I LOVE WEBSITES that feature great and original photography. One site that I keep going back to, even though it is rarely updated, is Shintaro Sato’s portfolio of urban nighttime pictures from Japan. The gallery called Night Lights includes some fascinating close up images of strangely empty street life. However, it is Sato’s other collection, Twilight, that shows urban Japan from above roof level in that 15-20 minute period before night truly falls, that really impresses.

Shintaro Sato's photography
Japanese cities are stereotypically protrayed as bursting with colour, full of neon and tungsten, but unlike some generalisations aimed at the country, this one is true. These long exposure images give the brightly lit scenes a life of their own, that is as fantastic as it is eriee, and while those streets are still empty of people, the main roads are an unstoppable mass of red and white light trails.

The stunning lenswork can be deceiving. Look closer and you’ll start to notice how densely packed in the dwellings are, or how the beauty may be only skin deep. Behind those brightly lit facades are years of caked on grime, crumbling concrete, ventilation shafts and the incessant hum of the air conditioners stacked five or ten high. There are even a few kitsch elements in there, most noticeably with a 50-foot high replica Statue of Liberty atop of one building!

This is a collection to really savour and I’d love to have five or six of these printed large to put up around the house.

Maybe I will book that holiday to Japan for next Spring…