Beers, smiles and babies
One of Tokyo’s many tiny ramen joints
Whatever the weather, and whatever the season, ramen is a firm Japanese favourite. A love affair that means one is never far away from a place specialising in the stuff. Some are fancy. Some are big. But more often than not they are tiny, tumbledown places like this. And invariably they are all the better for it.
Grime and grilled chicken
Unlike many other kinds of eateries, cleanliness isn’t something one necessarily looks for when it comes to yakitori. In fact, it arguably involves an inverse correlation of sorts (if that makes any kind of sense), meaning the dirtier the place is, the more delicious the food will be. An idea that would suggest the chicken on a stick in this place is top notch.
A conclusion I can happily confirm is absolutely spot on.
Grotty and grim public showers in Tokyo
For all of its much touted modernity, Tokyo is also incredibly old fashioned — archaic even. An element that does have plenty of positives, not least of which is a large number of utterly endearing, lost in time bars and eateries.
Not so positive, on the other hand, is a good amount of the city’s accommodation. Places that in many ways are only a minor step up from camping, and a world away from the robot filled, high-tech toilet world portrayed in the media. Ramshackle abodes that are horrendously cold in winter, and the total opposite in summer. Plus for more than a few, there is only a toilet. No bathroom. A throwback presumably to a time when every neighbourhood had a sento (public bath).
Nowadays, however, these bathhouses are rapidly disappearing, and for those that do remain, their opening hours and time consuming nature may not be in tune with the modern world, or indeed its workforce. So public showers like this can sometimes be found.
Open most of the time.
Plus nice and quick.
If not necessarily nice and clean.
Tokyo’s oldest newspaper seller?
Another year. Another day. Another batch of sports newspapers sold.
