Photographs from a small group of islands
Tokyo’s many glitzy emporiums offer all the brands it’s possible to think of — and many more it’s not. But for real character, and a glimpse of how Tokyo once was (and to a certain extent still is), the city’s old and family run shops are far more interesting, if not exactly fashionable.
It’s possible I don’t have the patience, and definite I don’t have the skills, but it’s still hard to imagine a job that appears more relaxing, and bequeaths its bearers with more beauty, than that of a bonsai master.
Tokyo is hot and humid every summer, but this year is going to be a stinker, with power saving setsuden setting the agenda. A situation that means many workplaces are now sticky and uncomfortable sweat-boxes, and the once soothingly baltic climes of a convenience are now barely cool.
However, while escape from the heat is hard to find, it can at least be countered, and some tunes and a beer or two isn’t a bad way of going about it.
Tomorrow, I shall be leaving these fair isles for the far cooler, if not exactly fairer, ones of home. A journey that will see me knee deep in Guinness, pies and the odd plate of fish and chips for the best part of 6 weeks.
But that’s not to say that the site will simply cease to function like the fella below. No, far from it. There’ll just be something of a slowdown that’s all. So, instead of the usual 4 or 5 posts a week, there’ll be a more relaxed and suitably summery 2. These will more than likely be posted on Mondays and Thursdays (although there will be one this Friday), but to be sure of new content to see, subscribing to the Tokyo Times RSS Feed could well be the way to go. Or alternatively, links to new posts will also appear on my Twitter page.
Since its inception in 2005, Cool Biz arguably gets talked about much more than it’s taken notice of.
Introduced during the Koizumi years, the concept of conserving power during the summer by dressing accordingly is suddenly more relevant than it has ever been. In fact, with saving electricity now a necessity rather than just a nod in the right direction, even Super Cool Biz has been introduced, allowing workers to not only ditch their jackets and ties, but even don sandals and polo shirts.
And yet even as temperatures continue to rise, and offices become ever more uncomfortable, for many, even tossing out the tie is still tough.
