Friday evening in Tokyo has its own rhythm. Around Shinbashi, people leave work and make their way toward the station. In Shinjuku, others head into the alleys of Kabukicho to meet friends or find somewhere to eat. The end of the working week and the start of a night out overlap in the same streets.
I was walking with my dear friend Jeff of Tokyo Forgeries and the Romanian photographer Ovidiu Selariu. All three of us had our Leicas. We talked a little as we moved through the crowds, stopping whenever something caught our attention: a face, a gesture, someone standing beneath a sign.
I kept returning to the people we encountered along the way. Some turned toward the camera, posing or offering a gesture; others caught my attention in passing, or during a quiet pause. From the bright signs to the fluorescent light of a stairwell, each place gave the photographs a different light.
We caught up properly later, over yakiniku, once we had put the cameras away. While walking, we were often looking in different directions, even when we stood only a few steps apart.
Between the station and the alleys of Kabukicho, the evening gradually grew busier. We walked, stopped for photographs, and moved on. For a few hours, that was enough.
If you’d like to join Lee and me for more days like this, we’ll be leading our Winter Scenery and Old School Streets photography workshop in Japan, February 14–22, 2027 — exploring Tokyo, smaller towns and winter landscapes with a small group.
