Shōwa Vintage
Amid the quiet grounds of a countryside florist in Hokuto, Yamanashi, I found two relics of everyday life from pre-war and postwar Japan: a faded blue wooden popsicle box marked “Safe and Delicious Popsicles” (衛生・美味・アイスキャンディー) and a burlap S-San Fertilizer sack produced by Ajinomoto Co., Ltd. (味の素株式会社). These simple relics still whisper stories of the Shōwa era’s resilience and charm.
Flowers for Lena
A bouquet of freshly cut zinnias on display at Flowers for Lena, a long-established floral shop in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, where the florist has been cultivating and selling these lovely blooms for over 42 years.
Succulent Rosettes
Vivid red-tipped houseleeks cling to a stone wall high on the cool Kiyosato Highlands, beneath the Yatsugatake Mountains of Yamanashi, Japan.
Take-Akari
Illuminated bamboo lanterns glowing warmly in the night at a Japanese summer festival. Handcrafted patterns of circular holes form artistic designs, creating a serene and festive atmosphere that blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary light art.
Summer Motif
Colorful paper lanterns (chōchin), pinwheels, and kitsune fox masks decorate the wooden deck of Southwood Shopping Mall near Center-Minami Station in Yokohama, Japan, celebrating Japanese summer festival traditions and seasonal motifs.
Daigahara-shuku Post Town
Step back into the Edo period at Daigahara-shuku, a preserved post town in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture. Once a bustling stop on the Koshu-Kaidō, it now invites visitors to stroll historic streets, sample sake brewed with pure mountain water, and taste mizu shingen mochi, a famous transparent sweet.
Shinagawa Intercity
The oval-shaped glass facade of Tower A in the Shinagawa Intercity complex near Shinagawa Station in Tokyo’s Minato Ward stands as a modern high-rise landmark of the Shinagawa’s skyline since 1998.
Gateway Skies
Caught between the steel and glass of new skyscrapers and the steady hum of jets arriving and departing Haneda Airport, Tokyo’s ever-changing skyline tells a story of constant transformation.
100 Colors
Vibrant rainbow-colored public art installation by Emmanuelle Moureaux at Gateway Park outside Takanawa Gateway Station in Tokyo, Japan, with modern glass towers in the background on a clear summer day.
Nippon Maru
The Nippon Maru, a former training ship, is permanently docked in the historic Yokohama Dock No. 1, now part of Nippon Maru Memorial Park.