Lee Chapman is a long-time resident of Tokyo and has explored and photographed the countless back streets and alleys of this massive yet conveniently walkable metropolis.
I have recently stumbled on his excellent photo blog that features places not often covered by popular travel sites: old bathhouses, abandoned homes, family-owned restaurants, depopulated cities.
During my first years in Japan in the 1990s, my favorite haunts were the CD shops and video stores (VHS tapes) in our local neighborhood, and I would buy my groceries and have my films developed at the small, family-owned shop in our street.
Now those places are all gone.
And that is why I find Chapman’s collection of Showa-era shops especially fascinating. A nostalgic look at the part of Japan that has almost completely faded into the past.
Below are some of my favorites; more at Tokyo Times.