Tokyo! I went on an Asia trip in the end of 2022 and added Tokyo to the itinerary impulsively when Japan announced it would open its borders. Most of these photos are from my last day, which consisted of wandering around Shinjuku, eating ramen and roaming malls. I failed to shoot pictures the first few days—I just wanted to soak everything up without diluting the experience with my camera.
I broke my stomach on this trip because I ate too much everyday and lost my appetite completely on the last day. It was so sad because I would stare at strawberry shortcakes and feel no desire to eat them, which is off-character for me. I look back on another painful memory and laugh: J and I brought too much luggage—we each had one large checked bag and one carry-on. So we were dragging these bad boys all around Tokyo on the subways. People gave us funny looks as us two humans took up so much space on the trains. I think J ended up pulling a back muscle too.
My favorite part of Tokyo, and of any city, really, is walking through small streets and alleyways and peering into quaint cafes. The stores are so eclectic, each with its own character and accumulation of decorative knick knacks. If each store is its own world, Tokyo is a complex network of countless miniworlds. I know it’s the largest city in the world, but it’s shocking how dense it is throughout. I hope to be back soon and get lost in Tokyo again.
All photos shot on an Olympus XA using Portra 400 film. Developed at SHOWA in HK.
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