Ross Hori

writer | designer | photographer

#Japan

Any and everything to do with Japan. From one-off photographs to blog posts and comments on things happening in this beautifully frustrating country.

The trail guide said “Difficulty: Medium.” I’d like to disagree.

Play: photography, road trips, art etc
Monday, November 20th, 2023

It started off as what I was used to for a "Medium". Steep, not amazingly well made, the odd chain or [keep reading...]

Steep climb up a mountain in Japan

Crumbling houses are a blight on Japan

Work: writing, research and design
Monday, October 30th, 2023

At some point, Japan must deal with its crumbling housing problem.

You see them from time to time in the cities. Houses (mostly) where the owner has died and either hasn't passed it on or the heir doesn't claim it. Around where I live, they're not empty for long. They get snapped up, flattened [keep reading...]

The first Hyogo Prefectural Office: a beautiful recreation

Play: photography, road trips, art etc
Monday, October 23rd, 2023

One of the local museums recreated the original Hyogo Prefectural Office. The craftsmanship that went into it is stunning, and while it has that beautiful "new wood" smell, I'm sure it will season beautifully in the years ahead.

Hyogo as an administrative region dates back to the 19th Century. It takes its name from the old Hyogo Port, which was subsumed into what became Kobe. The museum's compound is [keep reading...]

Photograph of the inside of a museum with a modern desk and people looking on
Photograph of a paddy field in Japan, drained, cleared and with the supports used to dry the rice still standing

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Wednesday, October 11th, 2023

After years of looking out my bedroom window at the empty paddy fields, I decided to track them down. [keep reading...]

Osaka Castle: November 2020

Play: photography, road trips, art etc
Monday, October 2nd, 2023

As my 3rd Anniversary of living in Japan closes, this is a scene that stands out for those early days. I arrived in Osaka in the middle of the state of emergency when tourism was banned, and we were asked to limit our internal travel.

Living barely 20 minutes' walk from Osaka Castle, it became a regular haunt for our exercise and need to leave the confines of a two [keep reading...]

Photograph of Osaka Castle seen from across a pond and with no one around.

Visiting Kobe Sannomiya? Look up!

Play: photography, road trips, art etc
Saturday, September 30th, 2023

Sannomiya's Central Street is worth a visit. It's the main shopping mall in Kobe, and the start of an almost continuous 2km long undercover walkway.

However, it isn't a purpose-built mall. Instead it has the feel of a regular street with a canopy installed. That gives it a lot of irregular buildings on either side. Some of these are just a couple of floors, others have [keep reading...]

Photograph of an upper walkway in an industrial retail structure
Photograph of a quartet of red bicycles waiting to be rented.

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Thursday, September 21st, 2023

Kobe is a walkable city. If you don't fancy all that legwork, you could rent a bicycle. [keep reading...]

Photograph of the Port Liner monorail coming into the station at Sannomiya

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Tuesday, September 19th, 2023

Every time I hear a claim driverless trains or monorails don't work, I roll my eyes. I take one regularly. [keep reading...]

My unwitting transmission tower obsession

Play: photography, road trips, art etc
Tuesday, September 12th, 2023

Sometimes I'll go for a photo walk and fixate on a subject. I don't mean I start following people around in a stalkerish way. My focus settles on a particular object or situation, and I start looking for shots [keep reading...]

A transmission tower, showing the climbing barrier in detail, with another tower in the far distant.
Photo of a road station sign in Japan showing the services available - Toilets, disabled access, smoking room, food and also parking. In the background is the outline of a Green Suzuki Hustler Kei Car parked in a single bay all on its own.

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Monday, September 11th, 2023

I always take a photo on my phone. It saves the GPS data, which means I know where I've been. Useful for later edits on photos. [keep reading...]

A guide to street photography in Japan

Play: photography, road trips, art etc
Tuesday, August 29th, 2023

Tourism is booming in Japan, so it's time to pack that camera and come here for some street photography magic. After all, whose Instagram isn't complete with a photo or two of Geishas, cosplayers and drunk salarymen?

Before you rush off and start chasing the locals (this happens), you should understand how Street Photography works in Japan, what the legal limits are, and why convention and privacy will [keep reading...]

Photograph of a man illuminated by a street light as he walks in the darkness
Photograph of the Izushi clock tower, a wooden structure with sides curving to the crowned top and a white clock face showing 12:10

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Monday, August 28th, 2023

The clock tower in Izushi was thought to be the oldest in Japan. Until it wasn't. This hasn't stopped the town becoming a must-see destination on the Japanese tourist trail. [keep reading...]

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