Random Japan Phone Snaps #3 ランダム携帯で撮った写真

Sometimes I snap things with my phone that I only ever use once or intend to use in the future but never do. They gradually build up till I drag them all off my phone into a dump folder, where would usually spend the rest of their digital eternities...

Until now.

Enjoy these random images of random times in random Japan.

Shots #106 DOOK!

I took this in 2013 in a more working class suburb of Yokohama. In Japan, many of these old school, single owner bottle stores have these bizarre yet awesome and well detailed mascots. They also often have great selections of Japanese booze.

This shop doesn't exist anymore. I spoke to the owner who was in the process of packing up and selling off the last of his wares, he told me that the shopping centre that opened at the station a few hundred metres away broke him. The generic chain stores within buy in massive bulk and can undercut the local sellers. While they generally don't stock some of the finer and more unique varieties of alcohol from smaller sake and shochu producers in favour of the cheap mass-market pigswill from bloated businesses like Kirin and Suntory, they do let the customer get drunk for cheaper. As a result the friendly old man at the corner liquor store was forced to close down and that cute duck perched atop it's barrel has probably been melted down or is rusting in a scrap heap.

This is a double blow because without outlets to sell their sake, smaller producers get hit too, and while they have some government assistance, that very government is trying to put them out of business with the TPP.

Tokyo masses are to busy slaving away in their offices and watching the happy lies on NHK, too insulated by the city's wealth to the realities outside,  all the Otaku fap away to their pre-pubescent idols, all the overseas dreamers look at pictures of geisha, sakura, and mt. Fuji and think everything is idyllic and wonderful. But the true heart of Japan is being hollowed by greed to turn a quick profit.

This is the side of Japan that nobody sees. This story is being replayed at every single family owned retail business in every single small town and suburb in the country. Sadly, these bizarre yet awesome mascots,  like so many amazing and unique things in Japan, will likely disappear as a result.

Shots #104 Shibuya Crosswalk from above. (Animated GIF)

It's a bit big but it's worth the loadtime.

check out this 7 Days 7 Minutes for video from the same day.

7 Days 7 Minutes (2013-12-16)

 

MONDAY 00:00:00 - My cam timing is off.
TUESDAY 00:01:00 - More Tech Woes
WEDNESDAY 00:02:00 - Mission Mungness - Yokohama to Osaka to Akita in a day
THURSDAY 00:03:00 - North of the Wall
notFRIDAY 00:04:00 - Freestyle BMX
SATURDAY 00:05:00 - Forever Alone
notSUNDAY 00:06:00 - Sheer Beauty

 

Dont wanna G+? Comment here instead!

Shots #103 The Monolith

 

The Halcas Building in Tennoji, Osaka is rather ominous.

7 Days 7 Minutes (2013-12-09)

I’ve been busier than a cop in Hillbrow on New Year’s Eve.. this is a week late... but better late than pregnant.

MONDAY 00:00:00 - More Shibuya
TUESDAY 00:01:00 - WORK! (Not a Job)
WEDNESDAY 00:02:00 - Best friends are best.
THURSDAY 00:03:00 - Home
notFRIDAY 00:04:00 - Driving in Gunma
SATURDAY 00:05:00 - Bang the Drums
SUNDAY 00:06:00 - Hot Pot

Shots #102 Delayed

 
There was a suicide at Nishi Kawaguchi Station in Saitama today. I got some interesting, freaky and even a few gory shots… For some reason, I like this one best.

One Day back home.

I had a freelance job that sent me to Gunma. It gave me the chance to recharge my mind and give me a much needed boost to get through my new life in the capital cesspool. I stayed the night with Yoshitatsu and managed to meet up with Tatsuya and Tsubasa. Talking cars and shooting the shit till 2am in the freezing cold brought back so many good times!

Shots #101: Unimpressed Cat is Unimpressed

Japan How It Is - Guitar Heaven - Ochanomizu, Tokyo

Msumungo, A subscriber of mine suggested I check out the Ochanomizu are a in Tokyo for a 7 Days 7 Minutes video. As it turns out it was a pretty epic place so I made a longer video.

