• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

  • Photowalks
  • Book and Prints
  • Portfolio
  • About/Contact
  • Support
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • RSS

Aug 15 2023 16 Comments

Tokyo before and after (part 2 of 2)

Last week I wrote about the ‘before’ photos below and how, over time, they became much more than I ever imagined. Poignant vignettes of lives lived and structures now long gone in a forever changing city.

That state of flux Tokyo constantly seems to be in, along with a generation of people and buildings approaching their end, means there will be more photos to come, but for now at least these (along with those previously posted) are some of what I have at present. Little moments that offer a brief glimpse of lost lives in a very large metropolis.

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Tokyo before and after

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sean says

    8/15/2023 at 12:19 pm

    These are all so sad and powerful but I think it’s awesome you are out there doing this. Great work man.!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/15/2023 at 11:15 pm

      Thank you very much. That’s really kind of you and lovely to hear.

      Reply
    • Cam says

      8/19/2023 at 11:33 pm

      Agree on both points.

      Great pics and collection.

      It is a shame that there isnt more effort or interest in preserving old character buildings in Tokyo. It adds so much to the soul of the city.

      Reply
      • Lee says

        8/20/2023 at 12:15 pm

        Thank you very much.

        Yeah, it really is. There are some efforts here and there, although mostly too little too late. To be fair though, a lot of the houses are way beyond their natural lifespan, so saving them often isn’t possible/practical.

        Reply
  2. YesterdaysHero says

    8/15/2023 at 4:57 pm

    This is important documentary work Lee. You are saving the past and personalizing a huge city.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/15/2023 at 11:17 pm

      Thanks ever so much. Really pleased I have the chance to do this, and that others get something out of it as well.

      Reply
  3. cdilla says

    8/15/2023 at 6:11 pm

    Anoth example of the depth of your body of work. There is a vicarious feeling that recalls the last wandering around of an emptied house/apartment that has been your home for years as the removal van waits for you outside.
    The one of the tofu(?) seller standing on the blue stopcock(?) cover and that being all that remained in the carpark is especially evocative. I don’t need any clever photoshop to see the echo of the man in the carpark.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/15/2023 at 11:19 pm

      Thank you very much, and that’s such a good way of describing it.

      Yeah, an old tofu shop. I always enjoyed seeing that place, and the fella himself just a couple of times, so it was especially sad to see it go…

      Reply
  4. Richard says

    8/15/2023 at 7:12 pm

    Not only are the people gone but so are the buildings! It is especially stark when a car park has replaced a building.

    Thanks for these!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/15/2023 at 11:21 pm

      You are very welcome as always, and yeah, a new home or structure at least means new life, but a car park is so cold and final.

      Reply
  5. Rob says

    8/16/2023 at 10:01 am

    This really got to me. Excellent photos.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/17/2023 at 4:51 pm

      Thank you. Yeah, the after scenes all stopped me in my tracks…

      Reply
  6. Denise says

    8/16/2023 at 1:16 pm

    I’m moved so much again. These are as powerful as the first ones.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/17/2023 at 4:52 pm

      Thank you very much. It’s really good to hear that at least some of what I felt comes through in the photos.

      Reply
  7. Jay Phillips says

    8/17/2023 at 12:56 pm

    Your pictures are beautiful, and a sad reminder. We live in Tokyo in higashioizumi, and they just replaced an old building with a new one, and it has definitely changed the aesthetics, keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/17/2023 at 4:54 pm

      Thanks a lot, that’s really kind of you. And yeah, it has a massive affect on the look and feel of the neighbourhood, doesn’t it?

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Copyright © 2025 · Tokyo Times