people in japan won’t say what they actually think

it’s a subtle way of communicating and it requires reading between the lines to uncover hidden thoughts and opinions. often a smile covers the true thought and you will get just a subtle hint for what’s really on ones mind. this subtlety is reflected in these photographs.

with this ongoing series, i try to capture sceneries that give more and more details the longer you look. at first glance seemingly ordinary, they reveal details with each additional look, telling stories and evoking emotions. Hidden connections, subtle gestures, or plays of light.

it’s an invitation to pause and let the unseen become visible — a dialogue between the image, the observer, and the quiet depth of the moment.

here are some of them.

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Nighttime scene of a Lawson convenience store with a lit sign outside. Three people are near the entrance, and others are inside the store. A bicycle is leaning outside the store, and some shopping carts are visible.

Cherry blossom trees in bloom outside a modern building with a white truck parked nearby.

A street scene with cherry blossom trees, utility poles, railroad crossing barriers, and a pedestrian crosswalk in rainy weather.

A tank filled with water containing live crabs, with some shells and equipment around it.

Street scene in a busy shopping district with pedestrians walking, illuminated signs in Japanese, storefronts, and outdoor vendors.

City sidewalk with pedestrians, shops, and parked bicycles, with cars on the street and buildings in the background.

A street scene in Japan with a person selling seafood in front of a building with Japanese signs. The person is wearing a blue jacket and purple boots.

A narrow sidewalk in a quiet residential area with an older man walking along it, surrounded by wooden fences and houses, with trees and parked bicycles visible.

A city street with people, bicycles, a construction vehicle, and shop signs.

A man in business attire sitting on a stone bench outside a small Shinto shrine with a red torii gate, surrounded by trees and nearby buildings.

Colorful carp-shaped windsocks or koinobori flying on a wire, surrounded by trees and houses on a grassy field, under a blue sky.

A small Japanese shrine entrance with a red torii gate, surrounded by trees and shrubbery, with steps leading up to the shrine.

A quiet suburban street with cherry blossom trees, utility poles, and crossing guard. There is a small truck and a worker near a crosswalk, and houses lining the street under a partly cloudy sky.