Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

10 Comments

Tokyo shitamachi life

The bright lights, bustling crowds and big stores are all popular images of Tokyo. Quite accurate ones too. Or at least they are for some parts of the city. But in the capital’s older, shitamachi areas, it’s a very different story indeed.

There’s a distinct lack of neon. Many of the stores are small, family run affairs. Plus any congestion is generally only because of slow-moving octogenarians. Visible differences that make such districts a delight to explore. In fact doubly so, as atmosphere-wise, not only are they are often much friendlier, they are definitely far more relaxed.

Tokyo shitamachi

16 Comments

A(nother) Meiji Shrine wedding

The first time I saw a wedding at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine, I marvelled at its timelessness, not to mention the elaborate outfits and graceful movements of the procession. A special moment I considered myself very lucky to witness.

But on each subsequent visit, I saw more and more weddings. Sometimes two or three in quick succession. Plus a fairly recent look at a (regular?) weekend schedule detailed what appeared to be a staggering sixteen ceremonies in a single day.

Yet despite knowing this. And having seen so many. The beauty of each and every one hasn’t dimmed in the slightest.

Meiji Shrine wedding

12 Comments

Timeless Tokyo fashion?

Yes, it may well be getting warm. Unfortunately a tad humid too. But it’s clear that as far as this immaculate and wonderfully attired man is concerned, such conditions are by no means an excuse to let standards start to slip.

Japanese old man fashion

10 Comments

Gritty and wonderfully grubby Shinjuku

The cleanliness of Tokyo is often — not to mention quite rightly — commended, but certain parts of the city are gloriously grubby, and perhaps none more than Shinjuku. A place where big name brands have a fair few stores, but down the many side streets it’s generally a very different story indeed.

The city’s red light district in particular has a distinctly gritty vibe.

Shinjuku

And the wonderfully ramshackle and rather claustrophobic Memory Lane — or Piss Alley as it’s sometimes referred to — manages to pretty much encapsulate everything that’s good about the area in one small passageway, namely all of the above plus an atmosphere that’s very much its own.

Shinjuku