The Mystery, Neon Lights, and Loneliness Of Tokyo's Streets

Tokyos streets alley1 - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

Tokyo: A great metropolis where the red spirals of the temples and shrines live side by side with the glass and steel skyscrapers. 13 million inhabitants are nestled within, and it is the beating heart of corporations, institutions, universities, museums, and theaters. Like all great urban centers, Tokyo never sleeps. Taking a walk down its streets at night becomes a neon spectacle that paints the city with luminous colors.
This is part of the charm of Japan’s capital, a hidden beauty that photographer Masashi Wakui decided to capture with his lens. His photographs perfectly balance the bright colors with the darkness of the streets, utterly mesmerizing to the eyes.

Tokyos streets shops - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

Wakui walks down the alleyways of Tokyo seeking the perfect shot. There is a misty quality to the photographs, which add a magical element to them. As you zig zag through the streets of Tokyo you begin to ask yourself, what stories are hidden behind each image? We imagine lonely souls dressed in business suits skirting the bright neon edges of the streets. We picture people losing themselves to the bright colors and the vastness of this great city. It is undeniable that in such a big space, people are consumed by loneliness.
We share the melancholic but colorful images of Masashi Wakui. Let us take walk down the most expansive, pristine, and intricately designed city in the world. Let us be drawn into this world of neon lights and red chōchin lanterns that gently sway with the night’s breeze.

Tokyos streets bright colors1 - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

“Standing in a lonely country sun,
what are you looking at,
trembling, my soul of solitude?”
“Solitude” Sakutarō Hagiwara

Tokyos streets man1 - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

“I watched a pillar of crumbling flesh
it trembled lonely in the evening darkness.”
“Crumbling Flesh” Sakutarō Hagiwara

Tokyos streets umbrella1 - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

“While it rains
the view is white-blurred
buildings, buildings sloppily wet.”
“Odious Scenery” Sakutarō Hagiwara

Tokyos streets - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

Tokyos streets red - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

Tokyos streets restaurants - the mystery, neon lights, and loneliness of tokyo's streets

“A new path is being routed here,
A direct access to town.
At the crossing I stand,
But failed to master the deserted horizons of all four directions,
And gloom ruled the day,
For as the sun dipped below the eaves,
The coppice had been felled to sparsity.
This mustn’t be, This mustn’t be! I churn my mind.
This road, I shall revolt and refuse to take,
Where the fresh new trees are all being felled”.
“The New Koide Road” Sakutarō Hagiwara