The evening walk probably wasn’t as far as this unusually large dog had hoped for. Plus on the return leg, the roles of leader and led may well have been reversed. But none of that in any way dented its total and utter devotion.
Archives for February 2013
The horror movie-like interior of an abandoned Japanese clinic
Abandoned buildings in Japan come in all shapes and sizes, with each one boasting its own, unique atmosphere. And particularly in regards the latter, the rotting, filthy clinic below, is a world away from the wonderfully welcoming and serene house I’d visited only hours earlier — photos of which can be seen here.
But that’s not to say the clinic doesn’t have character, because it does. Lots of it too. Something its wooden structure really adds to.
But condition-wise it leaves a lot to be desired, with remnants of the building’s former calling scattered everywhere.
Instruments.
Potions.
Archaic-looking glass containers.
And syringes.
Pretty much everything really. Even jars containing things that the imagination can probably make too much of.
Yet quite why it has been abandoned like this is hard to say. Obviously the elements have taken their toll, but as the owner’s house is on the same plot of land — a factor that makes exploration a little tricky — it seems odd to leave the clinic in such a sorry state.
But whatever the reasons, time has certainly stood still since the last patients left in 1970.
Meaning no more calls.
And no conversations with the receptionist.
Which, considering the truly horrific nature of the operating room, is perhaps as well.
A scarecrow’s painfully long wait for spring
Spring and all its benefits are thankfully not that far away, but for some in particular, that wait has been a long and incredibly arduous one.
Chased by shadows?
The shadows may well be closing in, but Kitamoto-san is clearly having none of it and stoically soldiering on.
Tokyo graffiti: Chimps with guns, others wearing crowns, and the female form
Tokyo is generally depicted as a very clean, orderly city, and in many ways it is. In fact even when there’s apparent chaos, it’s invariably of the organised variety. Cleanliness-wise, however, it’s a decidedly mixed bag, and perhaps surprisingly there’s also a fair bit of graffiti and (really quite good) urban art about, particularly in certain parts of the city. Like this narrow stairwell in Shibuya, where there are depictions of chimpanzees brandishing guns.
Others wearing crowns.
Elevator girls of the distinctly non-traditional variety.
And figures exposing the female form.
Abenomics, the falling value of the yen, and fallen yen
Abenomics is now a buzzword both in Japan and abroad, with the current, Shinzo Abe led government, creating a huge stir with its unusually bold economic policies. Understandably the verdict is still out on whether this new approach will be successful or not, but Japan’s message for the G20 that ‘Abenomics is good for all‘ managed to escape criticism, and the rapidly weakening yen is there for all to see.
For many, however, such speculation remains of little concern. Likewise the falling value of the yen. As fallen yen are a much greater necessity.