Tokyo Times

Shinjuku is a wonderful place for surprises. It has also provided me with two of my most complete sets of photos — the area in general and a few of its dingy alleyways. Time, persistence, and perhaps most of all, the city’s ability to regularly produce unique photo opportunities allowing me to gradually piece those series together.

On a recent visit, however, I was fortunate enough to witness an unexpected event of a much more traditional nature. A festival. One both in and outside a shrine. So these then are some of the people I saw.

Photography has always been more than a job. It’s a passion. Well, an obsession really, making it a way of life rather than just a part of it.

Having said all that, it’s also an escape of sorts, as there’s a very real element of mindfulness about being out walking with a camera. Problems and worries recede, leaving only awareness of the light, environment and moments worth trying to capture.

The photos here then were taken on such a walk. A long meander that took in several north Tokyo neighbourhoods, along with a visit to a previously featured sweet shop run by a man who is now only 2 years shy of becoming a centenarian. A little place he still opens daily, just like he’s done for the last 77 years.

Shinjuku has been a happy hunting ground over the years, with some of my most complete photo series shot on the city’s wonderfully unpredictable streets — the recently posted alleyway set being the latest. Images that took a decade to put together.

It is though a part of the capital that keeps on giving, and wandering the area for just a few hours last week, I was reminded once again why I keep returning.

Finding and photographing new areas is always rewarding, but at the same time, so is returning again and again to previously visited locations. The latter being something I do a lot of, particularly in the older parts of Tokyo. A practice that allows me to gradually document the changes those neighbourhoods are going through. Also, going back to a familiar place is still a unique experience, as even if the urban scenery is the same, the people aren’t. A factor that for me at least makes each and every visit feel worthwhile.

All of which brings me to the series shown here. A set of images from a small warren of interconnected Shinjuku alleyways that I’ve been photographing for a decade. And on a wander there last week, I took the opening photo. A shot I’ve long been hoping for, and the moment I pressed the shutter, it felt like the collection was complete. Or at least as complete as such a series can be. So for now at least, this is what I have. A little bit of Shinjuku from 2016 to 2026.