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Johan Brooks

@johanbrooks

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🇯🇵 Documentary Photographer / Photojournalist
Staff Photographer and Photo Editor at The Japan Times
@thejapantimes
写真を撮ることがむすび

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Year One.

In a way, year three, but officially year one...the ending of which was punctuated by the recent earthquake in Kumamoto.

This is some of my work from this year as the Japan Times' Staff Photographer/Photo Editor, along with some photos that are -- for various reasons -- particularly notable to me. There are articles I'm now, as I type this, realizing are missing 🤔 and there are at least a couple of photos I quite like that can never see the light of day 🥲

Lots to reflect on anyway and I should probably workshop some "new year" resolutions...

Many many many (edit: added a 3rd cause 2 wasn't enough) thanks to all the other journalists I'm so fortunate to work with.

Year Two. Ready. Steady.

*Not all photos/images shown in the newspaper pages are mine as many are shared layouts and some pages have multiple articles etc. by @johanbrooks

In November and December I exhibited my new documentary series and photobook 'Young Ravens'. In December, it was exhibited at @ddd_art_ as part of the NAC Vol.3 Exhibition, and in November at a pop-up exhibition held by @supernice_clothing and @_nuts.tokyo_ at @n4studio_by_hutte, which I was kindly invited to participate in.

'Young Ravens' is my latest documentary project, which follows 'Young Mountains' (highschool sumo), Fire Corps (volunteer firefighters), The Erosion Beneath (Japan during COVID-19), and 'Kodokushi' ("lonely deaths"). Young Ravens was photographed over many sessions throughout the first half of this year. It's a series on the youth culture at a rather unique skateboarding "park". As I wrote in the photobook:

"Young Ravens is a tribute to the good-hearted rebelliousness of youth and the maligned beauty of rough edges. It is a record of those who get back up, tattered and scarred, and of the human yearning for a place to belong and live and love and fly."

___

Whenever I participate in an exhibition where the preparation is done by myself, at some point in the process I always ask myself why I decided to this...voluntarily...of my own free will 😆
However, they do come together in the end and are made entirely worthwhile by friends, old and new, co-exhibitors and visitors.

Huge thanks to everyone who came out 🙏
Special thanks to all my co-exhibitors, those who made these events happen, and those who have picked up a copy of Young Ravens 🐦‍⬛

See you next year.
よいお年を。

___

Slide 2 📸: @suzu_san_san
Slide 10-11 📸: @fukukawatakashi
Slide 14 📸: @lifeofgai by @johanbrooks

In an intense 15 hour historic day I saw Sanae Takaichi get elected as Japan's first ever female Prime Minister.

Ran around the halls of The Diet and Kantei, handholding and manually focusing 400mm for the first time. (Don't do this at home, kids 😅)

Would've been mission impossible in that maze without our amazing politics team. And a big thank you to Ken Suzuki. Was great taking a breather with @suzut_nikkei and seeing some other familiar faces in the field too.

Johan Brooks / The Japan Times

More here:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/22/japan/politics/sanae-takaichi-photo-gallery/ by @johanbrooks

One year ago, Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. A historic day to be sure, and a long and frantic one behind the lens. These are some B-side shots I took that day. The photos we published as part of our coverage are viewable in my pinned posts and the various articles we ran the days following.

October 21, 2025.

Johan Brooks/The Japan Times

Many thanks again to our political team. by @johanbrooks

The Strongirls Strength Festival held by Strongirls, an all-women powerlifting group in Japan. July 12, 2026.

Johan Brooks/The Japan Times

Story: @farrahakase by @johanbrooks

Took a walk with the volunteer group, Tokyo Spring Homeless Patrol, to talk to the homeless in Shinjuku and see how they cope with the summer heat.

Johan Brooks/The Japan Times

Story: @eliz_beattie by @johanbrooks

The photos I take while exhibiting photos and photos of the photos I exhibited and the photos that were exhibited.

8/29/2026 by @johanbrooks

If anyone happens to be a member and is in Hong Kong, a few of the photos from my Kodokushi project are on display at The Foreign Correspondents' Club there as part of the SOPA Excellence in Photography Award 2026 exhibition. Especially seeing as I don't think I've exhibited them before, I'm very pleased to have them shown there. by @johanbrooks

Thought the new Superman was okay until I tried to rewatch it and just couldn't...No comment on Supergirl....

But this Wonder Woman was awesome✨ by @johanbrooks

by @johanbrooks

Save the trees, save the world by @johanbrooks

by @johanbrooks