Thanks to the surge in popularity of photography over the last few years, with every man and his (clever) dog snapping photos on their mobile phones, ultra-slim pocket cameras or monster-lens DSLRs, we’ve become a world of image capturers.

As soon as we see something that little bit unusual or aesthetically pleasing, we whip out the camera and snap it from every angle possible, quickly turning something as simple as a cup of coffee into an oiled-up 20-year-old model on the hood of a sports car.

So it should come as no surprise that we at RocketNews24, being in the journalism business and all, should take a ton of pictures.

Over at our sister site Pouch, writer Yoshio has put together a fantastic collection of quirky photos that he’s taken throughout the year, each time thinking “I can definitely use this!” or “there’s a story here!” as he snapped away, but never finding a place to use them.

Alas, every writer must be prepared to cut lines he loves, and not every photo can be used. But of the 3,000 shots that we say goodbye to today as Yoshio gives his hard-disk a clear-out, these 26 just had to be shared.

Yoshio’s shots are a mixture of the unusual and the everyday. To this writer’s eye, at least, some of the shots here bear a passing resemblance to the work of Kayo Ume in that they often focus on sights that are all around us but that we might ordinarily miss; the little moments that catch our eye but we might not ordinarily have chance to take a snap of.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

“The photos that never made it” by Yoshio

1. “Ramen, Irohasu Sushi”, Nerima-ku, Tokyo

2.  “A ‘Bikkuro’ (Uniqlo and Bic Camera’s joint venture) sign made from digital cameras”

3. “You’re way too big for that space, Mr Truck…”

4. “Runner up in the Metropolitan Police ‘Arresting and Takedown Tournament’!” – Musashino-shi, Tokyo.

5. “A poster in the smoking area of a café, ‘Smoking is nourishing!’”

6. “A perfectly white McDonald’s restaurant”- Hawaii.

7. “Hair-dye for beards, not heads…”

8. “Delica Paku Paku” (Much-munch Deli)- the cheapest bento lunches in town (250 yen!)”- Taitō-ku, Tokyo.

9. “When clams meet Stretch Armstrong…” – taken at home

10. “Ramen shop ‘Taiyaki-ya’” Why name your ramen shop after a fish-shaped pastry?? – Iwate prefecture

11. “Sunkus convenience store gets carried off. Here comes Lawson…” – Shinjuku, Tokyo

12. “’The Taste of Spring- Dole’” – at my local supermarket

13. “The UFJ Bank keeping it old-school with entry-way curtains…” – Asakusa

14. “Café Noroaru’s morning meals- they’re not kidding when they say ‘cheap’!” (from 76c – $2.17!)

15. “Ummm… I guess I’ll have a … coffee, then?”

16. “Some guy went home barefoot…” – Kanagawa prefecture (note reads “Please take your shoes!”)

17. “Possibly the best massage shop in the world?” (sign reads ‘“My body feels so light, it’s like the world changed!’)

18. “’Urination’- a book in my local bookstore”

19. “The Nintendo Super Scope! So many memories! On sale for just $12” – a local flea market

20. “Such consideration- a sign telling customers to feel free to use the restroom to change their stockings!”

21. “Now that’s some good sugar packet stacking!” – Starbucks, Kanagawa prefecture

22. “Those guys whose job it is to remove illegally parked bicycles…” – Nerima-ku, Tokyo

23. “Dropped ice-cream, just 315 yen!” – Tokyo

24. “Making use of every available space: Inaccessible cosmetics” – Shinjuku, Tokyo

25. “’Did you know? You can tell whether these noodles come from west or east Japan by looking here!’”

26. “Sato-san gets ready for a day out as a Dragon Quest Slime…”

And there we have it! 26 photos rescued from the recycle bin. It’s nice to know that some of these little guys made it. The others? Well, we’ve been informed that they didn’t suffer.

Please let us know what you think of Yoshio’s quirky photos in the comments section below!
[ Read in Japanese ]