Travels in Asia, a Photoblog by Michael Deveney

This is just a random collection of images that are evocative of life in Japan. As soon as you turn on the TV or step outside the door, you know where you are! It is such a visually strong culture that it seeps through your thinking, and pretty soon your habits. You learn fairly quickly what the dos and don'ts are.

With a strong community commitment to the collective good, strangers are co-opted seamlessly into the social mores. The high degree of organisation and conformity makes absolute sense when you consider the space available and the density of the population. It's a pleasure to join in actually!

We get the message!

Old store frontages (Narita)

Lighting up (Shinjuku)

Above and Below: Chiba monorail - Bladerunner-esque!

Strange days...

In the community (Kemigawahama)

At Aeon Mall - another girl band with high hopes.

Feedback on a phone app.

In the suburbs

Saturday means school teams (Suzuka)

Seafood ahoy! (Hakodate)

Cool for cats! (Ginza)

Craft and food stalls (Chiyoda)

Now where did I leave my bike? (Kaihinmakuhari Station)

Queue for the gents (Yokohama Baystars)

Right: if you are last in the queue at a food stall you are given a flag to let everyone know where the end of the line is. Great relief to pass it on to someone new behind you, even if you are now only last but one!

Small shrines abound (Kyoto)

Gleaming in the sun (Ikebukuro).

Sushi carousel (Sushiro, Makuhari)

The Hub (pub in Kaihinmakuhari)

Izakaya special (Za Watami)

The news during an earthquake.

Konbini (convenience store)

Above and Below: home time!

An old arcade (Otaru, Hokkaido)

Stay where you are, I'll bring you your beer (Makuhari).

Rain, rain, rain. Above - Shibuya. Below - Makuhari

Buzzing on a Saturday (Shibuya)

It's a long way to walk (Ebisu)

Car free (Ginza)

Art & Craft Fair, Sakura Joshi Park, Chiba

Queueing for things. picking up your litter, handing in a wallet at lost property, it's all about doing as you would be done by. All of this is the upside and you are the beneficiary. The downside? 'It says in the rules, x-y-z, so that is what we are doing.' But, but, but... 'Look, it says here quite clearly...'

Above: Whatever you want! (Kyoto). Below: Autumn Leaves Awamatano Falls, Chiba

Perhaps it is the absorbing technicalities of baseball that appeal to fans. That, and having played throughout school days. Whatever, there is a genuine passion for the game and in particular, the local team. This all makes for a great crowd experience.

You can catch a game on TV anytime, but nothing beats being in the stadium. Even the supporters' chants are coordinated Japanese-style.

Right: Yokohama Baystars and Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo Dome). Below: Chiba Lotte Marines (Makuhari).

The Robot Restaurant in Tokyo - kitschy mad! Colourful and bonkers but packs the tourists in.

Japan Living