Seeing rice crackers made using time-honoured techniques, in suitably traditional settings, is nice to say the least. Better still, however, is the aroma, as despite their simplicity, the resultant snacks smell absolutely sensational.
Photography
A shadowy Tokyo smoker
Now no longer the smokers’ paradise it once was, Japan’s cigarette lovers are slowly but surely being ushered into the shadows.
An old, very traditional Tokyo fish shop
Many traditional shops in Tokyo open out onto the street — a lovely communal element that further cements their ties to the local neighbourhood. In older areas of the city, a surprising number of them still survive too, although there can’t be many that boast a working, and still in use water pump like the fishmonger’s below. A feature that has presumably been in place since the shop opened for business back in 1935.
The tranquility of a rural Japanese train
The train system in Tokyo is, without a doubt, truly incredible. Similarly undeniable, however, is how incredibly busy said system can be. So while it’s possible to travel pretty much anywhere, the journey might well be a little unpleasant to say the least. But head to the Japanese countryside, and it’s a completely different story. Yes, the trains are often laughably infrequent, but once on board they can be fabulously relaxing.
*Over the last few days while traveling and riding trains like the one above, a site update was causing comments to be rejected. Sorry about that — I had no idea at all. It’s all fixed now though, so comments should work as normal once again.
Tokyo subway souls
