Cosy Asakusa, Tokyo by night

This night time scene in Asakusa, Tokyo is etched in my memory forever. The lighting was perfect. All of the neon nights and golden tones along with the amber and cold light coming from street lamps above. People were nestled in their own little womb-like worlds of ramen and Izakaya meals, chugging on massive oversized beers in big jugs. Sheltered and obscured by plastic curtains and held up by plastic chairs.

The day was done, the minutia and tedium of work put away once again and now just living for a while in the cadence of people laughing and conversing freely together about things that concerned them – who did what to whom and when. Opinions stated boldy and rebuffed even more boldly with flailing arms and overly dramatic facial expressions. Heads thrown back in laughter. It was late, heading towards 1 am but everybody seemed to belong to the place and not want to go home.

Still some room for another salty snack and a refreshing long beer. An old friend or a new lover on the arm, who knows. You’re only a stranger in Tokyo if you can’t speak the language. As such I was locked out and not privy to the transactions and connections going on. Purely instinctual and almost invisible I crept like a tanuki or a kitsune, weaving in and out of shadows.