Reiwa also Never Sleeps: Changes in Kabukicho, Shinjuku! Foreigners and YouTubers Gather in the Neon Streets Late at Night” Photo

Up-and-coming photographer captures diverse human characters on the street.

Kabukicho in Shinjuku, the most popular entertainment district in the East, is undergoing a metamorphosis. People from all over the world, including Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, are gathering here. Here we introduce the charm of Kabukicho, which attracts many people, through photographs taken by an up-and-coming photographer every night around 11:00 p.m. for about 10 days in early February!

Do you want to take a picture with me?”

The two women dancing together are a costumed Japanese and a foreign YouTuber. They had never met before. Behind them, their respective friends were filming them dancing.

Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the most popular entertainment district in the East, is undergoing a transformation. Photographer Fumi Kamiyama, who photographed Kabukicho for the first time in about six years because he had moved his base overseas, says, “There were a lot of foreigners before, but there are still a lot of foreigners in Kabukicho.

There were many foreigners before, but they were mainly from China, Korea, and other Asian countries. Now, many people from all over the world, including Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, gather in Kabukicho. More and more people are taking pictures with their smartphones under the neon lights of the city that never sleeps.

The third photo shows a young man on the street shouting “Se-no! The third photo shows a group of women, probably in their teens, doing a cartwheel on the street with a shout of “Se-no! A man who appeared to be their friend pointed his smartphone at their performance, which lasted only a few seconds. Mr. Kamiyama continued.

While the police and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have been cracking down on bad catches and rip-offs, the atmosphere of anything goes remains the same. Even eccentric cosplay that would be out of place in other districts does not seem out of place in Kabukicho. You can see people sleeping on the street drunk, or men and women fighting loudly ……. In Kabukicho, you can show people’s true, raw faces, which is difficult to do in other areas,” says Kamiyama.

Kamiyama’s photographs condense the charm and vitality of Kabukicho, which is now attracting people from all over the world.

From the March 6, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY