• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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

Jul 31 2017 8 Comments

Tokyo shutters and stares

Shuttered-up old shops are increasingly common sights in both Tokyo, and Japan in general. Unlike many other countries, however, these small operations often double as homes, so even when the business is long gone, the building itself may still be in daily use. Like the place below. A scene that explains why the old lady is present, and also her surprise at someone photographing her as she does little more than leave the house.

shutters and stares in old Tokyo

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denton says

    7/31/2017 at 2:36 pm

    Great framing as always. I really like the woman’s expression too! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      7/31/2017 at 5:12 pm

      Cheers! Yeah, she was more than a little perplexed. Got a lovely smile from her after though.

      Reply
  2. Linda says

    7/31/2017 at 8:29 pm

    I never thought of that, that the home part of the closed shops might still be in use. I guess that explains how you sometimes see shops that look like they’ve been closed for a long time, but there are a bunch of potted plants in front that are still being cared for?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/1/2017 at 1:02 am

      Yeah, more than likely. In lots of cases the shutters are basically a front door.

      Reply
  3. cdilla says

    8/2/2017 at 6:50 pm

    I like the way the indigos and white of the lady’s outfit brings so much colour to the scene.
    It’s remarkable to me how clean everything is despite the presumed run down nature of the business and the area. There is not the slightest accumulation of dust, grime or debris anywhere. Even though the surfaces are worn, weathered and tarnished, it’s as if every surface from the road to the shutters has been swept and dusted pretty much daily.
    If I look out at the kerbs here I see seed husks, twigs, some dirt/soil, the odd feather or paper scrap, and even the occasional dead weed (it was sprayed last week). And we have weekly walking road cleaners and monthly roadsweeper vehicles though our village.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/3/2017 at 4:21 am

      Yeah, she definitely gives the frame some much needed colour.

      Not all streets are that clean, so it’s quite possible she cleans it herself. Especially so as it’s a fairly busy thoroughfare.

      Reply
  4. Mike says

    8/11/2017 at 6:17 am

    Are you seeing a hollowing out of the retail job market like we are in the U.S.?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      8/11/2017 at 6:00 pm

      No, not really. Older stores like this have suffered, but generally speaking retail is still booming.

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

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

Footer

Copyright © 2025 · Tokyo Times