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Top 147 Japan Street Photography Shots That Capture The Rarely Seen Side Of The Land Of The Rising Sun
Few places in the world are as alluring as Japan when it comes to street photography. The neon alleyways of Tokyo, Osaka, and other major cities provide perfect opportunities for evocative night photography, while the bustling trains and intersections offer an infinite source of inspiration for those looking for some snaps in the daylight hours.
In homage to the country's reputation as a street photographer's paradise, Bored Panda has compiled this list containing some of the best street snaps we could find. In it you'll see work from reputed street photographers such as Masashi Wakui and Takeshi Yasui, as well as many others. If you've never been to Japan then these pictures will make you want to go. And if you have been before then they'll make you want to go again. Just don't forget your camera!
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#1
Lilya 8 years ago
This is seen "rarely"? There are thousands of photos of the cherry tree festival....🙄
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Madeline Criswell 9 years ago
This isn't the "rarely seen side of Japan", but it's still pretty.
Eikichigai 6 years ago
I love night shots and rain shots. To have them both in one photo is wonderful.
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Pamela Oliveras 9 years ago
I have a shot very similar to this - I love it there - so peaceful
Katrina Coreces 9 years ago
Beautiful. It was insanely crowded when I was there. I will try again this year.
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Amin Al-Tabich 9 years ago
I'm pretty sure her shoes are 3 numbers too big, so she pretty much is, inside a shoe.
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Angelina Russo 9 years ago
Looks like an optical illusion! I love all these diverse buildings or temples from around the world!
Cont Beryg 9 years ago
If shes anything like the average Japanese girl in this day and age, she needs pushing down those stairs.
Judy Semmens 9 years ago
The shape of the treads, angled so they overhang each other, reminds me of a saw. It's clever - vertical risers wouldn't have such a good effect when seen through the diamond-shaped windows.
Mimi Rivera 9 years ago
Why notice her feet or shoe when the beauty of the photograph grabs you. One of the prettiest, most surreal street photos I've seen.
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Janice Ryu 9 years ago
Is anyone else reminded of that scene from Monster's Inc with all the doors?
Jacqueline Durant 9 years ago
Strange, the doors are so close together and there are no windows.
Dawn Baker 9 years ago
Idiots saying how lovely. Do you realize with that many doors just how TINY the living quarters are??!!!!!
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Pi... 9 years ago
Aw. Poor things. I hope they get warm food and a cozy place to spend cold nights. :'(
Jeanne Deaux 9 years ago
I have faith that they live in the home right behind the car (or a home nearby). Yes, I'm that hopeful. ^_^
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Mohamad Arifin 9 years ago
The car licence plate is clearly Japan, not China
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Silent Skeleton 9 years ago
her earbuds made it kinda look like she was holding one of the balloons at first glance haha
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James Floyd 9 years ago
I've been living in Japan for the last 10 years and narrow roads and shops and homes still stun me, particularly in hot spring towns.
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Catherina Fijalkauskaite 8 years ago
From the looks of it, from my life in Japan, this could very well made sadder by the probability that this man is not homeless - salary man, who lives far from work, so he sleeps next to the office to get in on time, after finishing late. That used to be a common sight...
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Jonathan Catkings 9 years ago
Strange how I made the exact same pic at the exact same place :s DSC00601-5...72c1e4.jpg 
Malcolm Voss 9 years ago
I rather think that this is posed. Nothing wrong with that just an observation.
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Shirley Bond 9 years ago
How difficult to walk a street like this but beautiful in it's own way
Jeanine Gustafson 9 years ago
It sucks to be tall in Japan in the rain. You end up having all those umbrella points stick in your neck or you have to crouch down under them and then you can not see where you are going.
#12
Steff-Annie Stogner 9 years ago
She most likely worked hard her entire life in a position that required her to slightly hunched...That work, and everything that comes with it, took a huge toll on her body. I hope her family is caring for her and giving her the love and respect I'm sure she deserves.
Snarkygal 9 years ago
Osteoporosis can strike anybody no matter what they did in life. Sitting at a pc can lead to osteoporosis. Make sure you get enough calcium!
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Laura Gray 9 years ago
just want to gather her up in my arms and cuddle her and have her tell me her life story.
Livy Drexler 9 years ago
More like a bad case of tuberculosis or kyphosis.
Load More Replies... Madeline Criswell 9 years ago
Helping the elderly in Japan is a very much needed job! Think about at least volunteering there some day!
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Ani Archeron 8 years ago
To think that man or woman had no idea how incredible they looked in that moment - people are most beautiful when they are not trying to be.
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Natalia Claudio 9 years ago
I'd be cool if she were standing in the black space between the yellow tiles
Cam Branson 9 years ago
Hm! Did the photographer set this up or did they just snap it walking along? :)
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Lisa Bhardwaj 9 years ago
I've been there: Shibuya crossing, spectacular at night time - like Picadilly Circus on speed! It's often seen in movies too or documentaries where they want to show somewhere busy.
Teresa Lewis 9 years ago
I'd love to see crossings like this in European cities where all traffic is stopped at red lights giving the pedestrians a chance to cross without having to cross one street at a time.
