Train in Edogawa

Vespa at a vending machine

Couple on their way to a ramen house

The view outside my hotel room.

Bicycles outside a convenience store

Minnie Mouse in the window of a hair salon

An indoor shopping mall at midnight

The convenience store outside my hotel

Apartments

A busy street

Woman walking home

A park

A man stops to look at the night reflections

A space for contemplation

Fishing boat

When I first encountered are-bureh-bokeh photography in Japan, I immediately tried to reproduce it. While I don’t think my reproductions were a bullseye, I was happy with my initial results.

Of course, I knew I’d have drastically different results once I left Japan. Not only are there physical and cultural differences between Tokyo and Vancouver, they just have different vibes. Are-bureh-bokeh just can’t be done where I live. The techniques might be the same, but the feeling isn’t.

What I discovered in Tokyo, though, is an important jump-off point. Nothing comes out of a vacuum, neither does anything exist in total isolation. Soon a bigger world would open up to me.