Cinematic, film noir photos that capture the rhythm of Tokyo

With its gleaming billboards and crowded crossings, the vertiginous metropolis of Tokyo is in constant motion. It was this relentless pace that drew Berlin-based photographer Ivan Volodko to the city, where he captured his latest project, 横丁 (Yokochō). Shot entirely on an iPhone, the moody series, reminiscent of Daido Moriyama’s contrast-heavy, grainy images of the city, immerses us in the rhythm of the city, sometimes caught up in the motion, other times drifting down side alleys as he uncovered quieter, lesser-known corners hidden within Tokyo.

Volodko’s fascination with Japan stretches back years. Like many, his first real entry point to Japanese culture was through anime, watching over 300 different series. "The more I immersed myself in it, the more I became curious about the culture behind it: the traditions, the art, the aesthetics, and even the everyday details of life in Japan,” the artist explains. When he finally saw Japan in person on a trip with his girlfriend, the city exceeded any expectations. “Being there in person felt like stepping into a space I had imagined for a long time and the camera became a way to translate those first impressions into something tangible.”

Like the intensity often seen in anime shorts, many of the photos within 横丁 (Yokochō) are intentionally in motion. “I was surrounded by movement, the streets, the trains, the constant flow of people. Shooting in motion allowed me to translate that rhythm directly into the photos. To me, it feels closer to memory: when you look back on experiences, they don’t appear as perfectly frozen images, but as fragments, gestures, and impressions. That’s the quality I wanted to bring out in this series,” he explains. “A majority of the photos I shot while actually moving myself, not holding the camera still. That approach felt natural to me, because I’m less interested in static, perfectly sharp frames and more drawn to atmosphere, energy, and the feeling of a moment as it passes.”

Energy is exactly what drew Volodko to photography almost a decade earlier, while studying economics and working in a shisha bar. “I remember watching new music videos every Thursday on the TVs in the bar, analysing them for myself, and becoming fascinated by both the visual language and the craft behind them. That was really the spark that got me into both photography and filmmaking. I started them side by side.” When the pandemic hit, he dedicated himself fully to pursuing photography. “I’d work shifts at the bar from the afternoon until two or three in the morning, then come home and spend the rest of the night studying on my own. I bought books on photography and video, read, practised, and eventually bought my first camera.”

Despite bringing his cameras along to the city, the photographer opted to shoot the project entirely on an iPhone. “I remember seeing an Apple ad in Berlin that read ‘Hollywood in your hands’ and that really stuck with me,” he explains. Lightweight and unobtrusive, using the phone camera allowed him to move freely through Tokyo’s streets, capturing moments without interrupting the flow around him. “On the street, people are so used to seeing phones that they often ignore them completely, which makes the camera almost invisible,” he adds.

Beyond the city’s relentless energy, Volodko ventured into quieter pockets of the city. The title, Yokochō, meaning “side streets” or “alleys”, reflects these tucked-away spaces, full of tiny bars, izakayas, and moments of respite. “On the main streets in Tokyo everything feels fast, cars rushing by, masses of people, glowing neon, sounds from every direction. Then you turn into a side street and suddenly it’s completely quiet. Those small, almost overlooked details became really important to me,” the filmmaker explains. “Even though it was my first time in Japan, many of the moments I captured felt strangely familiar, like memories I was experiencing for the first time but also recognising at the same time. That mix of distance and closeness runs through the whole series,” he says, leaving the impression of a city in constant flux, but above all, in balance.

Visit the gallery above for a closer look.