Letters from Tokyo
Personal observations from a life lived here.
I came to Japan in 2003, intending to stay for a year, two at most.
Needless to say, I’m still here!
Letters from Tokyo is a series of short, personally written essays, each of which draws directly from my own experience of life in this city.
These are not collaborative pieces, nor are they are written to fit any particular audience profile. And most importantly, they are not designed to confirm (or deny) existing ideas about Japan.
Every letter reflects something I’ve seen, felt, misunderstood, or gradually come to recognise over more than two decades of living here.
Some of that is quiet.
Some of it is awkward.
All of it is real.
What this is - and what it isn’t
Letters from Tokyo is:
– First-person writing, based on real experience
– Observations drawn from specific moments and encounters
– Essays written over time, not to a schedule
– Work shaped by attention rather than opinion
It is not:
– A guide to Japan or “how things work”
– A collection of aesthetic impressions
– Content written to match popular narratives
– Commentary designed to provoke or perform
If you’re looking for certainty - this probably isn’t for you.
If you’re interested in lived experience - it probably is.
Why this exists
This series runs alongside my work as a photographer in Tokyo.
The way I photograph couples here is inseparable from the way I live: slowly, observantly, and with an awareness of context that only comes from living here longterm. Letters from Tokyo exists to make that context visible.
The writing stands on its own.
The photography does too.
One informs the other.
If you’ve lived in Japan
Some of this will feel familiar and some of it may not match your experience at all. That’s fine. These letters aren’t written to speak for anyone else who has lived here - long-term or otherwise. They simply reflect one life, observed from one position - mine - over time. Agreement isn’t assumed, and recognition isn’t guaranteed.
What to expect
– Short essays (5–8 minute reads)
– No fixed publishing schedule
– Writing shaped by experience, not shaped by trends
– No commentary written to provoke or perform
Recent Letters
These letters are published occasionally, when there’s something worth saying. Each one stands on its own.
These letters aren’t written to explain Japan.
They’re written to record what it’s been like to live here.
Letters from Tokyo is written by Ross Harrison — a Tokyo-based photographer working with couples who want to experience Japan quietly and authentically.
View my photography → Portfolio
Japan has a reputation for politeness. For many visitors, it’s one of the defining impressions — the order, the quiet, the sense that everyone is aware of everyone else. There’s an expectation that this politeness extends evenly, creating a kind of shared social warmth. And often, it does. But not always in the way people expect.