Tokyo Street Photography Hot Spot: Ikebukuro
History of Street Photography: Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro is a popular spot for street photography in Tokyo, renowned for its diverse crowd, including business professionals, manga enthusiasts, and shoppers, with fewer tourists than other districts. It is also linked to famous Japanese street photographers such as Tatsuo Suzuki, Seiji Kurata, and Daido Moriyama, who have documented the area's distinctive vibe.
In the summer of 1975, during Moriyama's one-year seminar at WORKSHOP, Kurata began photographing the gritty streets of Ikebukuro in northwest Tokyo at night. He employed a medium-format camera (Asahi Pentax 6 x 7 cm) and a strong 15 x 20 cm strobe. His work centered on Japan's underground scene, documenting yakuza members, strippers, transvestites, prostitutes, and their clients.
Daido Moriyama has spent a great deal of time on the streets of Ikebukuro, a district in Tokyo. Known for his distinctive "are, bure, boke" style—characterized by grainy, blurry, and out-of-focus images—this technique is evident in his Ikebukuro series. His photographs typically portray the area's raw urban environment, emphasizing its vibrant energy and hidden, shadowed corners.
My History with Ikebukuro
As I have written here before, Ikebukuro is my first love, my first experience with the world of Tokyo. My wife worked at a cafe there, and I would often accompany her. I would shoot roll after roll of film on those streets. Exploring for myself the narrow alleys and gritty vibrance that one feels more than can observe.
It is a location to which I frequently return, akin to a pilgrimage to one's homeland.
The love affair I have with Ikebukuro is one of the most powerful and longest-running in my life, second only to my love for my wife and street photography. So many of those first great shots happened there. My etiquette for street photography was formed in Ikebukuro, during those early days in Japan.
I am so pleased to be back here. Much of the second half of this year will resonate from those streets. I am looking forward to capturing each moment, more so, I am anticipating some hard new lessons to come my way. Ikebukuro is a proving ground, a challenge I accept.
Why is Ikebukuro a Top Street Photography Location in Tokyo?
Ikebukuro has a rich history of street photography. Why? Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Tokyo Station areas all have the same things Ikebukuro has: a major transportation hub, a diverse mix of people, shops, restaurants, cafes, and big, bright neon lights. What stands out is the feel. Those other spots are all world-class locations for street photography, but Ikebukuro feels different.
It is hard to put my finger on, but I can definitely feel it when I’m there. The trick is to put that feeling into a photograph. The viewer needs to be able to smell and taste Ikebukuro as much as see it in the image. Being able to do that is the real trick. I am not there yet, but it's time to start down that path. Ikebukuro is step one for me.
In the gallery below, you will be able to see for yourselves. I am not quite there yet, perhaps nowhere near there. I will preface these images by stating that the purpose of my trip was to visit a bank and return home. I did stop for a coffee, simply capturing what I saw along the way. The total time spent in Ikebukuro was just under one hour.
As always, I would love to hear your story in the comments below. If you feel so inclined, share a coffee with me. I am a flat white kind of guy. Happy shooting, everyone.
