Details: A face in the crowd
It’s rare to see people from the Japanese Self Defense Force out in their uniforms, so I snapped a few quick shots. I loved his expression. Notice the earring and the stereotype of the conformist Japanese.
A slight tilt and the angle makes it look like he’s eating the logo. Silly shot, I know, but notice his cauliflower ear. That’s from wrestling. It’s fairly common. There’s a quick surgery to normalize the ear, but like many men he accepts it as part of who he is — and check out his beautiful wife.
She’s wearing a yukata, a lighter version of the (heavy silk) kimono used in summer. Look closely. Notice the whips of gray in her hair and the lines just visible. The red lipstick is part of the costume. She is a lovely example of aging gracefully.
I loved this guy’s style and sense of self. He didn’t love me back. He waved me off with a wag of his finger. Fair enough. I only wish that the photos were sharper, but then again, the more he took note of me, the less of the real him came through, so I’ll think of it as apropos. 
Those where some nice photos. Liked the soldier with the earring, go figure, if I had worn one of those during my army days I´d probably be sent to jail directly. And the guys would have given me more harassment. 🙂
That other guy in black, that guy is a gangster! Probably from the Jakusa mafia.
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Candid shots are the best. I saw the cauliflower ear before I read it. 🙂 I wonder, did you get a release for his images or is this an ‘oops’? Great shots all the way around. 😉
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I’ve wondered about that before. I’m pretty sure I would need a release if ever I could sell them. Right now I’m not at that level — yet. 😉
I agree candid are the best. I sometimes ask to take peoples pics. The quality might be better but I miss the candid expressions.
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These are great. Once again, your street photos and sense are spot on. Thanks so much. d
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Thanks. 🙂
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Did you asked him to blog-to show this photo?
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No, I didn’t ask him. I don’t think he would understand. Maybe next time. 🙂
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Love “the conforming Japanese.” Times are changing, even if slowly. 🙂
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