Lee Chapman, an avid photographer and Japan Railway enthusiast, has been carefully capturing landscapes of postwar Japan, especially during the Shōwa era. His paintings document the storefront signage and immigrant enterprise family economic corridor that was this period. It provides a fascinating window into this quirky side of Japanese culture. Particularly notable in Tokyo, Chapman’s photographs capture rapidly disappearing elements of the city’s landscape, revealing the fragility of a once-thriving culture.
Chapman’s photography documents these nonhuman buildings, which have outlasted their natural lifespans. It plays host to occupants who are approaching the end of theirs. This beautiful contrast emphasizes the transitory spirit of life in Tokyo. At the same time, it poignantly reminds us about the speed at which time flies. His photos speak to people in an unusual way, providing them almost in equal parts with visual beauty and historical importance.
Whether beautiful or seedy, among his most engrossing works are the photographs of old bars across Tokyo. One in particular is a highly evocative eel bar located within Shinjuku’s Memory Lane drinking alleyway. In these nostalgic portraits, patrons lounge in their haze of smoke, relishing the classic charms of the joint. This open-theater market scene evokes the character of Shōwa era Japan, where small family-owned businesses created and maintained neighborhood and societal connections, while maintaining and restoring cultural customs.
Luckily, Chapman is fully committed to immortalizing these moments. His passion has led him to create this visual archive that captures the spirit of what was fast becoming a lost age in Japan. His Instagram account, @tokyotimes_lee, helps bring those works to an even broader audience. This is what lets people all over the world appreciate the beauty and importance of Japan’s disappearing ways of life.