This is a series of articles featuring photographs taken across several trips to Japan spanning 2008-2018.
Japan is a fascinating country with a unique culture, language, history and people. Geographically, it is a set of islands located to the east of the Asian continent, separated by the Sea of Japan. Its closest neighbours are Korea (North and South), China and Russia. The culture was initially influenced by Chinese traditions but over time has evolved to be a unique culture unlike any other and the country has had many periods of self imposed isolation from the rest of the world.
In the 20th century, Japan embarked on a program of military conquest and colonisation in an effort to exert control and influence and to create an empire over much of Asia and the Pacific, before being defeated in World War II through the use of atomic bombs. Since then, the country has undergone a period of remarkable growth, modernisation and transformation. Today, Japan is a tantalising blend between old and new, traditional and modern.
I studied Japanese for 3 years and loved the Studio Ghibli movies. I’ve wanted to visit Japan for a long time, and we ended up making 3 trips across 10 years, all around early spring. This series of articles will attempt to show different aspects of Japan, and in some cases how they have changed over 10 years.
Japan’s economy grew rapidly from post World War II and peaked in the 1990s. Since then, Japan’s economy has stagnated, and its population is rapidly ageing (due to low birth rates) and starting to decline. Even so, Japan remains a fascinating place to visit and has many interesting and unique facets that are worth photographing.
Narita Express （成田エクスプレス）
Underground mall underneath Chuo Doori （中央通りの地下街で）
Sumitomo (新宿住友ビルディング), Mitsui (新宿三井ビル), Shinjuku Center (新宿センタービル), Keio Plaza (京王プラザホテル)
Mention Japan, and a lot of people will associate it with Shinkansen (bullet trains). Trains of various kinds are a major mode of transport both within and across cities.
Nikko is a small town about 2 hours from Tokyo that is famous for the UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of a complex of shrines, temples and shogun mausoleums.
In recent years, Akihabara has become infamous not only as a place where you can buy cheap electronic goods but an epicentre for Japanese otaku culture.
Shibuya is a major commercial and retail hub, but also famous for 3 things: Shibuya crossing (the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing), Hachiko the loyal dog, and Shibuya 109 (a fashion mecca for young girls).
Yurikamome (Tokyo Waterfront New Transit Waterfront Line) is a automated guideway transit service travels across the Rainbow Bridge into the artificial island of Odaiba into a futuristic Tokyo.
Kamakura is a small town popular with tourists because of attractions such as the Hasedera temple located on a hill with great views of the town, the Great Buddha bronze statue and other temples and shrines.
We discovered the Sasuke Inari Shrine by accident while walking around in Kamakura. A set of bright red torii gates lead up a hill into a shrine full of statues of foxes and fox dwellings with families.
Kinkakuji, or Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is one of the must see places in Kyoto. Most of the temple is covered in gold leaf, and it’s set next to pond and therefore extremely photogenic.
Universal Studios Japan was the third theme park opened after the original Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Orlando. It was the first park in the franchise to open outside the US.
Huis Ten Bosch is a gigantic theme park in Sasebo (near Nagasaki) that is intended to be a mini version of Netherlands, including famous buildings such as the Huis Ten Bosch palace, Stadhuis and the Domtoren.
Okayama Castle is another reconstructed castle (the original was destroyed in World War II by air raids). Nearby is Korakuen which is regarded as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.
Hiroshima Castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945 but has been reconstructed (in 1958) and now serves as a museum of Hiroshima history pre World War II.
Himeji Castle is the only castle we visited in Japan is a “real” castle, ie. it is the original castle (with some restoration work) and not a reconstruction.
Kurashiki has a preserved canal area that dates back to the Edo Period, when the city served as an important rice distribution center. In fact, “Kurashiki” roughly translates to “town of storehouses” in reference to the rice storehouses.
Ekinishi (“west of station”) is a small neighbourhood just west of Hiroshima Station that is full of trendy bars and restaurants and really comes alive at night.
Chris Tham is a co-founder of Visual Voyager Pty Ltd, the Principal Voigtländer Ambassador for Mainline Photographics and a Workshop Instructor for Mainline Photo Academy.
She brings over 35 years of experience as a photographer to her role, starting with a Yashica rangefinder belonging to her dad, joining the Photography Club in school, and developing her own photos.
More recently, Chris has been taking photos during her travels, and as a result has experienced some of the most interesting places in the world.
Chris focuses on nature, street, and urban architecture subjects in her photography.
