One of the attractions for heading to Japan other than to see the cherry blossom in full bloom was to visit the small bars and eateries to photograph the subduedly light mood and atmosphere of the environment.

I wasn’t disappointed! The alleyways were filled with small establishments packed with people, both locals and tourists alike. In the months before the trip, I had images in my head that I just wanted to capture. I knew what they were and what I wanted to achieve long before arriving. I even purchased the lens for the job, a 35mm f1.4 that would perform well in low light and give me the desired shallow depth of field. For the non-photographers reading this, it meant I wanted the subject sharp and the background out of focus but sufficiently recognisable to place the subject into context. I think I achieved that on a few occasions.

The food, well what can I say other than it’s out of this world, or at least the part of the world I’m used to living in. Small morsels of tasty meat and poultry seared over hot coals and dipped into some of the tastiest of sauces I’ve ever come across. One I shall never forget though was the small round tomatoes wrapped in bacon, cooked over coals and served piping hot three to a skewer. The burst of the combination of sweet tomato juices and salty bacon as you bit into them was unbelievable.