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Mar 03 2014 7 Comments

Prussian uniforms and payphones: Tokyo’s past, present and future in one frame?

prussian uniform Japanese schoolboy using a payphone

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Willy says

    3/3/2014 at 10:39 am

    Yep. Still have public phones there.. harder and harder to find here in Aus.
    I remember back in the 80’s in Japan seeing all the business men lined up and bowing as they spoke on the then numerous public phones at the station.. in the pre-mobile era – they looked like chickens pecking at a feed trough… a funny sight it was…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      3/3/2014 at 3:20 pm

      I can imagine how comical that must have looked!

      Definitely a lot less than there were (although they were invaluable when the earthquake hit), but still a good number left, particularly in and around train stations.

      Reply
  2. Jeffrey says

    3/4/2014 at 1:46 am

    There are still some in the lobby of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. I took a picture for posterity since I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen any.

    He must be the only child in Japan that doesn’t have a phone.

    He’s kind of creepy looking to be honest – peaked cap, short pants, two bags and the face mask.

    Reply
    • MrSatyre says

      3/4/2014 at 7:00 am

      I know exactly which phones you’re talking about. I have a picture of them somewhere taken back in ’03 for a completely different reason. Drunk coworkers and…well, never mind.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        3/4/2014 at 8:58 am

        The subways are definitely the place to still see a reasonable number of them, although with mobile coverage now no problem, they too will presumably start to disappear.

        Oddly after just taking this photo, I saw another young student using a different payphone. Maybe it it was a school activity to have a taste of the olden days!

        Oh, and I know what you mean about the boy. One person said he looked like a middle aged man dressed as a student, which conjures up all kinds of unsettling images…

        Reply
        • Jeffrey says

          3/6/2014 at 4:05 am

          “Oh, and I know what you mean about the boy. One person said he looked like a middle aged man dressed as a student, which conjures up all kinds of unsettling images…”

          At which, no one would bat and eye in Tokyo.

          Reply
          • Lee says

            3/6/2014 at 10:17 am

            That’s very very true!

            Reply

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