We all love a good photo of our city. We’re definitely guilty of spending many hours ogling at our screens, looking at yet another beaut of a shot – especially if they’ve been taken at night. Photographer Masashi Wakui satisfies our cravings with his great shots of Tokyo after dark. His pictures, taken from sunset onwards, not only capture the colourfulness of neon lights, but also everything from the lanterns strewn across town to the simple effect of street lighting.
‘Foreigners seem to relate my photos to Hayao Miyazaki’s anime "Spirited Away" because of the red lanterns and neon lights,' says Wakui. 'I respect his movies, but they weren’t significant to my inspirations. I prefer films like "Blade Runner" or "Ghost in the Shell".'
To achieve the vibrancy in his photography, Wakui adjusts the colouration of the shots taken on his compact camera – so simple, but with an effect rather pleasing to the eye. His skills come from his day job working as a post processor on a TV show, adjusting colours of footage. His hobby, he tells us, allows him to freely edit photos and show off his more creative side.
And what does he make of all the recent online attention his photos of cherry blossoms and Tokyo Tower have been getting? ‘I didn’t expect to get so much attention, especially because the way I edit is pretty unconventional,’ he says. Wakui’s personal favourite is the rainy night at Suidobashi (below), which he believes represents his work as a whole.
Browse more photos on Wakui's Flickr page.
– By Kirsty Bouwers and Youka Nagase
– Images courtesy of Masashi Wakui