Photographs from a small group of islands
Tokyo is a wonderful city of contrasts: people, fashion, districts etc., the differences are all there, right before your eyes. And yet none of them are arguably quite as stark as the regular portrayal of it as a modern technological playground, and the rather more prosaic reality.
Not a rogue or a miscreant, of which there are many in Kabukicho, Tokyo’s infamous red light district. But instead an actual rat. And a dead one at that.
Rainy season seems to have finally wrung itself dry, so from now on it’s only going to getting hotter, and the sun a whole lot harsher. A time of year that needless to say is very much suited to light, loose-fitting clothing. But, while the standard issue of shorts and a t-shirt are comfortable, they aren’t nearly as attractive as more traditional summer attire.
Despite the month coinciding with rainy season, the idea of being a June bride is still a very popular one in Tokyo — the potentially inclement weather clearly not enough to dampen the apparent romance of an early summer wedding.
Yet despite the possible setbacks, this young couple appear to have experienced pretty much the perfect ceremony. No rain whatsoever. Wonderfully lush greenery. Plus a setting just as picturesque as the traditional procession.
The land opposite the clearly long-established strip club below is currently undergoing huge reconstruction — development that when finished will have a detrimental impact on the wonderfully seedy, rather down-at-heel atmosphere the district once had. A move that while beneficial in some ways, will at the same time create yet another sanitised, chain saturated area so common in today’s increasingly converging towns and cities.
But, despite such progress, this dated, brightly lit stripper is still hard at work — cheekily attempting to entice customers just like she has done for years. An image that for me at least is a local landmark of sorts, and regardless of what’s going on around her, she’ll hopefully remain that way for a long time to come.
