Japan. Flea Market. B&W Film.

The colors of this flea market just outside Tokyo were impressive, but just for me.

I find Japan’s flea markets fascinating, mostly because of the history behind the unique items on display and for sale. And when it comes to the colors, some are muted and others are very robust and brilliant. I often see obi (帯) that have very intricate designs, haori (羽織), yukata (浴衣), as well as various dishes and earthenware that have an interesting tone or vibrancy.

So let’s start from the beginning.

We travelled to this area of Saitama from our Tokyo joint for about 90 minutes to see a delightful presentation of goods in front of Naritasan Kawagoe Betsuin Hongyoin. We were greeted by a few Kokeshi (こけし, 小芥子), earthenware, artwork, and a couple of Ojisan (おじさん), who were adorned with their bucket hats and baseball caps.

My wife, if you don’t know, is Michele Laudig over at Quiet Calling, and I love watching her talk to ladies about kimono and obijime and bits of accoutrements which are on display. Often times, a genuine conversation about life ensues! Honestly, this is why we live in Japan.

the only color photo, taken with my Pixel phone.

She can’t be missed. The curly blonde hair is like a tracker/homing device for me.

Anywho, let’s continue with some groovy monochrome images of the day.

Thanks for dropping by and viewing my images. Using a film camera is quite therapeutic for me. It lets me slow down in more ways than one and I love developing the film as well. I’ve used so many film cameras at this point, but there are only a couple which are memorable and bring me delight like no other.

I leave you with this shot because it’s one of my favorites. The texture, contrasts, patterns, and the moment are why I shoot black & white film. I know you’d appreciate seeing all the color going on in this scene, but that color is just for me.

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