Coffee shops should probably be good for people watching, but in Tokyo, they are invariably full of folk just sleeping, studying, or simply tapping away into a phone or laptop. And because of this, often the most interesting thing to observe is the constant circling of new customers who can’t get a seat due to all those already in there sleeping, studying, or simply tapping away into a phone or laptop.
Over the New Year holidays, however, many places were mercifully much quieter, which meant the old man below was actually able to bag a spot that allowed him to sit down, and have a line of sight to quickly sketch people coming in and interacting at the counter. A lovely image made all the more fascinating by his practice of literally adding a little flavour to the pictures by dipping a straw into his coffee froth and then using it as a final flourish of sorts.
Damon says
Fantastic
Lee says
Cheers Damon!
JennE says
Nice moment. He looks so deep in concentration!
Lee says
He was JennE. Totally engrossed in his numerous sketches. It was fascinating to watch.
Steve says
This post is very timely for me as I had a similar experience today in Kichijoji at a chain coffee shop that begins with D, ends in R and has a T in the middle.
The first floor was full, the second floor had a couple of seats but they were hard to see through the smoke haze and the third, non-smoking, floor was full. Luckily, by the time I made my way down again to the first floor, someone had woken up and left.