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Pedestrians with umbrellas walking down a rainy street in Yokohama’s Chinatown. Panasonic S5IIX + Panasonic S 28-200mm F4-7.1 | F7 | 1/125 sec | iso 1600 |
Japan is one of my favorite places to travel. I am charmed by its culture, food and the warmth of its people. It’s also a paradise for photographers, offering endless possibilities from serene temples and bustling markets to breathtaking landscapes.
My favorite type of photography when traveling in Japan is street photography, especially at night. I never tire of exploring vibrant city scenes, from the iconic Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo to the atmospheric streets of Yokohama’s Chinatown.
However, there’s a twist: I look for rainy conditions. Although most travelers don’t like heavy rain, I find that rain turns night time street photography into something magical. Umbrellas emerge, city lights reflect off wet sidewalks, and colors take on vibrant intensity.
This year I had the pleasure of visiting Japan twice and it rained both times. What some may consider bad weather, I welcome as good fortune. During several nights of shooting both I and my camera got completely drenched, emphasizing the value of weather-sealed equipment. (For the record, despite being so wet they were dripping wet, neither the camera nor the lens ever missed a shot.)
“Although most travelers can’t stand torrential rain, I find that rain turns night-time street photography into something magical.”
Not surprisingly, some of my most memorable photos of 2024 were captured during these rain-soaked adventures. Selecting just one favorite is challenging because, as many of you will surely understand, how we remember the value of an image is often tied to the experience of capturing it.
The photo at the top of this page is one of my favorite photos from these trips, taken in Yokohama’s Chinatown. Outside the main street, the area is filled with narrow alleys, many of which are decorated with traditional lanterns, creating small, intimate spaces. I saw these two hikers with identical coats and umbrellas walking down one of these streets and immediately knew there was a potential photo around the corner.
I managed to get in two shots before the magic of the scene wore off, but that was all I needed. I love that you can’t see the main subjects’ faces. They remain anonymous, allowing the viewer to focus on the location rather than the person.
