A couple of my shots taken with the new Pentax K3 camera will be on display in an exhibit at the Ricoh Imaging Square in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The event takes place from March 26th to April 7th 2014, so if you’re in the area drop in and check out the photographs. If you’d like to see some images from previous exhibitions click on the Exhibitions tab above.
A small area of Tokyo, just east of Shinjuku Station is called Kabukicho. It was named after a Kabuki theater that was never built, but it is now famous and infamous, as Japan’s red light district. Packed with restaurants, bars, karaoke boxes, love hotels, and clubs filled with bouffant hosts and hostesses it is a gaudy temple to commercialism, hedonism and vice. It is also the location of the only Toyoko Inn budget hotel in Shinjuku so I tend to stay there when in the city. This was also a good chance for me to test out using the new K3 camera at higher ISOs (Changing the sensitivity of the sensor to light). I shot numerous images at ISO 1600 and found that the pics, after with a little noise reduction in Lightroom, are clean and sharp enough for me to use professionally. The K3 body with a pancake lens is also compact enough to fit in the pocket of my jacket so you can be reasonably discreet. Very pleased with this last shot. It …
Do you love cats? Do you want to show the world just how much you adore their cute little faces? Do you also wear clothes? Well you’re in luck, Harajuku has all the cat themed clothing you could possibly want. I wonder what the mannequin on the left is thinking as she looks at her friend? Family friendly answers in the comments section.
A couple of years back, luxury Italian clothing / accessory brand Louis Vuitton teamed up with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to bring some color and youthfulness to their line. This year Louis Vuitton are once again emboldening their somewhat staid image with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Why is this big news? Because in urban Japan, Louis Vuitton bags seem to be almost standard equipment for hundreds of thousands of office ladies. Once they have graduated college and gained a company job, the acquisition of a LV emblazoned bag appears almost mandatory. Perhaps these brightly colored special editions are for the ladies who want to show their individuality and break free from the ubiquitous brown on brown bags carried by the huddled masses. Of course, there are the brave few who will push the boundaries of convention even further, and not buy one at all.
While in Shinjuku for my exhibition, I came across this unique delivery truck. It was parked outside a restaurant and the driver was restocking the restaurant’s aquarium with fish. Aquarium is probably the wrong term, as it’s more like a holding pen before the fish meet their maker. They swim around in the glass tank, unaware that a few hours later they will be sliced up for Tokyo’s gourmands. However, even after their own demise, these particular fish can get their revenge. The fugu, or pufferfish, contains tetrodotoxin that if ingested by a diner will paralyze muscles leading to asphyxiation and death. Prepare the fish incorrectly and the chef can inadvertently kill of his clientele. Unsurprisingly, fugu chefs have to be specially trained and have gained a fugu license before they can serve the fish to the public. On a previous trip I photographed a chef with his license. For 10,000 yen, you can try 12 different dishes made with fugu. Or, if like me, you prefer to see fish swimming in the sea than dead …
Here’s a quick visual guide to visiting a Japanese shrine, shot at Meiji Shrine with model Marino. Enter the shrine through the large wooden torii gate. There may be torii gates at each of the entrances at it marks the division between the outside world and a sacred space (Some shrines have a tunnel of torii gates such as Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto). At the purification trough (chōzuya or temizuya) visitors traditionally wash their hands and mouth before entering the inner part of the shrine. At the main hall (shaden) visitors say their prayers. Traditionally you throw a coin into the offering box, ring the bell, bow twice, clap twice, bow, pray, clap twice and bow. You can buy an omikuji (fortune paper) to learn your future. Some shrines even have these in English. It will tell you if you’re going to be lucky or unlucky in the coming months. Usually there are trees or ropes to which you can tie your omikuji, but at Meiji Shrine I think you’re just meant to take it home with you. Write …
The Tokyo salaryman has to put up with long commutes, long hours, paid vacation that you never take, and a hierarchical structure based on age and connections rather than ability. It’s not surprising that many young Japanese are looking for other options.
Ginza 4-chome, the crossroads at the heart of Tokyo’s notoriously expensive shopping and entertainment district. I took a photograph here several years ago when I was shooting with the Pentax 67II and Vodafone was still in Japan. I returned on my latest trip to Tokyo, and met up with model Marino to create some visions of nightlife in Ginza.
Only a few days to go until my solo exhibition in Tokyo! I will be at the Pentax Forum everyday, 10.30 to 18.30, from September 19th to September 26th (unfortunately I’ll miss the last few days as I’ll be back in Okinawa). Please come along, check out my photographs, and say hello. Above is the map to Pentax square from Shinjuku Station. You can also copy and paste this address into google maps: 東京都新宿区西新宿1-25-1 There will be 29 big prints and 5 huge prints on display. It’s a really exciting adventure putting on a big exhibition, and I hope as many people as possible can stop by. It’s free to see the show, you won’t even be forced to buy any camera equipment by the Pentax staff. What I need now is for friends to spread the news, so as it says in the title, please Like, Tweet, Share, Blog, Thumbs up and + this post. Actually, what I really need now is for Typhoon Sanba to change course so my flight isn’t cancelled, but …
While in Tokyo, I saw an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the Saitama Super Arena. Ultimate Fighting is a mixed martial arts competition where fighters can win by knockout, tap out, or points. The fighters come from a range of disciplines including striking styles such as boxing, karate and kickboxing along with submission styles that include aikido, judo, and wrestling. Fighters compete within their own weight class, but fighters of one style can be paired against any other style. This means you get matches between boxers that want to keep their distance and use punching power against submission fighters that want to take the fight to the mat and bend limbs in the wrong direction until their opponent taps out. The bouts take place in a octagon with wire walls rather than ropes. You definitely get the feeling you’re watching something not far removed from gladiatorial combat. The stadium atmosphere, however, was more friendly and reverential than bloodthirsty. The Japanese audience clapped and cheered for fighters from all countries, the greatest cheers were for combatants …
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 