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Nov 15 2019 10 Comments

The clutter and grime of a Tokyo festival goldfish stall

Clutter, colours, and fish that’ll likely have very short life spans.

tokyo festival goldfish stall

Categorized: Culture, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenn says

    11/15/2019 at 11:55 am

    Okay that’s some serious level clutter but the guy!? His hat and expression. I love it! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/15/2019 at 8:19 pm

      Yeah, he was what first caught my eye. Definitely not the kind of man I’d expect to be in the goldfish business.

      Reply
      • john says

        11/16/2019 at 4:13 am

        and probably neither did he!

        Reply
        • Lee says

          11/16/2019 at 9:32 am

          Haha, that’s a very good point!

          Reply
  2. DavidT says

    11/15/2019 at 1:39 pm

    This takes me right back to my childhood. I didn’t know carnival goldfish were still a thing………

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/15/2019 at 8:20 pm

      Likewise. Had a few fairground fish myself.

      Can’t say about elsewhere, but definitely still a thing here.

      Reply
  3. cdilla says

    11/15/2019 at 7:04 pm

    Ah, the little paper disks you have to lift the fish out with. When I’ve seen others doing it it looks pretty hard. Those disks are like the ones used at the end of Takeshi’s Castle, if that’s still a thing in Japan 🙂

    The complexity of the stall interior is incredible. Love that heater that looks like a repurposed microwave.

    I have a fairground fish my youngest snuck home while we were on holiday a few years ago. His tank went rapidly from the one litre one it came in to a 4l then 10 then 20 and finally 40l as we researhed how much each 2 inch goldfish should have to be “comfortable”. It would be nice to give him a companion, but there is no way we could fit an 80l tank in the room. Little thing will probably outlive us. At least I don’t have to take him for a walk.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/15/2019 at 8:25 pm

      It does look hard. Never had a go myself, but as speed is of the essence, there’s probably not much point in me ever trying!

      I know eh? That heater really is something else. It has clearly seen some use too.

      A success story. Good to know some of the fish survive. And yours has not only survived, but found a nice home too. Or at least an adopted home!

      Reply
  4. john says

    11/16/2019 at 4:35 am

    It is definitely an unfairground for goldfish. They don’t seem best for compact living quarters.
    …but I was wondering if this would ‘flush out’ a few goldfish owners!
    I’m now intrigued by Anna Marie Roos’ ‘Goldfish’ book and trickle filters (perhaps one of the rare times trickle down actually works!)

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/16/2019 at 9:40 am

      Haha, I certainly had a few as a kid. Don’t remember so many been crammed into one space back then, but very likely they were. A result no doubt of selective, rather than poor memory.

      Wasn’t aware of that book. Or the writer to be honest. But after reading this intro, I’m intrigued:

      Living work of art, consumer commodity, scientific hero, and environmental menace: the humble goldfish is the ultimate human cultural artifact. A creature of supposedly little memory and a short lifespan, it has held universal appeal as a reservoir for human ideas and ideals.

      Reply

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