Tokyo Times

Bicycles are still incredibly popular in Tokyo. Whether it’s merely popping out to the shops, or rushing to make a train, the trusty bike is invariably what people turn to. Pretty much all people too, regardless of age, gender or social status.

At the same time, these environmentally friendly workhorses are often deemed as dispensable as they are indispensable, and the long-forgotten machines below are a mere fraction of the many thousands discarded each and every year.

My favourite photo from this location is in black and white — the composition and subject matter seemed best suited to an absence of colour. This young woman’s striking eye shadow, on the other hand, and the vivid splash of red from the inside of her coat, made the inclusion of colour a similarly obvious choice. Two images that have such a lot in common, and yet at the same time feel absolutely worlds apart.

A lot of Tokyo’s little urban parks have concrete playthings and structures. Animals for the most part, but occasionally bigger, more colourful additions such as this previously photographed gazebo of sorts. What aren’t so common, on the other hand, are large, retro-looking robots that double up as slides.

Rumour has it that this particular creation also wanders about when everyone is sleeping. A nice little story that sounds like it’s straight out of a kids’ book, although the fella in the corner of the next to last photo is possibly suggestive of something altogether more sinister.