Tokyo Times

A little while ago I posted a series of images taken during several Osaka photowalks conducted in late October. All of them were from the city’s grittier, and decidedly non-touristy areas. Locations where time seems to have stood still, and despite life being tough for many residents, the vast majority of people I’ve met there have been incredibly warm, open and kind.

Below then are more photos from those walks. Scenes that I hope capture the down-to-earth nature that for me at least is the overriding feeling of these neighbourhoods. Parts of the city where there’s no need or desire for airs and graces. Just life as it is. For better or worse.

These images were all taken during photowalk tours towards the end of last year, the results of which make for a series of everyday shots documenting the elderly residents and dated scenes that are both key ingredients of older Tokyo. Elements that when combined together make each and every wander endlessly fascinating.

In seemingly no time at all, 2024 is rapidly drawing to a close, meaning it’s time once again to share my favourite photographs from the last 12 months.

The year has been both a busy and productive one. My photowalk business has seen a healthy amount of bookings, plus Osaka is now an added option as well. I’ve also had the pleasure of licensing my images to a variety of products, publications and outlets. Doing a couple of album covers was new and interesting, plus I finally got in the print version of the Guardian — something I’d wanted to do for the longest time. The main image was a good size too, which made it even better.

Since February, I’ve also been taking photos for a project that should see the light of day this coming spring. An initially simple idea that turned out to be far bigger and more involved than any of the team envisioned. At the same time, the extra work it entailed, and the difficulties we’ve overcome, have ultimately made the whole thing better in every conceivable way. Along with that, the challenge of having to quickly capture a whole host of required scenes under difficult lighting was totally new, so to have produced everything that was needed, and be happy with the results, has been a huge confidence boost. Needless to say imposter syndrome is still never far away, but those thoughts have at least been suppressed a little bit. All of which means I can’t wait to share the results and see our creation released into the world.

And talking of sharing, my selection of photos this year is slightly different from those of the past. Having fully moved to posting only sets of images, my aim is to always try and cover a theme, or tell a story, and the sets I’ve chosen are more down to those collective aspects rather than the strength or looks of any one single image. The selection I’ve made is also about the overriding narrative of these series, as they cover what I really want to try and do with my photography — namely documenting the disappearing and the already lost, along with individual histories and human perseverance. To keep things manageable, I can only show a few shots from each series here, but there are links to the original posts below the relevant images.

All of which nicely wraps up Tokyo Times for 2024, so until the normal Tuesday and Friday updates resume from January 3rd, enjoy the holiday celebrations and the people you spend the break with.

Japan nobody

Tokyo life and death

The disappearance of a beautiful old yakitori shop

The life and retirement of an elderly Tokyo pickle maker

Timeless Osaka photowalks

The end of a traditional old Tokyo sweet shop

Scenes from the outskirts of a slowly declining Japanese city

A half-century old Japanese restaurant and its elderly owners

The colours and quiet scenery of a slowly declining Japanese town

A stunning old Tokyo tofu shop over time