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Lee Chapman

🇬🇧 British street photographer in Japan. Documenting the raw, disappearing side of Tokyo for over 20 years. Founder of Tokyo Times.

Book, print and photowalk info below:

03/11/2026

These images don’t have a theme as such. Just people and places I’ve photographed over the last few weeks. Brief encounters that cover some of the often ignored details of daily Japanese life.

They were also shot in the not so shiny parts of the capital. Areas beyond as well, as the first and final two frames were taken just over the border in Saitama. Locations and moments that for me at least are worthy of documentation because of their ordinariness, not despite it.

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Camera & Lens: Mtyp262 M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

01/11/2026

A series of Osaka portraits from over the years. Some of which were taken on February’s Winter Scenery and Old School Streets photography workshop.

If you’d like to join us for next year’s outing, here’s the details: https://leechapman.photos/japan-photography-workshop-2027

Camera & Lens: Mtyp262 M10P M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

29/10/2026

The simple joy of records.

Photos and outtakes from the new book, A CENTURY IN SOUND.

Camera & Lens: M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

27/10/2026

This small row of old and gradually decaying Tokyo bars was always a pleasure to see. The colours and textures were lovely, plus there was also a very real sense of so many unknown stories. All of them forever tantalisingly just out of reach.

Over time, the individual buildings gradually emptied, and once completely abandoned, it was only a matter of time before the whole row went the way of so many other Showa era Tokyo structures. And so turning the corner recently, I was confronted with the unwelcome sight of nothing left standing — just the last remnants of what once was being unceremoniously cleared away.

These then are some of the photos I took over the years. The most poignant ones involving the old lady, captured stood, and then not stood, in the doorway of her home and former business. Seeing buildings disappear is one thing, but when there are people involved, it’s a whole other feeling altogether.

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Camera & Lens: Mtyp262 M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

20/10/2026

Japan’s number of centenarians surpassed 100,000 for the first time this year, but the number of 102-year-old camera shop owners can’t be many more than the lovely fella in the first frame. And arguably even more incredible than him still opening daily, is the fact that he’s done so for 80 years. A man who is as friendly as he is elderly, and there was also the added extra of seeing a print of him and his once treasured Ford Thunderbird taken half a century or so ago.

The other images in this series are from the surrounding area. Streets and shop fronts that have aged nowhere near as well as the far older photographer.

Camera & Lens: M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

18/10/2026

Here are a few photos, as well as several outtakes, from A CENTURY IN SOUND. The new book I made with Nick Dwyer and A Century In Sound.

These particular images were all taken for the meikyoku kissa (classical music cafe) section. This series, the book, and indeed the whole movement starting off with Cafe Lion in Shibuya. A truly incredible two-story escape in the heart of the city that opened 100 years ago. Hence the book’s title.

This is the link (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/acenturyinsound/a-century-in-sound-the-art-of-listening) if you are interested in signing up and getting your hands on a limited, first edition copy.

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Camera & Lens: M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

15/10/2026

Join us in February for another instalment of our Winter Scenery and Old School Streets workshop. Full details linked in my bio.

13/10/2026

These are the people and some of the urban scenes I saw on a very long and meandering walk just north of Tokyo.

The day started at a train station that looked to have potential, whereas the rest of the walk was much more impromptu. An approach that worked out well, as any outing that involves a giant gorilla under a motorway is automatically a good one. Plus lunch in a half-century-old restaurant still run by the person who first opened it is always nutritional, and in way more ways than just the meal. The chat we had also involved a shared experience, which made my time there feel even more meaningful.

A day to remember then, and a set of photos that hopefully reflects the varied nature of it.

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Camera & Lens: M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

11/10/2026

A rare (and as always uncomfortable) foray in front of the camera to mention in person rather than just pictures the release of A CENTURY IN SOUND. Made with the director of the documentary series of the same name, it’s a beautifully made, 200-page book documenting in photos and text (English and Japanese) the 100-year history of Tokyo’s many music cafes (ongaku kissa).

Primarily associated with jazz, A CENTURY IN SOUND covers the full musical range of these wonderful places, from the aforementioned jazz to classical, and rock to experimental, all the while keeping the focus on the people who dedicate their lives to running and frequenting them.

To secure a limited, first edition copy of the book you can sign up at the Kickstarter pre-launch here (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/acenturyinsound/a-century-in-sound-the-art-of-listening), and the campaign will go live on October 23rd.

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Camera & Lens: M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2

06/10/2026

I’m incredibly happy to announce A CENTURY IN SOUND. A photobook covering the 100-year history of Tokyo’s ongaku kissa (music cafes).

Over a 3-year period I crisscrossed the capital with writer and director Nick Dwyer visiting and revisiting ongaku kissa of all genres. A process that allowed Nick to speak to the owners, and me to photograph their spaces. Our efforts eventually culminating in a book made to complement, and live alongside Nick’s similarly focused 6-part documentary series of the same name (A Century In Sound). A labour of love a decade in the making, and the first 3 episodes have been screened to deserved acclaim at film festivals around the world.

Now, to allow for the global release it so richly deserves, the series needs to clear the 131 music licenses used. Each track recorded through the individual establishment’s unique and finely tuned sound system for true authenticity. So to move things forward, Nick has created a Kickstarter to raise the necessary funds, with backers offered the chance to watch the whole series, as well as get a first edition copy of our book.

The latter is 200 pages (30cm x 26cm), and as mentioned, in photos and text (English and Japanese) it documents the vinyl-focused, reverential listening culture of Tokyo’s ongaku kissa. It also focuses on and pays respect to the people who run them, not just the immense record collections and audio equipment they are known for. An aspect of the project that we both felt wasn’t just an added extra, but actually the main ingredient.

Finally, having lived with the finished book for a while now, I remain thrilled by the way it’s made and with the materials used. A book that I’m not only incredibly pleased with, but also immensely proud of. The next step now then is to let the world see and enjoy what we have. The A CENTURY IN SOUND series and book.

To do that there’s a link here to get more details as well as sign up to be notified when the campaign goes live on October 23rd: https://bit.ly/a-century-in-sound

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Camera & Lens: M10R with Summicron 35mm f/2