Tokyo Times

Apr 19 2022 12 Comments

An isolated Tokyo house abandoned for a quarter of a century

When it comes to exploring abandoned buildings, long lost mountain villages are probably my favourite as they provide poignant hints about the people who used to live there and the lives they once led. Elements that to some degree are also present in the house below.

Abandoned in the summer of 1997, it has stood the test of time surprisingly well — even the floors felt relatively safe which is something of a rarity in old wooden structures left open to the elements.

The calendars, as ever, made the year its occupants disappeared easy to identify, and the photos left behind suggest the property housed several generations of the same family, although considering the obvious age gaps, it’s difficult to say how many of them actually lived there at the same time. What is certain, however, is that it was once very much a home, and then all of a sudden it simply wasn’t.

Apr 15 2022 11 Comments

A Tokyo concrete factory golfer

This keen Tokyo golfer may well live way out west in the mountainous, decidedly non-urban outskirts of the capital, and yet the lush fairways of his dreams must still seem incredibly far away.

Apr 12 2022 10 Comments

A small homage to Japan’s humble and green public telephones

Public telephones are still a surprisingly common sight in Tokyo, and the very distinctive green models never fail to catch the eye, so with that in mind, it seemed like a good idea to put some photos together as a small homage of sorts.

The timing also makes sense, as last spring a decision was made to gradually reduce their presence to about a quarter of the current number, marking a very definite turning point in the future visibility of these once invaluable devices. They were also made obsolete on all shinkansen, with the still installed but no longer operational unit in photo 8 presumably the last one I’ll ever see.

Perhaps more than anything though is that there’s just something about them. Something that’s admittedly hard to define, and yet along with the obvious element of nostalgia, they also seem to posses a kind of quiet dignity. Maybe even a sense of loneliness in their always ready to serve but now rarely used state. All of which is probably a little over the top, but what’s for certain is that visibly at least they will be missed.

Apr 08 2022 4 Comments

Details of a shuttered up Tokyo liquor store

Old and faded shop fronts are almost always interesting, with the colours, signs and slow decay suggestive of the years that have passed and the stories held within. Usually a simple straight on shot — just like this other retro booze shop — is enough for me to document it and have a keepsake before its likely demolition, but something about this one demanded more. It’s not that special really, and yet the shutters, along with the broken vending machine did seem to require several extra photos. A decision that also provided the perfect opportunity to get a person in the frame which is always worth the effort.

Apr 05 2022 16 Comments

A terrifically old school little Tokyo bar

When sliding open the door to enter a little Tokyo bar, there’s often no way of knowing what the interior will be like. One can make some educated guesses of course, but the outside isn’t always a good indicator of what’s on the inside. Sometimes that results in disappointment, but sometimes it’s quite the opposite, and the tiny establishment below most definitely fell into the latter category.

The grubby windows meant seeing in wasn’t possible, and even getting in wasn’t easy due to the door being so old and twisted, but once seated, the stained walls and glass made for a sight to behold and then some. A bar that’s as small as it is interesting, and without a doubt the perfect place to sit, relax and take in all the intriguing little details.

« Previous Page

Footer