Nakano is the next stop on the JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku, on the western side of Tokyo. Some parts of Nakano are relatively modern, and somewhat spread out, but the most interesting area is the backstreets to the north of the station.
The photo from my last post was taken on the platform at Nakano Station.
I was in Nakano for a Drink and Click™ event. It was nice to walk the streets with fellow photographers, have a chat and a laugh, and down a couple of pints of London Pride.
With camera in hand, walking around areas like this in Japan, especially in Tokyo, there is almost too much to take in. Most normal people are walking around, wondering why on earth I'm taking a photo of an air-conditioner heat exchanger, or a brick wall. They're looking for the cat.
You see, Asian people are obsessed with cats (huge generalisation, I know). Japanese perhaps more than anywhere else, but I've spent most of my time in Asia in Japan, so I'm probably a little biased. If someone sees a cat (usually a Japanese woman), one can expect a shriek of "neko chan, kawaiiiiii~~" followed by a quick-draw of their smartphone, or camera.
I made this comment to a fellow photographer during the Drink and Click™ event. Low and behold, not two minutes later, this exact event unfolded before our eyes.
Better out than in...?
Suffice to say, I didn't bother taking a picture of the cat.