14/01/2026
I recently spent the first week and a bit of this year in Japan on a work trip for Tokyo Auto Salon. Before heading to Tokyo, I got to spend a few days in Osaka for some solo adventures. I've never tried street photography, but I took the camera with me everywhere I went to try and capture Japan through my eyes. It was such an incredible trip, and it reunited me with photography, as I haven't touched the camera in a very long time or had much desire to.
This profile has always been car content, but this year, I think I'll mix it up, and it can see more than that.
Starting off with a trip to Hozenji Temple. Hidden down a stone-paved alleyway in Hozenji Yokocho. Walking through the eclectic arcades of Dotonbori, it's hard to imagine what the city looked like many centuries ago. The discreetly hidden Hozenji Temple, however, manages to preserve a small slice of old Japan right in the middle of all of this.
As is tradition, find the statue of Fudo Myoo and splash it with water. This is said to bring you good luck. The statue is covered head to toe in moss from thousands of visitors pouring water over it for many years. I arrived at a perfect time as the Buddhist monks came out and performed a Goma fire ritual. Where symbolic wooden sticks are burned in a fire, representing the burning away of worldly desires and suffering with Buddha's wisdom. Truly amazing to be there to witness that first-hand.
I'll be dropping more from the trip as well as Tokyo Auto Salon content. If you made it this far, thanks and enjoy 🤘🏾
