Yokohama-Bashi Market Street
Fujifilm X100V (23 mm) with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 500 for 1/160 sec. at ƒ/6.4
Classic Negative film simulation
Yokohama’s Oldest Covered Market Street
I am not a fan of big shopping malls, Costco, etc. Although I have never been to a farmer’s market, the closest equivalent for urban neighborhoods in Japan might be the classic shopping arcades called “shotengai”. Such shotengai can be found throughout Japan, although their numbers are dwindling as shoppers transition to the shiny glitz of shopping centers with huge parking lots.
Shotengai, on the other hand, are restricted to pedestrians and bicycles, are full of specialty shops including cafes, coffee shops, green tea shops, shops selling traditional bed linen (futon shops), elderly lady’s fashion shops, wig shops, cheap fruit shops, high-end fruit shops, fresh seafood, Korean spice shops, Chinese noodle shops, Japanese noodle shops, pharmacies, liquor shops, Japanese liquor (osake) shops, pachinko (gambling) parlors, barbers, hairdressers, comic book shops, used-book shops, street-food stalls, bakeries, restaurants, bars, and much, much more.
Tourists don’t visit this particular shotengai since it is off the beaten path. The shotengai caters mostly to locals including a mix of Japanese, ethnic Koreans and Chinese, and the occasional westerner who might live nearby.
On this photo shoot I enjoyed chatting with various shop owners who were asked to pet my border collie. In our conversations, I learned that some owners have been running their shops in the family for over 70 years!
This is the side of Japan I love the most: older generations of down-to-earth, hard-working, entrepreneurs with an in-depth knowledge of their particular market and wares, and their open attitude to sharing their wisdom related to the local neighborhood and life in general.
The Yokohama Bashi Street Market organically grew into a proper market over time between 1868 and 1912. The market was destroyed in WWII fire raids, and rebuilt in 1948 with various improvements over the years.
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