Amanda Tyson 9 years ago
Not enough people! I've seen it with ten times as many and it is even better. Even more fun to be part of it!
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Jamal W 9 years ago
What ever is in the bag cost a pretty penny lmao i wouldn't let go either!!
Daria B 9 years ago
Whether you let go or not, chances are it's gonna get squished anyway....
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Archie Moore 9 years ago
What an assumption. You know nearly nothing from the picture except that a girl is feeding a pigeon and you've made her destitute. You are a moron.
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Eva Tóthová 9 years ago
Japanese: the only nation that is not mocked for wearing socks in sandals :D
Anikó Annavári-Beke 9 years ago
...and smaller sandals than their feet :)
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#30
Chiemi Honda 9 years ago
Family bathing. Not super common but families do this
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Jun Itabashi 9 years ago
Where is this? Looks like a place between Ebisu and Hiroo in Shibuya. Impressive.
#37
Jun Itabashi 9 years ago
Looks like Omoide Yokocho , previously nicknamed Shonben Yokocho or p**s alley in Shinjuku east.
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Jessy Wessy 9 years ago
I like how they are walking arm-in-arm. Also, the lilac hair is lovely!
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Minh Phương Nguyễn 9 years ago
It invokes a sense of calmness in me just looking at this picture.
Eeva Kulmala 9 years ago
She's probably in a hurry though. Geisha, which she seems to be, powerwalk like fiends when they're going to work. And she seems to be doing that, with her being in full makeup and carrying all that gear.
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#44
Roxanne Hughes 9 years ago
Maybe...but chihuahuas are perfectly happy this way. It's calming for them. I have a 14 pounder that loves being suspended.
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Patrick Farley 9 years ago
What sort of ceremony is this? I'd guessed wedding, but people in the back have bags that make me think otherwise
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Eeva Kulmala 9 years ago
Note the lack of cover art. That's probably a special cover to keep other people from seeing what you are reading. An interesting way to reserve some privacy in a crowded metro!
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Catherina Fijalkauskaite 8 years ago
The man in the poster is Fukuyama Masaharu, for anyone interested - an actor and a brilliant musician. The Japanese text says 'There is more than one entrance into the future'
automidori 9 years ago
The door to the future is not only one. Knowing these words will make this photo more powerful actually.
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Mutsumi Ito 9 years ago
Doesn't look Japan at all.. kanji is not Japanese ones and Hirakana spelling has mistake, red plastic chairs doesn't seem Japanese style.. well if photographer says it's in Japan it must be somewhere very different.
Sérgio Nogueira 9 years ago
http://sergionogueira.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Japan/G0000sk.5tNEc2EY/I000057aePPmoe.w/C0000ezXOM2P6igU My Japan
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Jeanne Deaux 9 years ago
Pfff, I can't even do that on my feet, I can't imagine trying it on a bike. I'm very admirative.
AwAw GrackGrack 9 years ago
I don't think this picture taken in Japan. Because it is so dangerous to ride bicycle like that and i am pretty sure that it is illegal. Moreover, I observed the bus kept on the right hand side which is not the car driven in Japan.
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Jeanne Deaux 9 years ago
"I protect my lungs from pollution so only cigarettes carcinogenic's substances enter it."
Máté Dávid 9 years ago
They actually wear those because they are ill, and they don't want to contaminate others. :)
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Chris K 9 years ago
his was shot in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The buddhist monks are praying for the world peace and for the souls of the victims of the A-Bomb. If you have an opportunity, visit this park and the Peace Memorial Museum. That migh change your perspective of the world peace and the use of nuclear weapons.
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Minh Phương Nguyễn 9 years ago
Quite a struggle, judging from her look. Hope she gets where she's heading for safely.
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Kinga Żołnacz 9 years ago
worth mentioning, Master Tatsuo took it a few after days Pokemon Go was released.
Joanna Popiołek 9 years ago
been there around this time..shinjuku garden was full of pokemon zombie ppl..that was awfull.
Haydée Cázares 9 years ago
Not even one looking someone else's butty, what is rong with you people??!
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Haydée Cázares 9 years ago
Because he's old enough to to travel alone, but not enough to have his own smart phone. Everyone knows that!
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Minh Phương Nguyễn 9 years ago
My heart plunged just by seeing her so gnarled at such old age. Life must have become too much for her...
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Jun Itabashi 9 years ago
In front of Apple building, Ginza. She and her booth have been there for decades.
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Jun Itabashi 9 years ago
Really?! Looks like Meiji Dori on the way to Ikebukuro station...
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What do you think ?
Chiemi Honda 9 years ago
Nah it gives it mystery to not have descriptions... sometimes it's more distracting... especially when they are wrong
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Zita Zimmermann 9 years ago
Strong material, I loved all of the photos - couldn't stop watching them...
Chiemi Honda 9 years ago
Nah it gives it mystery to not have descriptions... sometimes it's more distracting... especially when they are wrong
Load More Replies... Zita Zimmermann 9 years ago
Strong material, I loved all of the photos - couldn't stop watching them...
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