Photography

Last week I posted photos from an old and traditional little shopping street that is just about holding on with only two shops still open for business. The incredible looking little arcade below, however, lost that battle quite some time ago.

With a small selection of stores to cover the daily needs of local residents, it was presumably both well used and an integral part of the community. That was back in the day though, and those days have sadly long gone, with the only sign of life being one of the former proprietors pottering around inside.

Last week I posted some recent, late summer night scenes shot in and around Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red light district, so as a companion series of sorts, here is a set of daytime photos from the same area and time period. Moments that just like those previous pictures, are quiet interludes amidst the crowds and general hullabaloo of the area. With their variety, colours and contrasts, they are also suitably reflective of this consistently fascinating part of the city, along with a couple of frames that offer more than just a hint of its famous, round the clock hedonism.

At the beginning of the year I posted a few photographs from this incredibly old and dated shopping street, but with better light on a recent return, I managed to capture more of what makes it so special.

There used to be a comparatively modern store at one end, but now even that has gone, leaving only the still popular tofu shop, along with the green tea place that remains more like a museum piece than an actual business. Nothing at all about the latter has changed in nearly 12 months. Probably the same goes for the last 12 years as well.

Yet busy or otherwise, they are all that’s left, with their former neighbours long since shuttered up. Only their slowly fading signs remain. All of which provides a fascinating glimpse of how local life and commerce once was before supermarkets, cars and convenience stores changed the landscape forever.

In the past I’ve posted photos of quiet, fairly solitary scenes in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho red light district. Little vignettes that provide an interesting counterpoint to a location quite righty known for its bright lights and busy streets,

Here then are more similar moments. A few of which are continuations of sorts from those earlier photos. All of which were taken recently. A time that also marked the last gasp of a very long summer.

Old style Chinese restaurants were ubiquitous in Japan’s post-war period, and while there are thankfully still plenty left to seek out and enjoy, their numbers are dwindling due to the age of those running them. Serving simple, and what for many could be classed as soul food, they are wonderful, no-nonsense places that almost always offer the same dishes, but each with its own particular taste or style. Their interiors too are instantly recognisable, with red counters a common design choice.

Boxes that the little eatery above effortlessly ticked. A home from home where one could relax and enjoy some cheap and tasty food. A few beers too if you fancied it. But alas it is no more, as it has now also gone the way of so many little Tokyo bars and restaurants. An ending that while seemingly inevitable, is always terribly sad to see.