Restaurant, Nagarekawa Entertainment District – Hiroshima, Japan

I was on my way for a late dinner, seeking out a dish famous to Hiroshima. I passed through the Nagarekawa entertainment district, filled with restaurants and all manner of urban late night fun. Here are several restaurants that I recorded, in transit.

While my usual Olympus setup is quite light, I went even lighter with a single camera. The compact Ricoh GR, doesn’t even require a camera bag, though I like using a shoulder slung pouch. I had a rough idea where I was going and my map and GPS on my smartphone did a decent job. I did some extra veering, because of disrupted GPS signals — the challenge of walking through narrow alleyways surrounded by tall buildings. It did give me an opportunity, however, to explore.

Hiroshima may not be the biggest city, but there is no shortage of lively night venues. The density of establishments, packed together, is mind-boggling. The photographs of these restaurants are nothing special. You see stuff like this in any major Japanese city. But, for an urban night shooter like me, it’s always fun to capture.