We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Edgar Takoyaki a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Edgar, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’ve been working on my Analog Japan Project since 2016. This fall will mark ten years of that project. I started with a Nikon F3 and in 2016 purchased my first medium format camera, a Mamiya C330, in Osaka. Since then I’ve been going to Japan once or twice a year building a nice body of work for this project. Every
year, I visit new cities in Japan and always head back to Tokyo where I just can’t get enough of shooting in that amazing city.

Thanks to being in Japan so much, I was able to do a different project that meant a lot to me. Japan has a small sub-culture of Japanese Cholos. A cholo is a subculture/lifestyle for Mexican American youths. Lowrider car culture and tattoos are part of the lifestyle. I was fortunate enough to be able to meet and photograph some of these Japanese cholos. There was a mix of cholos and rockabilly guys who were also tattoo artists. Growing up in Southern California, I’m very familiar with the cholo lifestyle and culture. I love that there is a small group of Japanese people that truly appreciate and respect that particular Mexican lifestyle and sense of family. It mirrors my love for Japanese culture and their sense of community and harmony. We got along great and I was able to get some great photos that day. My very good friend Tony came along with me and we spent an afternoon drinking whiskey in the streets of Tokyo with the Japanese cholos as we stopped to take photos where we felt there was a great shot. We had a great time and ended up wrapping the evening up getting quite drunk with them and having lots of laughs.. It was a surreal experience with me being a Mexican American, hanging out with Japanese cholos in a British pub in Tokyo.

I was able to exhibit those photos of the Japanese cholos in galleries in Los Angeles, and Mexico City. My Analog Japan Project has exhibited in several cities across the United States and has been published in magazines internationally. The Analog Japan Project is still going on. I definitely want to put out a photo book soon, so that will be in the works this year. So those two projects are definitely the most meaningful to me so far.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My wife Kendra and I first went to Japan in 2005. I had a compact digital point and shoot camera that my wife (my girlfriend at the time) gave me for my birthday, Arriving in Tokyo at night for the first time was a sensory overload, The sights and sounds were like nothing I had ever seen or expected. I shot so much in Tokyo and Osaka, those cities surpassed all my expectations. When I returned home and showed my photos to people, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and people encouraged me to seriously pursue photography as a career. Prior to this trip, I was never into photography but the Japanese aesthetic really spoke to me and I couldn’t stop photographing it and thinking about the next trip.

In 2015 I switched from digital to analog photography. I love the way Japan looks on film. I was shooting with a
Nikon F3 for my 35mm work and in 2016 I bought a Mamiya C3330 medium format camera in Osaka. Those are
the only cameras I bring with me to Japan to this day. It was around this time that I got gallery representation through Dama Art Gallery based in Los Angeles. I am still with them to this day.

I have been going to Japan once or twice per year since 2016. I first learned about Japan when I was 6 or 7. My parents gave me a die cast metal Japanese robot for Christmas. I remember looking at the writing on the box and thinking how cool the Japanese text looked. It was so alien to me. I grew up loving anime and Japanese movies. I always wanted to go to Japan but back then it seemed so far away and not really something I could do. Fortunately, my wife is very adventurous and loves to travel, so she made the call and got us on a plane to Tokyo 21 years ago. I have her to thank for my career.

I switched from digital to analog photography to challenge myself. I used to have a Canon 5D Mark II and would shoot lots of experimental photos using in camera double exposure, reflections and macro lenses to create abstract
and visually interesting shots I wanted to see if I could replicate my style with film cameras. When people would see my digital work, many assumed it was all photoshop or composites. I wanted to use film to remove any doubt that what I was doing was all in camera and not digitally altered. Negatives don’t lie. In doing so, I really fell in love with the look of film and the way different film stocks work for different situations. After a decade of shooting film, I know what film and camera combos work best for the look I’m going for whether in Japan or here at home. I just love the look of film and the pleasant surprises that come with it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

One goal I have had for years and years was to be able to show my art in Japan. Last year I was able to achieve
it when I had two gallery shows in Osaka and Tokyo as part of the ULTRAHIVE 3 group exhibition. It even went to
Taiwan as well. I would love to have a solo show in Tokyo or anywhere in Japan really.

The main thing that drives my creativity is simply trying to take photos that continue to improve in creativity, quality
and originality. As long as I can feel that I’m growing and my work is evolving, that keeps me motivated and makes
me want to try harder and. keeps things exciting for what’s to come.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect…that would be being able to have an idea pop into my head and then plan and execute
it, getting the film developed and having my expectations surpassed. Also having creative friends that I can collaborate with that will help me with a vision, like my friend Tony and Clif, they truly understand what I’m trying to get at and they make it one hundred times better with their input or knowledge. I’m luck to have some very creative and talented friends that know me well enough to know what look or shot I’m going for. That and being able to create art for a living is something I’m very grateful for and never take for granted.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://etakoyaki.com
• Instagram: @shortblade and @etakoyakiphoto

Image Credits

Edgar Takoyaki