenes from the outskirts of a slowly declining Japanese city

A half-century old Japanese restaurant and its elderly owners

The colours and quiet scenery of a slowly declining Japanese town

A stunning old Tokyo tofu shop over time

Dec 20 2024 4 Comments

A dated old Tokyo restaurant and its owner

In Tokyo’s western suburbs, this local restaurant has been in business for 50 years. Its owner opened the place when he was only 24 years old, making the small interior a truly massive part of his life for the last half a century. How much longer he’ll keep cooking for he doesn’t know, but for now at least things will carry on like they always have done. A situation that clearly doesn’t concern him in the slightest.

Dec 17 2024 12 Comments

Various scenes from varied Tokyo walks

Generally I post photos with a theme, or as a way to try and tell a story. However, quite a few images don’t really work that way, and this selection is along those lines. Photographs taken during recent walks that if nothing else help to highlight the sheer variety of sights and scenery one can find in a city the size of Tokyo.

Dec 13 2024 6 Comments

A lovely old school little Japanese restaurant

When looking for a photo last week, I had the pleasure of seeing the ones below again. Images that immediately brought back memories of a truly lovely little restaurant photographed back in 2017 when travelling round northern Japan.

Despite dealing with customers on a daily basis over the five decades or so the place had been in business, the owner was endearingly shy. Comically gruff at times too. So cigarettes and the television were his regular refuge when not called upon to cook. A quietness that was also reflected in the regulars who dropped by, with little in the way of conversation apart from a brief hello and a similarly quick order.

After recalling all that, I searched the area it was located in, not overly confident it would still be there. A pessimism that was sadly proven right, as where the restaurant once stood is now another dreaded car park, meaning the nearest to revisiting is only through these re-edits.

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