Beyond Suzuka

This year marked my first trip to Japan, a journey that began with a simple objective: cover the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix as accredited media. Like many first-time visitors, I had built an idea of Japan in my mind long before stepping off the plane. What I hadn't anticipated was how much of an impression the country itself would leave on me beyond the race weekend.

To make the most of the opportunity, I added a few days either side of the Grand Prix to explore, observe and experience as much as possible. While Formula 1 was the reason for the trip, it quickly became clear that it would only be one part of the story.

Most mornings started early. The journey to Suzuka is not particularly straightforward, owing largely to the circuit's rural location. Each day began with an express train from Nagoya to Shiroko, followed by a media shuttle bus to the circuit itself.

Nagoya and Shiroko Train Stations during Formula 1 week are an experience in their own right. Crowded platforms, limited seating and thousands of people all moving with purpose. From an outsider's perspective it might appear chaotic, but it didn't take long to realise that what I was witnessing was something entirely different. Beneath the surface was a level of efficiency and coordination that the Japanese seem to have mastered. What initially felt overwhelming soon revealed itself to be a carefully orchestrated system operating with remarkable precision.

The train journeys themselves became one of my favourite parts of each day. Travelling alongside a close friend who was also covering the event, the mornings were often filled with conversation, anticipation and the occasional moment of silence as we watched the landscape roll by.

Having Mark accompany me on the trip added another dimension to the experience. Having visited Japan several times before, he seemed to instinctively know how to navigate almost every situation we encountered. Whether it was understanding train routes, helping decipher ticket machines, suggesting somewhere to eat, or occasionally stepping in as a part-time translator, his experience often provided the confidence I lacked as a first-time visitor.

More importantly, it gave me someone to share the experience with.

Many of the moments I remember most vividly aren't necessarily photographs. They're conversations on train platforms, laughing at unexpected situations we found ourselves in, or simply reflecting on what we'd seen throughout the day while making our way back to Nagoya.

For Mark, this was another visit to a country he already knew well. For me, it was an entirely new world. Looking back, I think part of what made the trip so memorable was experiencing Japan together from those two different perspectives. He was seeing familiar places again, while I was seeing them for the first time, and somewhere between those viewpoints a shared experience was created that neither of us would have had on our own.

Those early departures also provided a unique opportunity to observe the countryside waking up.

The first light of the day would gently illuminate traditional Japanese homes, farming landscapes and small towns that seemed untouched by time. Everywhere, the Sakura were in full bloom, adding a softness and colour to the landscape that almost felt unreal.

Upon arriving in Shiroko each morning, we would typically have twenty minutes before the media shuttle arrived. It wasn't much time, but it was enough to wander a few streets, observe daily life and become familiar with the rhythms of a town that sat just outside the spectacle of Formula 1.

Away from the circuit, I found the Japanese people to be remarkably reserved. Respectful, polite and often quiet. It was a stark contrast to the atmosphere that would emerge once the gates of Suzuka opened and tens of thousands of passionate fans transformed the venue into a celebration of motorsport.

Like most visitors, I quickly became familiar with another Japanese institution: the vending machine.

They are everywhere.

Every street, every corner, every train station. Perfectly maintained and always stocked. Over the course of the week, BOSS Coffee became my beverage of choice for reasons that should be obvious to anyone working long days around a Formula 1 event.

Each morning at Nagoya Station would begin the same way. I'd purchase a hot can from a nearby vending machine, crack it open and take in the aroma of what felt like pure motivation in liquid form. On cool mornings, warming my hands on the can while waiting for the train became part of the daily ritual.

Between the early starts, long walks, full days at the circuit and late evenings returning to Nagoya, caffeine and excitement became my two primary sources of sustenance.

Without sounding cliché, Japan is an assault on the senses.

Of all the countries I have visited, none have embraced tradition and modernity quite like Japan. Ancient temples sit amongst sprawling urban centres. Traditional architecture exists comfortably alongside cutting-edge technology. Millions of people move through cities with incredible density and pace, yet everything somehow feels orderly and considered.

At first it can be overwhelming.

Eventually, you stop observing from the outside and begin to feel like part of the fabric itself.

One of the highlights of the trip was an early morning visit to a local fish and produce market in Nagoya. Looking back, it may have been my favourite experience outside of Formula 1.

The market was alive with movement. Fishmongers worked their way through enormous tuna with blades twice as long as my arm. Deliveries arrived, conversations flowed and daily routines unfolded with a confidence that comes from repetition and experience.

In one particularly memorable moment, a fishmonger noticed our fascination with the tools of the trade and invited us behind the counter. Before long, my friend and I were holding one of the enormous blades ourselves, posing for a quick photo on our phones. The knife was easily twice the length of my arm, ridiculously heavy and industrial in purpose. It was one of those spontaneous moments of generosity and humour that seems to happen when curiosity is met with curiosity.

What interested me most, however, were the people.

Places like these aren't for everyone. The work is demanding and often physically relentless, yet many of those I encountered seemed genuinely comfortable within that world. A few were more than happy to have their portrait taken, while others simply held my gaze long enough for me to quietly make a frame before continuing with their day.

Those brief interactions remain some of my favourite photographs from the trip.

Another location I found myself repeatedly returning to was the Hori River running through Nagoya. The bridges that cross the river provided countless opportunities for photography, both during the day and after dark. In several places the riverbanks were lined with blooming Sakura, creating an unexpected contrast between the natural world and the surrounding city.

Temples also became a recurring part of my experience. They are woven deeply into daily life throughout Japan and can be found in abundance, from major cultural landmarks to smaller, hidden places of reflection tucked quietly between buildings and side streets.

One afternoon, while visiting a temple, I found myself crouched amongst a group of young children feeding pigeons with seed provided nearby. Within moments, hundreds of wings erupted around me in every direction. The sound was astonishing — somewhere between a thunderstorm and complete chaos — yet somehow perfectly fitting within the atmosphere of the place. It was equal parts beautiful and mildly terrifying.

Many of the smaller temples prohibit photography entirely, a decision I came to appreciate.

As photographers, there can be an instinct to document everything. Japan reminded me that not every experience needs to be captured. Sometimes there is value in simply being present, observing and connecting with the place you find yourself in.

Standing quietly within those spaces often felt more meaningful than creating another photograph.

It's impossible to summarise a country like Japan in a single journal entry.

What began as a trip to photograph Formula 1 became something far more memorable. An opportunity to slow down, observe and experience a culture that balances tradition and progress in a way unlike anywhere else I have visited.

I left with exposed rolls of film, full memory cards and a growing obsession with returning.

The race weekend may have been the reason for the journey, but Japan itself became the story.

Photographic Notes

For this trip I deliberately experimented with a wide variety of film stocks, each chosen to provide a different interpretation of the places, people and moments encountered along the way.

Cameras:

• Nikon FM3A 35mm with Zeiss 50mm lens

• Fuji GW690II Medium Format

Film Stocks:

• Kodak UltraMax 400

• Kodak Portra 400

• Kodak Gold 200

• Kodak Vision3 500T

• Kodak E100 (Expired)

• Fuji Velvia 50 (Expired)

• Fuji Provia 100F (Expired)

• Fuji Color Press 800 (Expired)

• Kodak Vericolor Slide Film (Expired)