Isetan Shinjuku Leica
残された風景
喧騒が去り、主を失った場所。
しかしそこには自然の息吹が戻り、
止まったはずの時間を静かに動かし続けている。
Remaining landscapes.
After the noise leaves, a place without its owner.
And yet, nature returns—
quietly keeping time moving, even when it seems it should have stopped.
A landscape does not need mountains to be a landscape. Sometimes it’s simply what is left behind.
In Hikaranai Monotachi — the things that do not shine — I look for traces: places where time has settled, where the surface of the city has been worn down into something quieter and more honest.
For the Tokyo Isetan chapter, I chose ‘Remaining Landscapes’ as a sub-theme. Not a grand view, but a residue: a wall that keeps its scars, a corner where light returns every afternoon, a structure that is already being reclaimed by weather, dust, and vines.
I found this small house, surrounded by green, while driving through the Himi coast area, heading inland toward Nagano, an area that is definitely one of my favorites in Japan. There’s something of everything there. It’s rural Japan—beautiful views, and a strong sense of the seasons passing by.
As I said in the Leica interview, I described it as a simple wish: while something still exists, take care of it—notice it, and give it the dignity of being seen.
If you visit the exhibition at Leica Isetan Shinjuku, this is the fragment you will find. These are not the images that “shine”. They are the images that stay—quietly—after the moment has passed.
If you are intrigued by what rural Japan has to offer, with a focus on memories and brilliant autumn foliage, Lee Chapman and I will be happy to have you on board for our Workshop:
