In 2017, I embarked on a personal art project: a series of ten watercolor illustrations capturing the nocturnal atmosphere of Tokyo Streets. Painted in my spare moments between client work and commissions, this series took over a year to complete.
Watercolor painting of a brightly lit Tokyo back street at night, featuring tall buildings and an empty street.
My aim was to move away from the typical portrayal of Tokyo – the gleaming, modern skyscrapers – and instead delve into the lesser-seen corners of the city at night. I wanted to depict the Tokyo streets that often go unnoticed: the back alleys, the deserted lanes, the towering buildings looming over empty parking lots.
Watercolor artwork depicting a narrow Tokyo alleyway at night, illuminated by streetlights and building lights, creating a sense of solitude.
These places, though often brightly illuminated, possess a peculiar, almost unsettling stillness in the absence of crowds. Even the night sky above Tokyo streets is rarely truly black, filled with the ambient glow of the city. It’s this unique and slightly eerie atmosphere that I strived to capture in my watercolors.
Nighttime watercolor illustration of a Tokyo street corner, showcasing a blend of architectural styles and bright lighting against the dark sky.
Watercolor painting of a brightly lit parking lot in Tokyo at night, surrounded by buildings, emphasizing the emptiness and artificial light.
A watercolor artwork of a Tokyo street scene at night, focusing on the contrast between light and shadow, and the urban solitude.
This series of Tokyo streets paintings traces a route from Kudanshita to Waseda, passing through Kagurazaka. This walk represents a familiar path for me and my wife Kana, especially during the cooler late evenings after work. While living in Tokyo’s Waseda district, I often took reference photos of intriguing night scenes during our walks, which later served as the inspiration for this series.
For those interested in exploring these locations firsthand, I’ve compiled a Google Map and a Stroly map (thanks to Gio!) pinpointing each spot:
See the Google map » See the map on Stroly.com »
Watercolor painting capturing the nighttime ambiance of Tokyo streets, with detailed architectural features and bright, artificial lighting.
Night scene watercolor of Tokyo streets, highlighting the reflections of lights on wet pavement and the urban quiet of the night.
Watercolor illustration of a Tokyo street at night, emphasizing the verticality of buildings and the glow of streetlights in the dark.
Watercolor artwork showcasing a brightly illuminated Tokyo street at night, focusing on the interplay of light, shadow, and urban forms.
To further share the creative process behind these Tokyo streets watercolors, I’ve created making-of videos available on my YouTube channel. These videos offer insights into my painting techniques and the tools I utilized. Here’s a sample video:
See the complete playlist here:
For those interested in the technical aspects, I primarily used the following materials:
- Paper: HOLBEIN Waterford natural 300g/m cotton paper
- Sketch: Mitsubishi Hi-Uni pencil grade HB
- Line: COPIC Multiliner SP 0.5mm
- Colors: My main Schmincke set (details in the tools section of my website/videos)
In some of the later pieces in the series, I also incorporated an airbrush to achieve greater depth and nuanced shadows, a technique further explained in the making-of videos.
High-quality prints of all illustrations from this Tokyo streets series are available in my Society6 store. You can find them in various sizes and with options for framing and printing on canvas.
