Photography

Nov 28 2018 14 Comments

Tokyo’s most faded bookshop?

Tokyo, and Japan in general, has no shortage of wonderfully old and faded structures — an aspect of the country I’ve documented on my portfolio site here, as well as on my Instagram feed which is almost entirely dedicated to such scenery.

These kinds of buildings, however, are far from equal, as this truly incredible example in the far west of Tokyo amply demonstrates. A local business that has textures and signage by the absolute bucket load. It’s one that’s still a going concern too, it just happened to be closed on the day the photograph was taken.

Nov 26 2018 16 Comments

Tokyo late autumn light, and looks

Nov 21 2018 12 Comments

Portrait of a Shinto shrine maiden

Miko, or Shinto shrine maidens, can often be seen selling amulets, taking part in ceremonies, or swiftly moving from one building to another. Young, identically dressed women who once had important roles within the religion, but nowadays are generally just University students helping out on a part-time basis.

Still, regardless of their status, or level of training, getting the chance for a quick portrait isn’t a common occurrence. At least not for me it isn’t, anyway. So here — in monochrome as it seemed best suited to the almost timeless nature of her position — is a rare photo of a Miko quietly going about her business.