If you play the guitar. Make sure you have a box of tissues handy.

7 Days 7 Minutes (2013-12-02)

MONDAY 00:00:00 - Panasonic Woes
TUESDAY 00:01:00 - Backup Body Tests
WEDNESDAY 00:02:00 - Omotesando
THURSDAY 00:03:00 - Mission Mungness
FRIDAY 00:04:00 - Cyclists are a Plague
SATURDAY 00:05:00 - Hot Candy
SUNDAY 00:06:00 - Random Sunday

Don't wanna Google  Plus?
Comment on this video right here!

Let them eat cake ~5 hit combo~

  And by them… I mean us.

  

Incidentally If you want some of the epic Apricot Jam we used, hit up Kyouhoen’s Facebook Page.

7 Days 7 Minutes (2012-11-25)

MONDAY 00:00:00 - Want Music?
TUESDAY 00:01:00 - GINZA
WEDNESDAY 00:02:00 - Winter Drive
THURSDAY 00:03:00 - Akiba Article
FRIDAY 00:04:00 - A Painful Car indeed
SATURDAY 00:05:00 - OMIYA
SUNDAY 00:06:00 - Piece of Shit Camera

Tuesday Tune: お願い (Onegai) By MANNY MARX http://mannymarx.bandcamp.com/track/onegai
You can get his music free... or you can pay however much you want.

Wednesday link: Japan How It Is: Fukui City http://youtu.be/nH6P4PO55fU

Friday link: My Article on PC World: http://goo.gl/7MshcP

It's Not Sushi - Shaved, fried Pig Ears「ミミガー」

We were at an Okinawan restaurant and one of the dishes that were orderd was an Okinawan delicacy called 'mimiga'... Basically shaved and fried pig ears.
Watch the video to see my verdict on their taste.

Shots #100 So I did!

I sang her the happy birthday song too :p

Japan, How It Is - A long Walk from Kawasaki to Shibuya

I took a long walk from my place in Kawasaki to My favorite place in Tokyo, Shibuya.
I learnt a a lot about the area around me and discovered a few interesting places.

In a city like Tokyo where everyone rides the trains, one is limited to only the central hubs around the stations. If you never venture out of their gravitational pull and into 'interstational' space you can miss out on many really awesome parts of the city.

Tune:
"Amari wakaranai kedo" by kulimu (feat. irish4t, Tsurutin)
http://ccmixter.org/files/kulimu/13575
is licensed under a Creative Commons license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Shots #99 Alexi Laiho

 

The best guitarist in the world. Frontman for the best band in the world. ESP Pink sawtooth. Found this at the ESP custom store in Ochanomizu.

Shots #98 Do sunsets ever get tiring?

I was sent to Tochigi prefecture by “Highlighting Japan” to interview someone for a future article and so I got to go back to Japan (albeit for only a few hours) The return to Tokyo was a rather sad train ride but the sunset was rather spectacular.

7 Days 7 minutes (2013-11-04)

MONDAY 00:00:00 - My Bad
TUESDAY 00:01:00 - Mizonokuchi (Kanagawa Prefecture)
notWEDNESDAY 00:02:00 - Visitations
THURSDAY 00:03:00 - JagerBomb
notFRIDAY 00:04:00 - Secondary Smoke
notSATURDAY 00:05:00 - EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
notSUNDAY 00:06:00 - MORE EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tunes by Manny Marx
off the Album Vagabond: http://mannymarx.bandcamp.com/

Tuesday: Broken Winged Pidgeon http://mannymarx.bandcamp.com/track/broken-winged-pigeon
Friday: Do you Really Care http://mannymarx.bandcamp.com/track/do-you-really-care
Saturday & Sunday: major Key? Mezurashii http://mannymarx.bandcamp.com/track/major-key-mezurashii

The album is available to DL for free but if you like it, why not pay what you can and support independent artists.

Some Engrish

The 2nd last one becomes pretty philosophical when you see it with the last one.