A shoe shine man who has been a familiar sight in the heart of the capital for half a century set up shop on a recent weekday on a sidewalk near JR Tokyo Station.

He arranged folding chairs in a line near the Marunouchi North Gate facing the landmark, spreading out eight types of shoe polishes.

The shoe shine man, who calls himself Kenji Pablo, also has eight types of cloths to polish shoes, one of which is a worn-out undershirt used to give a finishing touch.

Pablo can hear the changing times in the footsteps of the capital. 

He remembers how people were marching through the streets when Japan's economy was booming in the 1980s, and how their footsteps sounded more reserved after the economic downturns that followed.

But the 70-year-old, who lives in Tokyo's Kita Ward, believes one thing remains the same.

"Most of those who come to me to have their shoes shined become successful in life," said Pablo. 

Shoes attract less attention than clothes. So, those who pay attention even to their shoes can be attentive to their work and other people as well, he said. 

In fact, a man in his 80s, who has been Pablo's customer for about 40 years, is a former employee of a leading bank who worked at an overseas branch before serving as an executive.

LEARNED THE TRADE FROM HIS PARENTS

Pablo learned shoe shining when he was around 20 years old, sitting next to his parents who started polishing shoes in front of Tokyo Station after World War II.

He felt the gaiety and energy of the capital in the 1980s when he heard the clicking sound of footsteps, while he used to overhear people say that they would go drinking in the stylish Ginza district and skiing on the weekend.

Pablo saw an increasing number of people walk with downcast eyes after the economic downturns caused by the collapse of the asset-inflated economy of the 1980s and early 1990s and the global financial crisis in the late 2000s. He also thinks that their footsteps sounded more reserved.

The shoe shiner serves about 20 customers a day and works about 200 days a year, meaning that he has polished shoes for a total of 200,000 people. Of these, about 80 percent are regulars.

However, with Tokyo increasingly paved with asphalt and becoming flush with underground shopping malls since about 30 years ago, fewer and fewer people get their shoes dirty after it rains. 

On the other hand, an increasing number of people have been going to work wearing sneakers over the past 10 years.

Pablo said he feels a twinge of sadness as he recalls the days when it was a common practice to go to work wearing leather shoes.

BEST PLACE, BEST CUSTOMERS

The greatest change in the last 50 years was the new coronavirus pandemic that struck in full swing in spring last year.

Until then, Pablo thought he wouldn't go out of business unless Japan suffered a complete economic collapse. Shoe shining is a habitual practice, and he hadn't been overly affected by economic ups and downs.

Previously, he used to see customers waiting in line even in the morning. But he was forced to take a break from work because he had no customers to serve when the first state of emergency was issued in spring last year.

After it was lifted, he raised the price for his service from 900 yen ($8.30) to 1,000 yen and offered repair services to earn extra cash.

But the number of people coming to the Marunouchi area still seems to have decreased by half, and his sales has plummeted by 30 to 40 percent with no signs of recovery.

Some customers told him that they only come and go between work and home.

It was then when the ex-banker, his longtime patron, dropped by. They caught up with each other's lives like they always used to before the customer left as usual.

"When I'm in trouble, they help me in a casual manner," Pablo said. "This place is the best in Japan, and they are the best customers in Japan. I love coming to this place."

Last year, he thought things would return to normal once the state of emergency was lifted. But one year has passed without significant change.

He knows that many workers have turned to teleworking, holding online meetings and using other remote working methods. But he feels slightly uncomfortable with the change because he has always dealt directly with customers.

"It's such an uncultured lifestyle if you work, eat and sleep at home," Pablo said. "You just can't keep on living like this, can you?"