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Benoa
@benoa.net
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An immersive visual journey of a photography enthusiast living in Japan.
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Sunny Day
After nearly a month of relentless rain and typhoon weather, I finally took the M11 out for a walk. I ended up in front of Tokyo Station, one of those places that photographers return to again and again, partly because it photographs well and partly because it makes finding a subject almost effortless. The red-brick...
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September 23, 2026 at 4:54 AM
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Rainy Season
This year’s rainy season in Kanto has been genuinely abnormal. Meteorological data shows that rainfall in August was nearly double the usual average, driven by stalled fronts and repeated low‑pressure systems. September followed with more than twenty rainy days, the highest in over a decade. Temperatures stayed lower than normal, but humidity stayed high, the...
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September 21, 2026 at 3:50 AM
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Tokiwadai Matsuri
Tokiwadai’s matsuri no longer takes place in the dangerous midsummer heat, but its shift into late September has created a new problem because that period overlaps with the height of Japan’s typhoon activity, leaving the festival exposed to sudden storms, unstable forecasts and frequent cancellations even though the original heat risk has been avoided. Across...
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September 21, 2026 at 1:29 AM
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Bicycle Lane
Tokyo uses blue road markings to indicate shared bicycle routes. From a practical standpoint, these markings are often ineffective. They provide no physical separation, no additional space, and no real sense of security for cyclists. On busy roads, most riders avoid them because the marked zone is too narrow and too exposed. The paint signals...
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September 4, 2026 at 11:51 PM
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Shimbashi
Shimbashi Station sits in Minato Ward like a perpetual motion machine powered by commuters, neon, and the faint smell of grilled skewers drifting in from the side streets. It opened in 1909 under the name Karasumori, then adopted the Shimbashi identity in 1914 when Tokyo Station took over as the grand gateway of the Tōkaidō...
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August 15, 2026 at 5:33 AM
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Kamui Cape
Cape Kamui sits on the Shakotan Peninsula like a long green finger pointing dramatically at the Sea of Japan, a gesture that feels slightly accusatory if you arrive on a windy day. The cape’s name comes from the Ainu word for “god,” which sets expectations rather high, although the scenery does a decent job of...
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August 15, 2026 at 1:39 AM
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Food Truck
Food trucks in Japan offer a kind of portable stage for photography, compact and predictable. They usually operate with permits issued by local governments, a detail that explains why they appear in the same spots around my neighbourhood in Tokyo. The setup is always similar, a small truck, a handwritten menu, and a queue of...
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August 12, 2026 at 9:48 AM
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Picris Hieracioides
Picris hieracioides is one of those quiet summer signatures of Hokkaido’s meadows. It rises above the grass on thin, wiry stems, each topped with a delicate burst of narrow yellow petals. At a distance, the flowers look like tiny lanterns scattered across the field; up close, they reveal the fine structure of a true composite...
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August 10, 2026 at 10:51 PM
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Horseback Riding
If you’re new to horseback riding, Nasu is one of the best places in Japan to try a short, gentle ride. Local farms offer beginner‑friendly courses where trained staff guide you through peaceful fields and quiet ranch paths, making it easy to relax and enjoy the experience. These short rides, perfect for families, couples, and...
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August 9, 2026 at 11:13 PM
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- Benoa Pixeltales
Subway reflections with the Voigtländer Nokton Classic 40mm f1.4 MC feel like a small engineering experiment. The lens gives you that classic glow around highlights, a polite softness that makes Tokyo’s fluorescent lights look almost philosophical. 
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August 9, 2026 at 11:43 AM
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Combini Window
I was waiting for my food, passing the time with the M11 and the Summilux 50mm. Evening light was settling over the street, soft and a little tired. Through the window, the combini sign across the road stood out against the dimming sky. I aimed the camera at it, letting the glass add a slight...
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August 9, 2026 at 12:29 AM
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Ferry to Hakodate
The ferry from Aomori to Hakodate feels like a reward you get after surviving the long drive from Tokyo. A quiet medal, handed without ceremony. I reached Aomori the night before. Business hotel, functional lighting, the usual carpet pattern that looks like it was designed by a committee afraid of colours. At 5:30, I got...
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August 8, 2026 at 11:46 PM
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Itabashiku Hanami
Itabashi‑ku Hanabi used to be one of those easy Tokyo summer rituals: show up by the Arakawa, claim a patch of grass, and wait for the sky to bloom. Nowadays, getting there feels like threading a needle. The heat has become brutal, the kind that melts your energy before sunset, and storms roll in so...
