GR III アーカイブ - The Tokyo Snap

Street Snap #33 RICOH GR IV Unboxing, Tokyo

Dean — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 08:19:12 +0000

The GR series has always enjoyed immense popularity in Japan, and this time was no exception. It was not easy to obtain. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to win the lottery and secure the GR IV on its release day.

Although I have not yet had the chance to take the new GR IV out into the streets, I wanted to mark this long-awaited upgrade from the GR III, after six and a half years, by documenting the unboxing moment as a record.

The photographs here are the final series taken with my long-trusted GR III, serving as a kind of handover ritual. From now on, I look forward to capturing the fleeting moments of the city with the GR IV.

I also put together a list of the RICOH GR IV accessories I bought and actually use. ■

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Street Snap #31 Daido Moriyama Exhibition with RICOH GR IV at GR SPACE TOKYO, Harajuku

Dean — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 10:00:57 +0000

The RICOH GR IV will be released on September 12, 2025. As it is a highly sought-after model, in-store sales are limited to a lottery held exclusively at GR SPACE TOKYO. To enter the lottery, I visited the gallery in Harajuku.

At the same time, the venue was hosting an exhibition of works by Daido Moriyama shot with the GR IV, making it a perfect occasion. It was my first visit, and I found the gallery, quietly located in an alley of Harajuku’s bustling district, to be a serene and comfortable place.

Both the gallery and its surroundings were vibrant and urban, an ideal setting to shoot with the GR III. I love using the GR III, but I hope to win the GR IV lottery and enjoy street photography with a new companion. ■

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Street Snap #30 Architect Hiroshi Naito Exhibition Shibuya

Dean — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:00:10 +0000

I visited the exhibition “Hiroshi Naito: Architect in Shibuya” at Shibuya Stream Hall. Spanning three floors, the large-scale venue was filled with countless models and drawings, radiating a powerful energy. Among them, the enormous model of the Shibuya Station redevelopment was particularly striking, giving tangible form to the city’s future vision.

As the exhibition was nearing its end, the hall was crowded with visitors, a testament to its intensity and popularity. With my GRIII, I captured the atmosphere of the venue, preserving it as a record of the exhibition. ■

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Street Snap #29 Yoichi Ochiai “Mirror Portal of Emergence” Omotesando

Dean — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 15:32:39 +0000

Yoichi Ochiai’s installation “Mirror Portal of Emergence” was presented at the Omotesando crossing. Using a method also seen in his pavilion “null²” at the Osaka Expo, its shimmering, reflective surfaces distorted the familiar intersection, merging with the city and projecting the very presence of the moment.

As the artist’s concept describes, the work is a “dream that trembles on the boundary between matter and image,” an apparatus that brings forth the “now.” With that vision in mind, even the streetscape and passersby of Omotesando seemed transformed, pressing in as a fluid and shifting landscape.

Although the work was created to embody motion, the photographs I captured with the GRIII preserved its vibrations, translating them into still images. ■

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Street Snap #28 Shibuya Station Construction, August 2025

Dean — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 08:25:40 +0000

Shibuya Station is undergoing what is described as a once-in-a-century construction. With each visit, I see new progress, and I feel it is worth recording these changes from time to time.

These photographs show the state of the construction in August 2025, taken with my GRIII. Its strong contrast suited the intense summer sunlight well. ■

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Street Snap #27 Shibuya Bon Odori Dance Festival

Dean — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 14:45:52 +0000

Once again this year, a Bon Odori dance festival was held in the heart of Shibuya. The streets, always bustling, felt even more alive. Tourists from abroad looked on with curiosity and wonder. I was struck by the contrast between this traditional Japanese dance and the futuristic cityscape that surrounded it.

I hope these snapshots taken with my GRIII capture a little of that vibrant intersection of past and future. ■

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Street Snap #26 Nago City Hall by Atelier Zo, Okinawa

Dean — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 14:45:12 +0000

Upon hearing that the Nago City Hall, designed by Atelier Zo, might be demolished, I visited once again to document it.

This was my second visit, but I was once more overwhelmed by the sheer power of the architecture. Completed in 1981, the building has become fully integrated with the climate of Okinawa, blending seamlessly into the surrounding nature after 44 years.

The structure coexists with plants, welcomes birds and insects, and fosters a harmonious relationship with people. Its gentle connection between inside and outside creates a variety of unique spaces.

It was disappointing to see that the 56 Shisa statues, once a symbol of the building, had been removed due to aging. Still, I was able to appreciate the true essence of this remarkable piece of architecture.

This time, I captured the sunlight of Okinawa and the spirit of the building using my GR III. ■

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Street Snap #25 Catholic Yonabaru Church (St Clare Church) Okinawa

Dean — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 16:03:48 +0000

It was truly a beautiful piece of architecture.

The Catholic Yonabaru Church, also known as St Clare Church, was completed in 1958. It was designed by Ken Kataoka with design support from Skidmore Owings and Merrill. It is the only building in Okinawa selected for the DOCOMOMO Japan list of 100 modernist buildings in Japan.

When I asked a sister for permission to visit, she kindly welcomed me, saying I was free to look around.

Walking through the quiet cloister that surrounds the courtyard, I entered the church and was moved by the stained glass, the view beyond it, and the way the light came through.

While deeply rooted in the local climate and culture of Okinawa, the church also embodies a form of modernism that must have felt progressive at the time. It is truly one of a kind.

I hope these snapshots taken with my GRIII convey some of the beauty of its light. ■

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Street Snap #24 MIKI Corporation Tokyo Headquarters – A Vanishing Monument

Dean — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:30:11 +0000

I heard that the Tokyo headquarters of MIKI Corporation was going to be demolished, so I went to photograph it before it disappeared. Designed by Yuzo Nagata of Takenaka Corporation and completed in 1985, this unusual building stood quietly in central Tokyo with a presence like a fortress. Its strange shape reminded me of an ancient structure from another time.

The news of its demolition felt like a loss. I wanted to keep a record of it through photography. Taken in black and white with the GR III using the Hard Monotone profile, the building’s rough textures and mysterious form matched the monochrome tones perfectly, as if ruins had appeared in the middle of the city. ■

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Street Snap #23 From Naminoue Beach to Departure (Okinawa vol.9)

Dean — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:24:48 +0000

On the final day of the trip, I visited Naminoue Beach, located near Naha Airport. Despite being May, the temperature soared above 30°C, and the beach was lively with people of all nationalities. In the adjacent park, sunlight filtered gently through the trees, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

I boarded the Yui Rail to the airport, taking time to enjoy the calm rhythm of Naha Airport before returning to Tokyo. These moments were captured with my GR III. ■

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