Sad, certainly. Not to mention quiet. But perhaps because of those elements there was also an incredible sense of serenity.
The silence and serenity of Buddhist death rituals
An odd and alluring fashion shoot, in an old Tokyo alley
It’s very easy to say that you never know what’s round the next corner in Tokyo, but the city does have a habit of producing genuine surprises. On an impressively regular basis too. And this young woman. Somewhat elaborately dressed for a dirty old alley. Was certainly one of them.
A modern Japanese girl at a far more traditional festival
Japanese festivals attract all kinds of people, but the annual Tori-no-Ichi celebration at Shinjuku’s Hanazono Shrine is something else. Situated right by Kabukicho, Tokyo’s largest red light district, it attracts hosts and hostesses, plus a far less appealing but equally large number of yakuza and their ilk. A heady mix that means pointing one’s camera is best done with discretion, but at the same time, the results of doing so can definitely be worth it.
Japanese urban art brightening up a battered old Tokyo building
Like all art, the urban variety is very subjective, meaning what one man deems worthy, another may see as merely vandalism. It’s also true that while some parts of Tokyo have a good deal of the latter, there’s a growing amount that warrants the tag — pun very much intended — of art.
Some of it is political, some slightly thought provoking, although this piece was simply a pleasure to see.
Mad Men style in modern Tokyo?
For a brief moment, Shinjuku’s bright lights and general hullabaloo slipped away, and it seemed like we were in a world I’m only familiar with through photographs or film — the buttons on the telephones the only real disappointment.
