THE SUBTLE COLOURS OF JAPAN - A Palette Like Nowhere Else
After two weeks traveling through Japan — spending time in Osaka, Sapporo and the wider Tokyo area — I found myself photographing not just a country, but an entire colour palette. Japan has a very particular way of revealing colour. It’s as if everything has been gently softened: the reds less harsh, the blues less cold, and the greens brushed with a hint of grey. The tones I encountered felt almost pastel, yet alive — subtle rather than muted, deliberate rather than faded. A World Painted in Restraint What struck me most was how balanced everything felt. In Japan, colour rarely overwhelms; it coexists. Even in the busiest street, there’s harmony between the tones — the grey concrete, the soft white signage, the warm light spilling from a ramen shop. It’s as if the country’s design language has long mastered the art of restraint. This sense of harmony runs deep in Japanese culture. You see it in the weathered wood of shrines, in the earthy browns of tea houses, in the quiet greens...
