I’ll take a stab at this… I believe Lee is suggesting the man is unhappy being around other people (and shopping).
As always, great composition Lee. I like the babies and brightly clothed, smiling folks in the background as the seemingly unhappy man (with dark/plain clothes and careless hairstyle) turns his back and scurries away.
Thanks. Yeah, he certainly made for an interesting contrast. Quite what he was doing there I don’t know, but as you say, he really doesn’t look very happy.
I know that you are fascinated by the aging population of Japan and you shot another classic here capturing the distance between the almost scared elderly gentleman and the carefree youths in the background. You couldn’t have picked a more fascinating subject, didn’t the Japan Times article give Japan as is another until 2040 before collapse as there are too few working people to pay for the elderly? Frightening…
I don’t know if that’s entirely accurate. At least when I was there, visiting factories, the number of foreign workers (Brazilians mostly, interestingly enough) outnumbered the Japanese workers by around 10 to 1. From what I’ve heard (and admittedly I don’t exactly stay up on the latest statistics), there are more and more young foreigners living in Japan every year. I would expect their taxes and muscle are what will be keeping Japan afloat in the future. Whether they like it or not, Japan will have to start mixing the races to survive. That makes me think about the movie “Cloud Atlas”, wherein the year 2500+ AD there were clearly full-blooded Koreans, but also these intentionally curious-looking Euro/Korean hybrids (European actors in makeup). I wonder if the Japanese-born citizen of 2100 will look much like the Japanese person we know today.
Thank you! He was certainly an interesting subject. Somehow very out of place in Ginza.
But yeah, there have been lots of articles detailing the decline in working people and what it’ll mean for the future. The figures are definitely startling.
As for foreign workers, I’m not sure what the numbers are either. Some areas do have large Brazilian populations. Like you say, particularly where factory work is centred, but as far as I know the numbers coming in aren’t nearly enough to offset the decline. It won’t just be factory workers that’ll be needed either. Actually foreign care workers have started to be recruited, but the government has made the tests so difficult, that not many are making it here to work. The mindset will have to change though, as like it or not, Japan will have to accept a huge increase of foreigners in the not too distant future.
That’s an interesting point too. With the inevitable influx, it’s fascinating to imagine how it’ll alter not only the country, but the look of its people.
Martin says
Interesting post.
Lee says
Cheers!
Osaka says
He looks like Carl Fredericksen from Pixar animation “Up” 🙂
Lee says
That’s very true. I hadn’t picked up on that. Quite apt too, as his expression suggests he’d like to have been lifted up and away.
Iwao Yamamoto says
A little bit hard to get the meaning your words.
I feel a little British English.
Lee says
Nah, not British English. But unfortunately not sure how I’d go about explaining it…
Evan says
I’ll take a stab at this… I believe Lee is suggesting the man is unhappy being around other people (and shopping).
As always, great composition Lee. I like the babies and brightly clothed, smiling folks in the background as the seemingly unhappy man (with dark/plain clothes and careless hairstyle) turns his back and scurries away.
Lee says
Spot on, Evan. Cheers.
Thanks. Yeah, he certainly made for an interesting contrast. Quite what he was doing there I don’t know, but as you say, he really doesn’t look very happy.
john says
“Best Dad ever!”
Lee says
Maybe he’s the best dad ever?
Jeffrey says
Sorry Lee to be harping on this, but tell me again that this newish paving on the Ginza doesn’t have a blue shade.
(That’s Wako just ot the left out of frame, no?)
Lee says
Haha, I think I’ll have to concede that yes, it does have a blue-ish tint to it. At least in certain light!
Yeah, that’s right.
Hans ter Horst says
I know that you are fascinated by the aging population of Japan and you shot another classic here capturing the distance between the almost scared elderly gentleman and the carefree youths in the background. You couldn’t have picked a more fascinating subject, didn’t the Japan Times article give Japan as is another until 2040 before collapse as there are too few working people to pay for the elderly? Frightening…
MrSatyre says
I don’t know if that’s entirely accurate. At least when I was there, visiting factories, the number of foreign workers (Brazilians mostly, interestingly enough) outnumbered the Japanese workers by around 10 to 1. From what I’ve heard (and admittedly I don’t exactly stay up on the latest statistics), there are more and more young foreigners living in Japan every year. I would expect their taxes and muscle are what will be keeping Japan afloat in the future. Whether they like it or not, Japan will have to start mixing the races to survive. That makes me think about the movie “Cloud Atlas”, wherein the year 2500+ AD there were clearly full-blooded Koreans, but also these intentionally curious-looking Euro/Korean hybrids (European actors in makeup). I wonder if the Japanese-born citizen of 2100 will look much like the Japanese person we know today.
Lee says
Thank you! He was certainly an interesting subject. Somehow very out of place in Ginza.
But yeah, there have been lots of articles detailing the decline in working people and what it’ll mean for the future. The figures are definitely startling.
As for foreign workers, I’m not sure what the numbers are either. Some areas do have large Brazilian populations. Like you say, particularly where factory work is centred, but as far as I know the numbers coming in aren’t nearly enough to offset the decline. It won’t just be factory workers that’ll be needed either. Actually foreign care workers have started to be recruited, but the government has made the tests so difficult, that not many are making it here to work. The mindset will have to change though, as like it or not, Japan will have to accept a huge increase of foreigners in the not too distant future.
That’s an interesting point too. With the inevitable influx, it’s fascinating to imagine how it’ll alter not only the country, but the look of its people.