Tokyo Times

Jun 17 2009 17 Comments

A not so long abandoned love hotel

Almost every year it seems, the very scientific ‘which nation is getting its nuptials the most’ survey has Japan firmly rooted to the bottom, with apparently only a rare bit of rumpy-pumpy going on between the country’s clearly not bothered about it couples.

Yet that said, a lot of the respondents must be either lying due to the topic being a bit delicate, or because they are at it with other people’s partners, as despite the current financial crisis, Japan’s love hotels are, so to speak, one of the few areas seeing any substantial growth.

Not that such success comes easy of course, and with many areas having a positive plethora of such places, it’s perhaps inevitable that one or two spots are likely to suffer some very hard times indeed. Like the not so aptly named Hotel Î±21 for example.

A resting place that despite its rather dated looking driveway,

and well-worn walkways,

was nonetheless still open for business and promoting the Playboy channel as late as last month.

Until that is, a fire ripped through reception and a couple of the rooms.

Presumably causing panic among those caught with their pants not only down, but discarded.

A predicament that was sadly not prevented by one of the complex’s extremely feeble-looking fire extinguisher.

Meaning that the hotel’s remaining rooms now no longer need the green light to say go, or indeed come.

Although being so recently abandoned, the parts of the building that avoided the blaze have sadly yet to show those tell-tale signs of age, such as a vast array of vines, or more often than not, vandalism. But on the other hand, being a love hotel where privacy is understandably paramount, it does still offer some interesting light, like a canopy covered corridor for example.

Or windows that can’t been seen through, but at the same time set a suitably saucy scene. Whether it be racy red.

Or a bit of blue.

Plus, as an added bonus, from light, to the light hearted, with some phenomenally bold bathroom furniture.

But just like all abandoned buildings, with them once being somebody’s living space or livelihood, there’s understandably a sense of sadness of sorts, which in this case is in the form of a pool table that’ll never be played on again.

Along with a chair, complete with a neatly folded towel, that will unfortunately never see further use.

Or fornication.

Jun 16 2009 3 Comments

Japanese mask mania?

After swine flu caused panic with its appearance in Japan last month, masks became even more of a mainstay than they are most of the time.

But now, with the virus officially a pandemic, it’s possible that precautions will become even more prominent.

Perhaps.

Jun 15 2009 7 Comments

Tokyo tetrapod time out

For Tokyoites who are fond of fishing but unfortunately find themselves too far away from where the fish are, there’s always the option of popping down to a man-made pond and pulling out the odd planted perch, or even pike perhaps.

Yet for those with transportation, or the tenacity to tackle the trek, the river is where it’s really at, as along with the wonderful environment and stunning views, the tetrapods are said to be positively teeming with trout.

Jun 14 2009 7 Comments

Tokyo Times review: The Year of No Money in Tokyo

There are countless books about Japan, but for my money at least, Alan Booth’s The Roads to Sata is up there with the best of them. A meander through Japan that may well be touted as a travel book but in reality is a terrifically honest and informative account of life in Japan, along with its people and places — both good and bad.

Yet with all these publications covering Japan as a whole, there’s also no shortage of books dealing with specific niches or novelties. The former at least a category that Wayne Lionel Aponte’s The Year of No Money in Tokyo arguably falls into.

And given the current economic climate, it’s a timely arrival, considering the author’s story covers his year of abject poverty and unemployment during Japan’s last financial crisis in the mid 1990’s. A period that saw him live hand-to-mouth, in cramped and uncomfortable conditions, on the handouts from his numerous girlfriends. An especially unpleasant experience that eventually bottomed out with a brief spell behind bars for brawling after one too many beers.

With this in mind, it’s not a jolly romp by any stretch of the imagination, and there’s no shortage of the writer railing against Japanese society’s injustices — real or imagined. An aspect of life in Japan that any foreign resident will be able to relate to, although even for a far from overly buoyant Brit, some of the author’s complaints about a myriad of perceived issues can get a little overwhelming.

That said, the eventual arrival of employment helps herald a new outlook, and not just one based around Japan, which gives the book some much needed balance, allowing a look at life in Tokyo that deals with both the positive and the negative. A transformation that obviously wasn’t a temporary one either, as nearly a decade and a half down the line, Aponte is still living — and working — in Tokyo. Plus, as a white fella from England, the book also offers a view of Tokyo I’m not accustomed to — one seen through the eyes of an African-American.

But going back to the beginning and The Roads to Sata, it has to be said that The Year of No Money in Tokyo doesn’t reach the dizzy heights of Booth’s wonderfully enlightening walk, although at the same time it still offers both a unique and interesting look at life lived on the breadline in Tokyo. A topic that is very rarely touched upon, let alone tackled.

Even though it’s by no means unusual.

Not by a long shot.

Jun 12 2009 6 Comments

Ridiculously pimped ride

As inconceivable as it is, this custom car was presumably once considered a classic — cool even. And its copious contours must have been costly too.

But now even the owner has got wise to the error of his ways, opting to leave a car that must have been the love of his life, somewhat conspicuously, and certainly uncared-for, on the corner.

« Previous Page

Footer