Trippy Nocturnal Photos Capture Japan's Ever-Shifting Aura

Trippy Nocturnal Photos Capture Japan's Ever-Shifting Aura

Jean-Vincent Simonet's frenetic photos of Japan aren't your average tourist shots. There are no flowering cherry trees, misty shrines, or snowy peaks—instead, an acid-washed whirl of neon lights, underground bars, and rain-drenched sidewalks.

The images, compiled in his new book, In Bloom, reflects the impression Japan made on him during a 2015 vacation in Tokyo. They’re less a depiction of the actual place than of the unique atmosphere surrounding it; its aura, if you will.

“I really had the feeling of being swallowed by a huge living entity,” Simonet says of that initial experience. “Everything happens in the street. It’s like being in the belly of a monster.”

Plenty of visitors feel that way, but few put so much effort into capturing it. During two subsequent trips to Tokyo and Osaka, Simonet traded the tourist’s smartphone for color film and a suite of analog cameras—a Contax T2, Mamiya 7, and Mamiya RZ. He also shunned day for night, partying with locals at karaoke joints, video game arcades, and illegal outdoor raves until long after most tourists are snug in their Airbnbs (bowls of steaming ramen and dips in traditional onsen baths helped him recover).

Sure, he snapped a few pics of famous sites—who wouldn’t whip out their camera at Shinjuku Station or Tokyo Tower?—but his complex post-production process transformed these scenes in a way a mere Instagram filter never could. Simonet scanned the negatives and printed them with an inkjet plotter loaded with a roll of plastic foil. The ink globbed and dripped every which way, creating a sticky mess that Simonet then dunked into a chemical bath. After washing off the excess color, he let the prints dry, revealing the final images beneath.

They capture a different side of Japan—one you probably won't find on any postcard.

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