Shinjuku 1999-2008 | Haruto Hoshi | Zen foto gallery 2024

“Nowadays, I don’t often get the chance to visit Shinjuku, but I sometimes wander aimlessly around Kabukicho between errands. As I watch people passing by, I sometimes stop and look at people or situations that catch my eye. But I don’t photograph them anymore. The area is busy and crowded, but the nights when I felt excited just by being there seem long gone. Now I even feel relieved at the distance between Shinjuku and me.

But no matter how much the people, the city and myself have changed, I cannot help but feel that one day I will be strongly drawn to the power of human survival that will probably emanate from somewhere in this area.” - From Haruto Hoshi’s afterword