A Photographer’s View Of Rainy Days In Tokyo

Yoshinori Mizutani, the photographer who brought us Tokyo Parrots, is back with a joyful new series about rain. Not the first thing that springs to mind when you flick through these beautiful images of graphic, colourful cityscapes.

Born in 1987, Mizutani moved to Tokyo to study at Tokyo College of Photography, graduating in 2012. He's since published four photo books, appeared in everything from The Observer to Vice and was awarded the prestigious Foam Talent photography prize in 2014.

Mizutani told us that, for this series, he was inspired by the view of, "umbrellas that could be seen at the foot of the high rise and looked like flowers that had bloomed in a city."

"Rain changes how we go about our business and gives a different ambience to the cityscapes and environments we live in. Rain is part of our everyday life, but what rain makes visible to us is not necessarily everyday life, as we know it. Even if it’s an ordinary object, you see it in a different light when you slightly shift your viewpoint, enhancing the way you perceive the world. Rain has taught me that."

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain", said Dolly Parton. Mizutani shows there's beauty in both.

New works from the Rain series, and selected works from Tokyo Parrots are on display at the Webber Gallery, 18 Newman Street, W1T 1PE, 20th May - 21st June.