Night in the City: Capturing the Fading Age of Neon Lights in Tokyo and Beyond

Sushi restaurant Umatarō in Higashigotanda, Shinagawa.

The New Akihabara Center, a used computer and smartphone shop in Chiyoda’s Nishikanda neighborhood.

The Boogie Café lights up the Honmoku Makado area of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Pachinko parlor Minami Kaikan in Kitazawa, Setagaya.

Electronics store Yodobashi Camera near the west exit of Shinjuku Station.

Pachinko parlor Minami in Roppongi, prior to shutting down in January 2021.

Discount franchise Don Quijote in Ōkubo, Shinjuku.

Boutique #FR2 Ume in Jingūmae, Shibuya.

Yakiniku restaurant Daishōgun in the Ogawa-chō neighborhood of Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Chinese restaurant Niramanjū in Fussa, Tokyo.

Izakaya Sakekura Riki on the west side of Ōmiya Station in Saitama.

Korean barbecue restaurant Sanpō-en in the Nogata area of Nakano, Tokyo.

Crepe shop Santa Monica in Tokyo’s Harajuku.

Yokoyama Yoshinobu of manufacturer Aoi Neon heats a glass tube. Entering the trade in his late teens, he has crafted numerous large advertisements and signs over his career, earning the title of “neon meister.”

A neon sign advertising the entrance to Suzunari Yokochō, a cluster of shops and bars in the Kitazawa area of Shibuya.

Restaurant Gyōza Shack in Sangenjaya, Setagaya.

The Junjō shopping street in Kōenji, Suginami.

Standing bar Kuwahara Shōten in the Nishigotanda district of Shinagawa.

Yellow Page Setagaya takes its name from the area of Tokyo where it does business. It is a greengrocer by day and an izakaya at night.