Framing Japan – Part 4
Published on 20 October 2024
This is the fourth post in the “Framing Japan” series, following Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
For this episode, I selected five photos that share common characteristics:
- Taken in spring 2016, with a smartphone
- Street photography theme
- Square format (they were originally shot for Instagram back then)
- I looked them up on Street View to find the exact locations where they were taken — and I found them!
Minami-Aoyama
Minami-Aoyama is the name of a district of Minato-ku, which itself is one of the 23 wards of the Tokyo Metropolis, capital of Japan. A friend of mine used to work in this district, close to the Gaienmae Metro Station. During my stay in 2016, I met him a few times around this place and I used to arrive in advance so I could wander in the neighborhood. This photo was taken during one of the walks I had before meeting him. It’s just a typical street as there are hundreds of them in Tokyo, but I liked how far it goes, the brick-red pieces of macadam and the global calm mood of the place at that moment.
Machida
Machida is a city located in the west of Tokyo. I went there only once, because the friend I mentioned in the first photo was looking for a particular vintage clothing item, and he wanted to visit the “Desert Snow”, seen here above the FamilyMart. Again, it’s a pretty ordinary street, but I enjoyed the atmosphere as I walked through it.
Jinbōchō
Also written Jimbōchō, this area is famous for its numerous cafes, bookstores and publishing houses, art and music boutiques. If you want to read a bit more about this neighbourhood, here is a cool article on Pen.
If I remember correctly, I took this picture the same day I visited Glitch Coffee, located in the same area. While walking along an adjacent street, my eyes were drawn to this little alley, full of greenery and vintage vibes.
Suzuran-dori, Sangenjaya
Sangenjaya, also known as “Sancha”, is a neighborhood where a friend of mine lives, and I usually visit him when I’m in Japan. When I do, we often meet up with mutual friends and wander around looking for a place to eat. This photo was taken a few blocks from my friend’s place on Suzuran-dori (the suffix “-dori” means “street”), a well-known little street full of izakaya (bars) and restaurants. As dusk approached, the street began to light up with the glow from the various shops.
Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus
The photo used as a cover for this article.
This campus of the famous Keio University is located in the city of Fujisawa, in Shōnan Bay, a lovely place located south of Tokyo. A friend of mine used to study here, and we spent an afternoon, evening, and night on the campus. He showed me around, and we visited several facilities before settling into one of the student residences. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the campus. It’s quiet, green, clean, and full of modern infrastructure and convenient services — a lovely place to study.
We reached the campus from the southern city of Chigasaki after a short bus ride and an hour-long walk through beautiful, relaxing scenery and neighborhoods. This picture was taken at the top of the street we walked along to enter the campus.