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Sep 21 2018 8 Comments

Tokyo standing bar drinkers

Bars, of course, are almost always pleasant places to be, but Japan’s standing bars in particular are more than a little special. Mostly used as pitstops for a very quick bit of food and booze, the resultant flow of customers makes them absolutely perfect for people watching. Then add to that their rough and ready nature, and it’s a match made in a very hazy heaven.

tokyo standing bar and its drinkers

For more photos of Japanese drinkers, there’s a full set of them on my portfolio site, here.

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Harry says

    9/21/2018 at 2:02 pm

    Very cool. Another place I’d love to drink in! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/21/2018 at 9:04 pm

      It was certainly a good place to spend a few hours!

      Reply
  2. Alex says

    9/22/2018 at 10:58 am

    Hah, gotta laugh at the dude watching tv(?) on his ipad! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/23/2018 at 10:04 am

      A few came in with iPads. With people coming and going all the time, and most customers by themselves, there’s very little talking, so it makes sense I guess.

      Reply
  3. cdilla says

    9/23/2018 at 1:04 am

    That’s another fine bar scene you have captured there. Pretty timeless but for the tablet in the foreground. I like the idea of a high turnover of clients in such a small place due to the lack of seating. Such small bars are pretty much non-existant in the UK – in my experience at least.
    One thing that strikes me about this photograph is how bright it is. Bright and white. Not your usual dim, almost sepia, yellow illumination.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/23/2018 at 10:09 am

      Cheers. Yeah, I’ve often thought that. Very different from the pubs, bars etc I’ve experienced back in Britain. And yes, really quite bright. Takes away some of the atmosphere, but at least it saves people tripping over each other as they squeeze past to use the bathroom in the far corner!

      Reply
  4. Sophie says

    9/24/2018 at 5:37 am

    Hello,
    I agree this bar seems way brighter than the watering holes you usually snap.
    What are the guys at the back of the photo doing? Are they watching TV or something?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/24/2018 at 10:03 am

      Hi

      Yeah, the ones I generally go to are a bit more local, whereas this one is much more for passing trade. A quick stop rather than somewhere to spend the evening.

      Nah, they had just arrived. The only people to come in a group. And they were rather excitedly deciding what to order from the menus on the wall.

      Reply

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