David Hilgier Photographs

A lone lantern helps illuminate a small passageway somewhere in the town of Kamakura, Japan. Helping define the unique aesthetic of the country, these lanterns were a common sight that we found throughout our explorations of the country.

A man picks up a few items from a produce stand on a sleepy street in Kamakura.

From the Kamakurakōkōmae station we look out to the Sagami Bay and watch the surf roll in to the shore obscured by the roadway as we wait for a train to take us back to Kamakura.

For a portion of the route between Kamakura and Fujisawa this single track railroad line follows the coastline. Through a haze of ocean mist and afternoon heat, we walk along the shoreline watching the faded green or blue passenger cars meander down the tracks.

We had hoped to at least stick our feet in the ocean after a day of exploring Kamakura, however, the only people entering the ocean were those wiling enough to brave the rough surf.

One of our stops was to visit Kōtoku-in and The Great Buddha of Kamakura. Stoic in all seasons of the year, on this day its gaze reaches over those visiting amidst a searing summer heat.

This alleyway with its signs, lanterns, bikes, and wires caught my eye while we wandered around Shinbashi looking for a spot to eat dinner. In my final few frames, this gentleman emerged unexpectedly into my composition. Typically, I feel like I’m pretty obvious when I’m taking photos on the street. I don’t try to hide my intentions as to what I’m doing. In this moment, we caught each other by surprise as he emerged from around the corner.

With evening rapidly approaching, this bookstore’s lights spotlight the literary and visual stories found within.

We expected our day in Tokyo to be drastically different. As a typhoon neared Japan with some forecasts predicting landfall near Tokyo, we figured our day would be spent sheltering in our ryokan. However, its path ended up veering south of Tokyo allowing us to wander a city only impacted by the continuous wind. While walking down this street, this store’s uniformity and symmetry caught my eye.

Scenes like this one representing the basics of everyday life in lands far-away are some of my favorites from our travels. In this instance, a delivery person makes his way down a sleepy sidewalk. The vibrancy of his cart wrapper contrasts the weathered signage above him.