Much has been said about Tokyo. I could go on and talk about geek culture, endless Lost in Translation and Babel references, where to buy an Ibanez Prestige guitar, but instead, I'll leave you with this anecdote.
Sorry. No pics. But it did happen:
ONE TUESDAY MORNING IN TSUKIJI MARKET
Beside this rather popular and touristy sushi joint (think: 2-hour long lines, fanny packs and all, behold: faithful devotees from the Church of TripAdvisor), there's this spot preferred by locals: Edokkos, Tokyoites, and perhaps their foreigner friends who have been with them a year ago *ahem*.
More than the remarkable sushi that was highly recommended by a de facto local/Japanese food microblogger/friend (hey Miki!) it was this sign that caught my attention this time around: "No Picture Taking". "撮影禁止". I found this rather counter-culture - a big "up yours" to this social media age that we live in; establishments would actually want people to take photos of their dishes. Pics or it didn't happen. #instagramthatshit #foodporn
So after paying the cashier half a wad of Japanese Yen that was well worth it (cash only!), I asked why we weren't allowed to take photos.
"Because we don't want to be famous."
”Why?”, I asked.
"Because if we become famous, we wouldn’t be able to give the same quality to our customers. You can't have both. We don’t want to lose our core customers." [paraphrased]
Let that sink in for a moment.
(…now back to my ROUGH GUIDE TO TOKYO)
Coffee: Koffee Mameya, The Roastery by Nozy, Fulgen, Sarutahiko Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee
Sushi: Send me DM.
Rather cheap but pretty good Japanese Steak: Ikinari. But you have this already in the East Village.
Sleep: 9hours. From backpackers, to digital nomads, all the way up to start-up CEOs.
Camera Gear: Map Camera, Lucky Camera
Ibanez Guitars: Ochanomizu (Guitar Street)
Sneakers: Omotesando nr. Harajuku
Don’t forget: BEAMS. Loopwheeler (sweatshirts). And Tokyu Hands.
PHOTOS TAKEN USING…
Leica M Typ 240 + redsheep Chromavibe 160M+
Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2
Voigtlander Heliar Classic 75mm f/1.8
40 pre-pandemic travel and candid street photos of Tokyo, Japan featuring location photos of the Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza, Omotesando and Tsukiji Market. NFT photography by @_elsewherelse. 2016 & 2017, Leica M240 + color remastered using HG Cinematte 160, February 2022.