Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

12 Comments

Wig wonder

Wigs, and especially woeful ones, are more than easy targets for merriment to say the least; however, whilst it might well be easy to insist that, finding oneself half hairless, it’d be a simple procedure of unceremoniously shaving it all off and coming over all Kojak, for those with cauliflower ears or unusually contoured craniums, a toupee at least must surely be a tad tempting.

But such understandable contemplations aside, it’s baffling in the extreme to imagine what kind of bloke could possibly consider complementing a man-made fibre bouffant with an equally fake beard.

Japanese wig and fake beard

Categorized: Odd

Food for thought

One of the truly great things about Tokyo is the capital’s absolutely enormous amount of eateries, with many streets in the suburbs let alone the city centre offering more variety than even the most voracious of eaters could conceivably call for — let alone consume.

And yet there is, however, a downside, as, with such a staggering amount of sustenance on offer, it can be decidedly difficult indeed to decide where to dine.

Shinjuku

13 Comments

Long abandoned lodge by the lake

Due to its prime location right by a lake, guests at the Sansuisou Ryokan, in Saitama Prefecture, would have had the rather enviable option of a gentle saunter by the water’s edge before breakfast.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

Plus, should they have felt energetic enough afterwards, maybe even a meander around the nearby mountains.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

But whilst it may not look all that inviting now, at one time it must have been really quite welcoming.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

And, along with its looks and location, it is also quite possible it played some kind of role in the local farming community, as the lake itself was built in 1935 as an agricultural reservoir in response to the Great Depression. Changing times, however, meant that despite its surroundings, the number of visitors slowly dwindled, culminating in the inn’s closure in the late 1990s. A situation that, combined with a relatively cursory clear up, has resulted in a fairly sparsely furnished haikyo, with not a great deal more to photograph than snake-like shower fittings,

Abandoned Japanese hotel

and beds in which one wouldn’t really want to lounge about in for any longer than was strictly necessary.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

But that said, like practically all abandoned buildings, it also contains a considerable number of chairs — pieces of furniture that were happily used by visitors during the hotel’s heyday to enjoy a few lively drinks,

Abandoned Japanese hotel

or a decidedly quieter dinner.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

The latter in particular once offering an ideal opportunity for guests to enjoy inobuta, the Ryokan’s speciality, which is a hearty hybrid of pig and wild boar.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

Now, however, these chairs are either unceremoniously stored away,

Abandoned Japanese hotel

or are left where they were last used.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

Some of them still arguably suggestive of the conversations they once witnessed.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

Whereas others, somewhat strangely considering they are merely functional pieces of furniture, look somehow rather lost.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

And indeed lonely.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

Almost as though they are silently waiting for someone to sit on them, or alternatively for something to happen.

Abandoned Japanese hotel

Neither of which is the least bit likely.

2 Comments

Not to be messed with Japanese knives

Traditional Japanese knives are undeniably very expensive, but they are for an undeniably valid reason, as, regardless of how they are made — whether it be by the true-forged honyaki technique or the two material-based kasumi approach that is also used to produce samurai swords — they are very very sharp indeed.

Japanese knives

So sharp in fact that they can even make one or two wide-eyed with wonder.

Japanese knives

As well as causing those of us who aren’t especially accomplished in the kitchen, a considerable amount of concern.