Tokyo Times

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.

The light was absolutely lovely, but for this salaryman there was sadly no time to take a minute, or even take it in. It was simply another mad dash from the station to his destination.

Japan’s so-called ‘lost decade’ is now being slowly lost to history, but the country’s future still remains as uncertain as ever. The population is rapidly ageing. Economically things continue to stagnate. And that much-touted modern saviour, Abenomics, is anything but a foregone conclusion.

A story that is horribly familiar to a growing number of the nation’s citizens too. Ageing can be tough. Surviving a real struggle. And the way forwards anything but clear.