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May 11 2020 24 Comments

The life and death of a traditional little Tokyo bar

Tokyo’s old and traditional little bars are genuinely wonderful places to visit and spend some quality time in. There’s the joy, the banter and perhaps more than anything, the invariably advanced age of the owner. All positives of course, but the latter in particular offers the addition of extra wisdom and life stories, plus a refreshingly carefree attitude when it comes to hygiene and even heating.

The downside, on the other hand, is that every visit could well be the very last visit. Admittedly this is arguably true of any establishment, but when the sole person in charge is in their 70s, 80s and sometimes even 90s, there’s sadly only so long they can physically sustain the workload. And so one day the shutters come down, the demolition crew arrive, or as in the case below, the bar is simply stripped bare.

the life and death of a small tokyo bar

the life and death of a small tokyo bar

the life and death of a small tokyo bar

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Lombardi says

    5/11/2020 at 8:52 am

    You know how they say the sakura symbolize the transience of life? What a dumb idea – the damn things come back every year. But these little bars… much better symbol 🙁

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/11/2020 at 5:04 pm

      That’s so true. Must remember that one. The sakura will indeed be back next spring, but these places are sadly gone forever…

      Reply
  2. Stephan says

    5/11/2020 at 11:01 am

    Very sad. The last shot is so powerful………

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/11/2020 at 5:06 pm

      It really is. The interior took me by surprise to be honest. Don’t know quite what I was expecting, but to see it so empty was genuinely moving.

      Reply
  3. YTSL says

    5/11/2020 at 12:41 pm

    So very sad. I hope the owner just retired rather than passed away but… 🙁

    Good on you for having been there to record how full of life the bar was. I trust that its customers, particularly the regulars, have other good places to go to but even so…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/11/2020 at 5:13 pm

      Yes, me too. Just have to hope it was retirement.

      It’s always an absolute pleasure to drink in these kinds of places, and a photo of the occasion is an added bonus. That said, it has started to dawn on me that such photos do at least record something that otherwise wouldn’t be. Or very likely wouldn’t be, anyway.

      I’m sure they’ll find somewhere else to go, but presumably it won’t be the same…

      Reply
  4. Jenn says

    5/11/2020 at 1:17 pm

    Oh my the empty bar image is soooo quiet! 😮

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/11/2020 at 5:14 pm

      Yeah, very quiet. Certainly took me by surprise…

      Reply
  5. Once an Expat says

    5/11/2020 at 6:21 pm

    😥😥

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/11/2020 at 7:46 pm

      That sums it up perfectly. Always sad when they close, but seeing the place empty really hit home…

      Reply
  6. EN says

    5/11/2020 at 9:47 pm

    Could you say when you had originally taken the first shot vs the current latest one? Would really help with that transition of time, perhaps?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/11/2020 at 10:41 pm

      Yeah, of course. It was 4 years ago when I took the first photo. A surprise to be honest, ‘cos it doesn’t feel that long ago. The last 2 were taken just last week..

      When the bar actually closed, however, I don’t know. Could have been recently, or quite some time ago.

      Reply
  7. cdilla says

    5/11/2020 at 10:47 pm

    So very sad.
    Just trying to consider the whole of what that bar was, and that it is all now past, makes my bones ache.
    Was the Maki in the bar name the proprietess in the earlier photograph? It seems to say Makichan-ten which the best I can elicit from various translation apps is Maki’s Bar.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/11/2020 at 10:56 pm

      Yeah, the difference is shockingly stark, isn’t it? Incredibly sad.

      Yes, that’s her in the photo, and for now at least, Maki-chan’s Bar is still proudly on display.

      Reply
  8. Ted Taylor says

    5/12/2020 at 5:14 am

    This is a concern I have with the current state of things, that many of the charming (and not so charming) old-timey shops will close during this economic crisis.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/12/2020 at 8:56 am

      That was my big concern, especially considering the age of the owners, and indeed many of the clientele, but in Tokyo at least it seems to be business as usual for most.

      With many of them opening early, and closing relatively early, they aren’t quite as affected by the current restrictions on operating hours. Still surprised they are taking the risk, but at least it means the bars should survive.

      Reply
      • James says

        5/15/2020 at 9:05 pm

        Quite uplifting to hear that little insight. I’ll double down on visiting these types of establishments next time I’m in Tokyo.

        Reply
        • Lee says

          5/16/2020 at 1:53 pm

          I’m sure some will have closed and will likely never open again, but on the whole that thankfully doesn’t appear to have been the case. And with Tokyo (hopefully) getting closer to having its state of emergency lifted, that’ll likely increase their chances of survival further. So yeah, make the most of them when you are next here.

          Reply
  9. LAObserver says

    5/12/2020 at 5:43 am

    Powerful and interesting. Even completely empty, this little place seems to embrace the Nihonjin emphasis on organization and structure.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/12/2020 at 9:01 am

      Cheers. All very sad, but glad that I at least got to capture the empty bar before its inevitable demolition. And yeah, it really does. Traditional until the very end.

      Reply
  10. DavidT says

    5/13/2020 at 1:07 pm

    Oh man this is so sad. The empty bar shot……… 😮

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/13/2020 at 7:06 pm

      Yes, it really is. I peered in just to see if it still looked the same. Really didn’t expect to see it empty.

      Reply
  11. Arne Anka says

    5/13/2020 at 6:38 pm

    But what happend back in 1941? And why was it left behind? Guess you don’t have any close-up… Another mystery.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      5/13/2020 at 7:09 pm

      Wasn’t sure what you meant at first. Well spotted!

      No close-up unfortunately — I had to shoot through the window. The light from outside makes viewing it even more difficult as well. But why it was left behind puzzled me as well. Everything else has been removed, so why leave only that…?

      Reply

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