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Jul 15 2020 10 Comments

Life and looks in Tokyo’s old shuttered shops

There are a huge number of shuttered up shops in Japan. They aren’t just in more rural areas either, as they can be found all over the capital as well. Some of them, of course, are now abandoned properties, and are left to gradually deteriorate before demolition. Many others, however, are still lived in, as lots of traditional little operations are a combination of both the home, and the workplace.

In regards the latter, without a doubt the most poignant place I’ve ever found and photographed was the property of an old lady in her 90s. A woman who I had the pleasure of spending a bit of time with, and the resultant photos and write up can be seen here.

The shop below is a bit different, but in many ways very similar. I’d passed by countless times and seen the woman who owns it moving about in what was once the shop part of the building. And back in 2015, with one of the shutters lifted, I was lucky enough to get this shot of her doing some cooking.

the dirtiest kitchen in Tokyo

Then there was nothing until last week when I saw her again. A slightly different situation, but very similar headwear, and a life still lived amid the debris of the past.

life lived in a shuttered up old Tokyo shop

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenn says

    7/15/2020 at 1:13 pm

    I’m happy she looks fine but oh my that kitchen!! 😮

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/15/2020 at 7:34 pm

      Yes, it leaves a lot to be desired to say the least, but it clearly hasn’t done her any harm whatsoever!

      Reply
  2. Stephan says

    7/15/2020 at 2:16 pm

    It’s a kinda sad way to live I think but the 2nd image makes me smile.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/15/2020 at 7:37 pm

      It often seems that way. Hopefully that’s just us looking in from the outside with different experiences and ideas. But yeah, the second photo was good to get. A genuinely nice little moment.

      Reply
  3. YTSL says

    7/15/2020 at 4:47 pm

    Thanks for posting this. I was bracing myself for another sad tale of an elderly proprietor’s passing. So it was lovely to see that bottom pic, complete with that smile on the old lady’s face. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/15/2020 at 7:40 pm

      You are very welcome. It was a similarly nice moment for me when I saw her. Perhaps not surprisingly I have several sad tales waiting to be told, so it was nice to mix things up with a much happier one.

      Reply
  4. Rogerio says

    7/15/2020 at 10:13 pm

    Always love these kind of pictures. I wonder if these shops don’t have problems with public health inspections.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/16/2020 at 9:16 am

      In this case it doesn’t really matter as it has long since closed, but it’s something I always wondered about, especially as they all seem to have a certificate on display. But then one time we got a closer look at one and it was for the person, not the actual place. So it would seem that as long as the owner knows the rules, nobody ever seems to check on whether they actually implement them!

      Reply
  5. cdilla says

    7/16/2020 at 6:52 am

    93 in 2014. so 99 now. Wow. Just wow.
    More or this sort of post!

    I hope the encounter made your day as much as it made mine 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/16/2020 at 9:20 am

      Ah, that’s the age, or at least the potential age if she’s still going of the woman in the linked story. Not sure about this lady.

      Good to hear, and yeah, it was a genuinely lovely moment. One that immediately put a big smile on my face.

      Reply

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