I've been a fan of Flickr ever since it debuted. For me, the photo-sharing site is an Alice in Wonderland looking-glass into underground cultures, pop culture oddities, strange and enthralling style, you name it.
My Wonderland meanderings led me to a set of Tokyo street snaps by Cherry Vega, a photographic artist based in my hometown (Vancouver, Canada). She kindly gave me permission to share them with you.
Cherry travelled to Tokyo in 2004 and captured the style spectacle on Jingubashi Bridge in Harajuku. The Gothic Lolita on the far right followed her around, pointed at her corset, and often shouted "KAWAII!" and "SEXY!". Only in Japan...
The Sweet Lolita holding the umbrella is so cute - I love the roses in her hair - and her friend looks like a living doll!
The girl (or boy? ) on the left is cosplaying as Kyo of Visual Kei band Dir En Grey. Cherry really captures the playful atmosphere; I love the poses on the far right.
Behind-the-scenes = literally! Cherry writes: "The teens rarely arrive at their spot already made up. They'll arrive and spend a good deal of the first hour or so getting dressed up ready for the cameras." The girl in the center is cosplaying as Japanese rockstar Tatsurou from the band MUCC.
You can view the entire set of Tokyo street portraits on Cherry's Flickr.
