WorkPhotography

Tokyo Murmurings: Exploring the Japanese capital's secret passages after dark

We've become familiar with nighttime photography of Tokyo's industrial heart – a sea of artificial lights spilling out of the thousands of tiny windows in skyscrapers as far as the eye can see. However, the Japanese capital has another side to it. And one that's best explored when darkness descends.

Written By:
All images courtesy and copyright of Franck Bohbot

All images courtesy and copyright of Franck Bohbot

Photographer Franck Bohbot's series Tokyo Murmurings takes a closer look at the city's rather kitsch backstreets. He explains: "At night, the Japanese capital sleeps deeply but isn’t drowned in darkness nor lost in silence.

"The highly travelled areas of the city transform into a sleeping megalopolis. There, you discover the city’s whispers, its secret passages, and become immersed in oversized typography and images of childhood heroes decorating vertiginous walls.

"This is an insomniac dive into the subconscious of an entire city, echoing its memories and its nightly sounds; the staging is disjointed and secretive. A dream."

If you're a fan of this series, you'll love Light On and Swimming Pool.

Follow Bohbot on Instagram and Facebook for his archive and latest work.

Image credit: Franck Bohbot / Institute

A narrow Tokyo alleyway at night with a yellow food cart, illuminated shop windows, and tall buildings with advertising signage featuring anime-style characters overhead
Colourful shop fronts at night in a Tokyo backstreet, featuring a mint green storefront on the left and a white shop with pink signage reading "Draw Your Dream" on the right, beneath a pink building with yellow railings and a neon Dokidoki sign
Neon hotel sign glowing pink and red above a dark Tokyo street lined with weathered buildings at night
Illuminated storefront in Tokyo's backstreets at night, displaying anime characters and Japanese signage above shop windows and vending machines
A quiet Tokyo backstreet at night lined with illuminated shop fronts and neon signs, with a street light glowing in the distance beneath a dark sky
Neon-lit vintage arcade storefront with baseball glove sign on a quiet Tokyo backstreet at dusk, with cyclists and buildings flanking the street
An illuminated underground shopping arcade with neon stars and geometric light installations suspended from the ceiling, stretching into the distance with storefronts on either side
A narrow Tokyo backstreet facade illuminated by neon green and red lights, with tangled overhead wires and weathered walls lined with vending machines and signage
Night Theater Plus-1, a neon-lit storefront on a Tokyo backstreet, glows with warm lighting and signage in the darkness
A modest three-storey residential building at night with a garage, metal shutters, air conditioning unit and street lamp, part of Franck Bohbot's Tokyo Murmurings series
Narrow Tokyo alleyway at night with weathered buildings, tangled overhead wires, glowing shop windows and Japanese signage lining both sides
Shop front with vivid pink neon frame displaying mannequins in clothing, shot at night on a Tokyo street
Don Quijote store frontage illuminated at night with neon signage, shop windows and city lights reflecting off wet pavement
Overhead view of a Tokyo backstreet at night showing a couple walking past shops and restaurants with wet pavement and industrial architecture above
A multi-storey corner building with stepped architectural lines lit warmly at dusk, surrounded by power lines and neighbouring structures in a quiet Tokyo backstreet
A traditional Japanese sake shop with cream-coloured facade and wooden shutters, illuminated at night with signage and merchandise displayed on the street below towering buildings
A Tokyo backstreet at night with illuminated shop fronts, ivy-covered walls, vending machines and two figures walking past storefronts with Japanese signage
Share

Further Reading