The Quirky Tranquility of Japanese Suburbia in Photos

Suburban Japan Tumblr Blog

Suburban Japan Tumblr blog archive

The Japanese Suburbia Tumblr blog does exactly what its name suggests: it serves up images of the less seen, more quotidian scenes of the Japanese “suburbs” (although many of the photos are taken from quiet residential neighborhoods in the heart of Tokyo).

The Tumblr account has no description; the images speak for themselves.

As one Japan-based Twitter users says:

The Japanese Suburbia blog curates images found on Tumblr and Flickr, and there seem to be a few by the author of the blog as well. Far from being boring, many of the photos show of the often quirky character of suburban Japan.

Here we see the view of the Tokyo Sky Tree from the relatively suburban streets of Asakusa, the old “shitamchi” part of Tokyo, east of Ueno.

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145306307477/ninetail-fox-electric-wires-asakusa

Here is a quiet residential scene in Yushima Tenmangu, in central Tokyo. The houses are flying flags, likely in commemoration of a national holiday:

suburban japan

Yushima Tenmangu. By Flickr user Yamauchi. License: CC BY 2.0. Found on Japanese Suburbia.

Next, Japanese Suburbia has found a photo of motorways in Shinjuku. Forty years ago this would have been considered a suburban area of Tokyo.

A photo posted by Tokyo, Japan (@446i) on


Next, a shop hording in Shimokitazawa advertising cockroach and termite sprays. Shimokitazawa is located in Setagaya, a suburban district in Tokyo.

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145549689921/mojinolog-下北沢-shimokitazawatokyo


A deli in Chofu, a city to the west of Tokyo:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145500458821/gekishibu-調布市仙川のお惣菜屋さん


Here's a photo of typical shopping arcade that could be in any city in Japan, once again in Chofu:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145502479863/gekishibu-調布市仙川の神代書店前


A typical Japanese residential scene; the photo was taken in Takamatsu, on the island of Shikoku:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145351718735/uoduk-takamatsu


A photo taken “someplace in the neighborhood” during the Golden Week extended holiday in May:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145341266314/xizang325-201651-gw3日目-近隣ポタ

A collection of photos shopping arcades typical to any neighborhood in suburban Tokyo:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145257368527


Many suburban commuter cities have large shopping areas built up around a central train station:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/144908486732


Sunset in suburbia. Power lines criss-cross most streets in Japan:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/144729121753/japan-overload-by-m-louis


The Japanese Suburbia blog also features many images of Japan's more whimsical character, such as this plastic model of a crawfish being transported somewhere by mini-truck:

http://japanesesuburbia.tumblr.com/post/145598202999

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