after my week stay in switzerland, i decided to stay in paris.
my first time. since i had a friend from high school studying at a university in paris, i stayed at his flat for a week. thinking about all the historical facts that we all know about france, like napoleon, french revolution, wines, zidane, and the great HCB and stuff, i must say that i was very much thrilled to make my way there. i wasn’t so sure whether i should take c-41 or b/w because i did have ihei kimura, the great japanese photographer, in my mind. he made his first paris stay like in the 60s and he took color images of paris(and i have that book), so i also could have shot paris with c-41, although eventually i made my decision to take paris in b/w.
well, here they are!

starting from the TGV train, i think we went up to 230km/h or so at the fastest.

they’re heading for NYC, but i’m going for paris!

selfie in the toilette!

so i arrived in gare de lyon, and here is yuta, happy to see him in six years or so.

so headed for his university since he still had a class that day.

so i took shots on the way with my carrying case in the left hand and hexar to the right.
pretty sloppy shots here…

i should have turned my hexar to vertical here. the guy in the bottom had no legs so he was sliding on the floor begging for money while this lady in the middle, who seemed to be a stranger like me was giving out money. but the lady on the right stopped that lady in the middle by saying no. it was a pretty intense scene that i saw had so much impact and give me the impression of paris.

we got off at the same station and she was asking for direction.

“yeah paris has a weird intense atmosphere, you’ll see…”

and we made it to his university, paris diderot, i think.

talking about guidance papers. arno and yuta.

fifteen minutes past.

thirty minutes…

an hour…

decided to go out.

i don’t know what this was.

so i was walking as usual.

he walks dogs, i walk my leica.

they’re riding but i just walked.

and some more walk.

the lady in the middle is a little creepy.

contemporary french architecture.

and came back to the diderot.

can i talk with you?

no, i’m married so don’t.

yuta under light.

too dark, 1/8th 2.8 400iso.

on the train.

even the good tasty wines were at 8euros.

nice delicious food and wine for the first dinner in paris.

do you wanna go for a second bottle?

you do don’t you?

let’s open it…

you can tell from the smell if you have the power.

and then to meditation time.

7th? 11th? floor i think it was, the very top. nice flat yes.

woke up with tweeting pigeons. not only human but the tweet also

so we walked and walked…

flooding pipe.

gentlemen digging in ladies close.

i wouldn’t want to see this in japan.

so i walked for 8 hours a day? and these photographs are from that and still continues.

the first shot of Eiffel tower, and first time seeing it in real life.

at the notre-dame. it took about two hours or so from yuta’s flat.

met up with the nytimes photo editor gaia.

about an hour later, it was pretty dark outside 1/15th at 2.8 or so.

same frame as ihei kimura.

you’ll see these kind of performers a lot in the sub or in the alley or wherever you could imagine.

and finally got back from the long 8 hour walk. yuta’s special dinner again with off course, french wine.

meditation again.

the next day came, went out for another walk, alone this day.

at the biblioteque.

she was looking for something,

but i knew i couldn’t be any help because i was a stranger too.

so i have to leave you alone there…sorry.

usual things in paris.

i missed a moment, her selfie in the mirror shot.

one of the best shots from paris. in the sub.

went to see his show. it was a good one.

higuma, which refers to a brown bear in english, was a japanese noodle shop. you can find tons of them in paris.

like here.

and they were trying to go in.

back to the university of diderot.

a very beautiful camera store with a lab.

back to his flat.

but out for dinner again.

the night of paris. too dark for 400asa. 1/8th.

the restaurant that we went into, had delicious stuff, off course with french wine.

next place, a sports bar.

drunk people i suppose.

took off for the flat and on the way, we were stopped by this lady because i was taking a photograph of this. the photograph below.

she mentioned, that we should be much more aware of the night from muggers. she told us that because her daughter was attacked and she almost lost her purse at this street a week ago. because she screamed out, she wasn’t heart or anything, the guy ran away according to her. we were aware, from before, you just look at the crime rates in paris, it’s almost ten or more times than japan. even walking in daylight, you’ll feel this intense scary atmosphere sometimes, depending on where you walk off course at least. anyway, this photo will always remind me of that moment of fright i think.

and next day came.

yuta checking his emails or facebooks or something.

and we went out for the day!
to be continued…