Photographer Biddi Rowley on what keeps her coming back to Japan, and the slow practice of looking that has grown from it.
It’s 7.30am on my first morning back in Tokyo and I leave the house early, heading to my local coffee shop, Paddlers. Mornings in Japan feel slow by comparison to New Zealand; a crow’s call breaks the quiet, the odd cyclist passes by, light is soft. I barely reach the front gate before an old friend walks past. Neither of us anticipates it. It’s a city of 37 million. It feels surreal and entirely expected at once. I’ve been to Tokyo 10 times now, and this kind of encounter happens every visit, often more than once.
On one of my first trips, I came across Yaeca Apartment Store in a Japanese magazine. I couldn’t read much of it, just the small print at the bottom: a website. I made note and set out to find the location.
The building was in a suburban street, unremarkable at first glance, a white apartment block like any other. I stood outside for a while, convinced I was in the wrong place. I then saw a tiny ‘Yaeca Apartment Store’ sign within a wall of letterboxes. I walked up the stairs.
Inside was a store: clothing, a few homewares, baked goods at the time. But it didn’t feel like retail in the way I understood it then. It was restrained and deliberate. The location, the way items were chosen, the sense of care in every detail. I remember leaving and thinking there must be more of this, hidden in places I didn’t yet know how to find.
It was during that first trip to Japan that I started to see spaces differently. I began to photograph architecture as a way of holding onto what I’d felt: the atmosphere, the details, the way light shifts in a room.
This trip, 12 years since my first, is the first shaped entirely by photography work. It’s taking me beyond Tokyo to small towns and regions I haven’t visited before. I’m winding along narrow roads, which would certainly be gravel in New Zealand, and suddenly arrive somewhere that feels historic yet revitalised, and unmistakably charming.
In Nagato Yumoto, I visit a 350-year-old pottery kiln. In Akizuki, narrow streets are lined with sakura [cherry blossom]. In Yuya Bay, I visit the coastal salt atelier, Hyakushoan, founded by Yuzen Inoue, the salt master.
These are not obvious destinations and I didn’t come across them in guides. They hold the same weight as that first Yaeca visit, through their beauty, detail and dedication to craft.I began making travel guides almost a decade ago, initially as handwritten books made with paper I sourced in Japan. They were slow to produce; that slowness felt important at the time.
Insider guide
Yaeca Home Store, Tokyo
Sibling to Yaeca Apartment Store, this location is set in a renovated 1970s villa. Located on a residential street, this gallery-like store also serves coffee and cake and is a place I return to every time I visit the city.
Sanva, Tokyo
Recently opened, Sanva has taken on the concept of a Refreshment Complex: a café, gallery and shop, next to Yoyogi Park. I’ve been loving their fragrance mist at home.
Anda Gyōza, Tokyo
A well-established gyōza bar close to Yoyogi Uehara Station. You’ll want to try every flavour, so go hungry. Don’t miss their homemade cola and pick up some tiny jars of sauce on your way out.
Babaghuri Kiyosumi, Tokyo
This homewares and clothing store is located in Koto City, a new favourite part of Tokyo. The area is unassuming yet filled with independent stores, galleries, cafés and wine bars.
Hljod, Tokyo
Discovering Hljod stayed with me. I found this gallery-like florist towards the end of the day, just as the low sun was filtering through the space — magic.
Koka Okashi, Tokyo
Nishihara is an area I love to stay in, and on a recent trip I discovered Koka Okashi, a wagashi [confectionery] shop run by a welcoming couple. The seasonal sakura wagashi was incredible.
Mirukashi Salon, Kyushu
I was delighted to visit Prairie Stuart-Wolff in the countryside of Kyushu and photograph her salon, designed by Aki Architects. Mirukashi offers a multi-day culinary experience grounded in the flavours and traditions of Japanese cooking and culture.
Soil Nagatoyumoto, Yamaguchi
One thing I love about Soil’s stays is their ability to settle into unexpected places and draw on what’s around them. Nagato Yumoto is well off the beaten track, small and charming. Rent a car and stay for two to four days.
Words & photography Biddi Rowley
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