In a country where rules are expected to be adhered to rather than broken, people know all too well when they are in the wrong. And this young salaryman, having a cheeky side street cigarette, was definitely no different.
The guilty look of a salaryman smoker
Mike says
Wonderful! That expression is priceless!
Lee says
Cheers! I was very pleased to capture it. He looked up at just the right time.
Hans ter Horst says
Gotcha! Great story telling photography again.
But we do need to feel a bit sorry for these poor drug addicts: nicotine in cigarettes is the major drug state pushed drug and the wide spread addiction makes a lot of money for the government and now they had to put those pro forma “no smoking” signs up to pretend they care about health. (just kidding, but imagine a Japan where people would live even longer :-))
Lee says
Thanks a lot. Yeah, caught him good and proper!
Exactly. Government policy to try and reduce the number of pensioners. Things i, with the government owning a good chunk (it was 50% at one time I believe) of Japan Tobacco, it is hard not to question Japan’s efforts at tackling smoking. They have, and at the same time, they haven’t. All for very good reasons one suspects…
Paul H- says
To capture smokers like this is to capture the essence of living in this city. Every time I stop and look down the narrowest alleyways in Tokyo, I see a smoker tucked away with the exact same expression on his face.
Lee says
Yeah, it’s amazing how things have changed. At least on the streets anyway.
PolishPole says
and what if such a guy is caught… let’s say on the street, any fines?
Lee says
In some areas patrols walk about and there are possible fines. I have seen people told to put their cigarettes out, but how often fines are issued — and how enforceable they are — I don’t know.