Summer Yukata in Ameyoko, Tokyo | Photo Print

In midsummer Tokyo it's often too hot to go out during the day, so you spend the afternoon cooped up in the air conditioning. Once the sun goes down, you can finally head out in a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops and just soak it in. On this Friday night in August I was wandering through Ameyoko, next to Ueno Station, where people were out eating and drinking at the izakaya under paper lanterns. Two women in summer yukata were walking just ahead of me, one in gray and gold flowers, the other in big orange sunflowers, each with a soft obi tied in a loose bow at the back.

A yukata is the light cotton kimono people wear on summer evenings, to festivals, to the fireworks, or just for a night out. Whenever I get the chance I like to photograph people in traditional dress, and I usually do it from behind, to respect their privacy. What I'm after is the elegance of the clothes and the feel of the place.

Ameyoko runs for about half a kilometer between Ueno and Okachimachi stations, with around 500 shops and stalls selling seafood, snacks, clothes, and cosmetics. Most of the shops close around 8 p.m., and that's when the izakaya take over: lanterns lit, tables full, and on summer nights a few people in yukata on their way out. It's the last place to walk through if you're in a hurry, and the best place to just mosey around and see what's going on.

Photographed in Ameyoko, Tokyo, in 2024.

AI-assisted photographic artwork based on an original photograph.