June 17th, 2010 |
The magazine I edit, EURObiZ Japan, has been running a monthly column on Europeans working in Tokyo, and I’ve been taking the photos. These are the first five portraits.
There’s a lady who sells foie gras, two architects, a pattisier, a man who imports Dutch goods and a scuba diving instructor. (Thanks to our designer Paddy [...]
March 30th, 2010 |
Way back in March 2005 I had the very good fortune to interview a little-known Estonian sumo wrestler – Baruto.
After the recent Osaka basho Baruto looks certain to be promoted to Ozeki rank. So, in celebration, I’m reposting my Japan Times story.
Gochandesu.
Past the pain and language barriers. Estonian not thrown by new language, life and [...]
February 17th, 2010 |
The Yoshinkan Aikido dojo in Takadanobaba, Tokyo.
This was the first time I’ve photographed, or even seen, Aikido and was for my new job. I was very kindly invited by 7th Dan master Jacques Payet.
My first impression of Aikido training was that it looks like a mixture of effortless grace [...]
February 1st, 2010 |
One of the reasons I haven’t been posting much recently is that late last year I took a job as the editor of EURObiZ Japan, a new magazine for the members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Japan. I’ve enjoyed freelancing immensely, so it wasn’t an easy decision. But it was definitely time for [...]
March 15th, 2009 |
My story on bug-eating was on the front page of the Japan Foreign Correspondent’s Club magazine this month. Hope it’s not on display in the restaurant.
The photos were picked up by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper too and run as a slideshow. (Many thanks to the Telegraph’s generous food critic Japan correspondent Julian Ryall for tipping [...]
March 11th, 2009 |
A brief (ahem) story I did for National Geographic News. It’s on the experiments Japanese astronaunt Koichi Wakata will perform on himself during his upcoming shuttle mission.
Koichi Wakata underpants
This nice lady at JAXA showed me the high-tech deoderant underwear that Wakata will trial. Apparently the shuttle is a pretty smelly place. There’s no way to [...]
December 18th, 2008 |
Tokyo commuters
My corner of photojournalism isn’t exactly front-line war reporting. But I think this story was about the closest I’ve come to being physically assaulted in Japan so far.
Two years ago I was writing about the Tokyo transport system (pdf) and went out to get some rush hour train photos. (Only just uploaded the pics [...]
October 31st, 2008 |
Earlier this week I photographed probably the sweetest middle aged couple I have met in Japan. On a gorgeous Autumn morning I visited them at their cosy little detached Japanese house in a pretty part of Western Tokyo. As we talked they introduced me to their pets, told me about their hobbies and plied me [...]
October 30th, 2008 |
disabled wrestler
Earlier this year I did a story on a group of disabled wrestlers called Doglegs: Super Handicapped Pro-wrestling.
It sounds like the most incredibly crass bad taste idea ever. But after actually seeing one of their events I kind of understood why the wrestlers said it was empowering for them. These photos are [...]
October 25th, 2008 |
Japanese brown bear . . .
Not so long ago I was up in Hokkaido covering preparations for the G8 summit. One side story was the trouble residents of the Shireoko National Park were having with brown bears.
You might think Japanese bears are pretty small and cuddly compared to the [...]
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