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Jan 10 2014 9 Comments

The unmistakable misery of shopping?

Whether it’s stocking up for Christmas/New Year, or snagging a bargain afterwards, there’s one thing that truly unites the world over winter, and that’s shopping. But for a good number of those involved, there’s one thing they really don’t want to be doing on a day off, and that’s also shopping.

The misery of shopping

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martin says

    1/10/2014 at 8:45 am

    I think it depends on where one is shopping and what they are shopping for. I dislike going to the grocery store but I’m happy to spend hours in a gun shop or a tailor’s.
    Your photo is a good example of the negative shopping experience lol.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/10/2014 at 11:28 am

      Yes, that’s very true. Drop me in a book, camera or electronics shop and I’m quite happy. Anywhere else, and I feel quite the opposite!

      Reply
  2. Willy says

    1/10/2014 at 6:30 pm

    jeez… life seems such a struggle. no wonder they have sushi and hot springs.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/11/2014 at 12:26 pm

      And booze. Lots of booze.

      Reply
  3. An Expat says

    1/12/2014 at 3:31 am

    Reminds me a bit of a cover/illustration from the ナニワ金入道manga series

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/12/2014 at 4:30 pm

      Ah, was unaware of that (as I am of most manga to be honest), but a quick search made for some interesting images. Thanks! And I see what you mean, definitely some similarities.

      Reply
  4. Hans ter Horst says

    1/12/2014 at 7:17 pm

    There is misery, yes, but what I see mostly in the faces is the expressionless, botox faces I see everywhere in the big cities in Japan. Everybody always appears to so terribly unhappy; I had started to take it personally, but now I see you encounter the same faces 🙂
    (Last year I visited Chicihbu, a very rural city in Saitama Prefecture and all of a sudden people were smiling and chatting to me, wonderful experience!)

    Reply
    • Hans ter Horst says

      1/12/2014 at 7:17 pm

      That’s ‘Chichibu’ of course, sorry about the typo.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        1/13/2014 at 10:44 am

        No worries.

        Yeah, it’s a very common sight, isn’t it? I can totally understand it on busy trains with people heading for another long day at work, but it’s often not that dissimilar at weekends. Hopefully it’s just a front, and deep down they are as happy as those people who live in the country’s less populated areas. It’s not like Tokyo doesn’t have its distractions – far from it.

        Reply

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