Photographs from a small group of islands
There was rubbish all over the place, and the smell was positively rank, but thankfully just as striking was this very colourful piece of urban art.
A figure that has intriguingly appeared in other parts of the city too — namely on a now demolished old love hotel.
Waiting. Patiently. In the quiet of an urban backstreet. Presumably for his companion to wheel him on. Possibly homeward.
Tokyo regenerates at a frightening pace, and yet in older — or more neglected — parts of the city, it can often feel like time has stood still. Something that’s definitely the case with this little bar and eatery.
Run by its 78-year-old owner, the furnishings clearly haven’t changed all that much in the decades they have both been there. A staggering 46 years to be exact.
Brought up in Okayama, the mama-san moved east to Tokyo as a young woman, and, after first living in Shinjuku, she later relocated to the suburbs — opening and then running the bar with her late husband. Something she still does today. Five nights a week. 5pm to 11:30 or so. Cooking, serving and generally being lovely.
A routine she intends to continue for the foreseeable future, or for at least as long as her health holds out. Ruefully admitting that it’s talking to customers that keeps her going, and when she can’t do it any longer, a massive part of her life will be lost. As indeed will the bar itself, which will be unceremoniously shuttered up like many other businesses on the same street. And on countless other streets all over the city.
Due to their rigid formula and unrelenting adherence to time, Japanese weddings can often be uncomfortable and overly serious affairs. As such, lightheartedness may not see the light of day until the second party, and any act of spontaneity is simply out of the question. A strict sense of decorum that in many ways made the post-ceremony scene below all the more endearing.
Greeted by a large group of strangers that very quickly formed around them, the young, rickshaw driven newlyweds were treated to spontaneous applause and joyously uninhibited encouragement. All of which resulted in a wonderfully out of the ordinary moment that made their surprised looks all the brighter.
