Neon and noise: Creative impressions from Japan (Part 1)

Osaka Blues

When I travel, I always try to push my photography a little beyond the classic tourist snapshots. This makes a good excuse to talk about a place that in some ways shares the same energy of Hong Kong, even though with different personality.

I have visited Japan multiple times over my years in Asia and the first time was in 2017. Like most first visits to a place you have dreamed about for years, the itinerary was focused toward the classic sightseeing, so mainly Tokyo and Kyoto, plus a couple of day trips (yeah, I had to bargain with the holidays in my office…). I took many photographs of course, some of which I still like today, though the purpose was more to keep the memory of the trip than experimenting with photography. There simply was not enough time for visual experiments. Every day brought a new location to reach and a train to catch. Japan moves quickly when you try to see lot of things at once.

Things changed years later, when I went back. The occasion this time was to see the concert of Slash & Myles Kennedy in Osaka (amazing and yeah...I love hard rock!). The concert was on a Saturday, so I was lucky enough this time not to use too many days from my annual leave, but that time I made a deliberate decision before leaving: why can’t I extend the stay for a few days and dedicate some time just for my “experiments”? At the end during my first trip to Japan, I didn’t have the chance to visit Osaka, so that was the perfect occasion to combine some bloody amazing rock music with some city sightseeing. But this time without rushing, no tight schedules, just wandering around with the camera, like I used to do in many areas of Hong Kong.

The Sanctuary of Shadows (shot taken at Dotonbori river)

Wandering around Dotonbori

Osaka has a reputation for energy, food and attitude, something slightly rougher compared to the polished image of Tokyo. It sounded like the right environment for a few photographic experiments.

The moment I reached the Dotonbori area I understood why so many photographers love this part of the city: color is everywhere. Advertising panels scream for attention from every direction, animated signs flash above the canal and the famous giant mechanical crabs that guard restaurant entrances. The inputs are so many that you might feel overwhelmed and it might become difficult to decide where to point the lens first.

The day after the concert I spent hours along the river in Dotonbori during the daytime, since I briefly passed by the night before.

Standing there with the camera is a constant surprise: every few minutes the scene changed just enough to produce a new photograph.

Dotonbori is one of the (too many!) areas that I could easily stay the entire afternoon and still find new frames to capture...and in fact I almost did.

Anyway, I didn't lose the chance for some sightseeing of course, like visiting the famous Osaka castle: here I tried capturing it with a double exposure shot and it came out to be one of my favorite shots of the trip.

The House at the End of the World

Neon and lanterns: the night in Osaka alleys

Then evening arrived and the real transformation began. Japan at night has a particular atmosphere that is difficult to describe accurately. Night is when the streets acquire a different personality, colors intensify, neon lights come to life and the fascinating lanterns hanging outside the restaurants fill the space.

I went back to Dotonbori to have a taste of the most photogenic area of Osaka at night and the signs that looked colorful during the afternoon start glowing with a surreal intensity. Reflections stretch across the canal and you know I like reflections a lot! People move through the scene in every direction, silhouettes passing in front of gigantic illuminated advertisements.

So, for a photographer it is a visual feast.

After spending time along the river I started exploring the fascinating smaller alleys of Osaka. Those narrow streets often provide the most interesting scenes after dark. Lanterns hang above doorways, small bars glow with warm interior light, vending machines illuminate corners...

The atmosphere reminded me somehow Hong Kong, at the end both are vibrant cities but yeah, Osaka has its own personality.

Hong Kong often feels extremely vertical and almost overwhelming, but Osaka has a slightly more relaxed rhythm, especially in its narrow streets. There was a light rain before during the day, so you know that these kind of cities become extremely cinematic when the floor is wet and the lights are on and those are the moments in which taking photos becomes almost automatic.

Some of my favorite shots from that trip came from wandering without a fixed destination. Turning a corner and discovering a tiny alley glowing with red lanterns, waiting for someone to pass by. Night photography in Japan encourages that kind of patience and trust me: you rarely take a bad shot!

The light does half the work for you: neon signs, lanterns and illuminated advertisements create layers of color that rarely exist in other cities. The challenge becomes organizing all those visual information into a coherent frame.

The Running Girl

Japan offers endless opportunities for photographers during the day, though the night reveals a completely different world, streets transform and colors become sharper. Even the smalles alley starts to look like a scenes from a dfuturistic movie.

I went back to Japan again after that trip and every visit feels like another training session in that strange visual gym, but I should probably stop here before this turns into a small novel, especially since Japan gave me far more photographic adventures than one post can contain, which at least gives me the perfect excuse to come back with another article...hoping your patience doesn't run out!