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August 2, 2026 at 11:39 AM
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Sankaku Market
Sankaku Market in Otaru is the kind of “authentic” seafood alley that’s now mostly authentic in how efficiently it extracts money from tourists. The lantern-lit corridor and stacked crab displays make for great photos, and that’s precisely where the charm ends. We even tried a salmon‑ikura‑don, lured in by the glossy menu photo showing a...
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July 23, 2026 at 12:10 AM
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Nasu Escape
When Tokyo swelters and the city feels like a slow oven, Nasu Kogen opens like a cool breath. High meadows, pine-scented air, and a river that threads the valley make this plateau one of the gentlest refuges from midsummer. For anyone craving shade, slow footsteps, and the quiet music of water, a walk along the...
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July 11, 2026 at 12:32 AM
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Drip Coffee
Drip coffee and espresso may come from the same beans, but they fit very different moments in the day. Espresso is brewed under high pressure, creating a small, concentrated shot with bold flavor and a creamy layer of crema. It’s intense, rich, and perfect when you want a quick burst of energy. Drip coffee, by...
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June 26, 2026 at 9:45 AM
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Matsuri Preparation
This photo captures a quiet moment before a Shimbashi festival comes to life. In front of simple white tents, a brightly decorated mikoshi sits ready, its gold details and purple ropes standing out against the muted city backdrop. A few people work around it, tightening ropes and making final adjustments. The modern buildings around them...
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May 10, 2026 at 12:19 PM
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Summilux 50mm
I’ve always been a 50 mm person at heart, and for years I told myself I’d eventually pick up a Summilux. Naturally, I did everything except that - right down to buying the 35 mm APO instead. Then a pristine silver 11892 popped up on Yahoo Auctions (no close‑focus, but I can live without bending my spine),...
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April 26, 2026 at 11:10 PM
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Public Transport
Public transport in Japan has its harsher moments, especially when the rush compresses everyone into the same few carriages. Step outside those hours, though, and the experience shifts noticeably. The same trains feel lighter, the platforms less hurried, and the journey begins to open up. Mid-morning or late evening, there is space to stand without...
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April 5, 2026 at 11:37 AM
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Store Entrance
Underground car park entrance to my favourite shop in Tokyo, Yodobashi Akiba. Today’s visit had a clear purpose: the Voigtländer Nokton Classic 40mm f1.4 MC. Ever since a friend let me try his, the idea has stayed with me. It is compact, reasonably priced, and wide open it gives a gentle, pleasing look that suits...
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April 4, 2026 at 12:18 AM
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Police Van
On New Year’s Day, the street leading to Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Jinja takes on a slightly surreal calm, enforced by a very practical police van parked squarely across the road. It sits there like a polite but immovable suggestion that you will be walking from here. The van marks the boundary between everyday traffic and the slow-moving...
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January 24, 2026 at 9:17 AM
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Praying Monks
Can you spot the errors ChatGPT did when describing the photo: The scene unfolds beneath the wooden eaves of Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Jinja, during the New Year visit when half of the region seems to turn up at once. Two monks kneel quietly on the raised platform, heads bowed, wrapped in dark robes that soak up...
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January 24, 2026 at 9:12 AM
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Koto
Koto demonstration for the new year in Tokyo Midtown. The koto is a traditional Japanese string instrument with a long, elegant wooden body that looks slightly like a boat that decided to become musical. It usually has thirteen strings stretched over movable bridges, which players shift carefully before performing. This simple detail allows endless variations...
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January 13, 2026 at 4:44 AM
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Peaceful Roppongi
Right next to Tokyo Midtown, Hinokicho Park feels like someone accidentally left a slice of calm behind. Step away from the glass towers and you land among trees, stone paths and a small pond where koi drift about as if deadlines do not exist. Office workers eat lunch on benches, photographers linger longer than planned, and the city...
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January 12, 2026 at 12:16 AM
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Temple Queues
New Year visit at the Musashi Ichinomiya Hikawa Jinja, one of the oldest and most important Shinto shrines in the Kanto region, tucked inside a surprisingly vast forest in Omiya. A long gravel approach lined with towering trees slows you down nicely, even if your mind is racing ahead. The shrine itself feels calm and...
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January 11, 2026 at 7:54 AM