Japan's cities are known for their dense urbanity and crowded subways, but they can also be isolating.

Through this set of photos, I want to illustrate the rich Japanese culture with colorful compositions, but also transmit to the viewer the serene and intimate, sometimes lonely, feeling one can experience when exploring Japan.

I felt this country is full of paradoxes, with very welcoming and helpful people on first glance, but much more introverted in reality. People look quite disconnected from each other, wandering the streets in their own bubbles.

Tokyo sunstroke: a woman hiding from the sun on the streets of Tokyo.

Business calling: a Tokyoite on his way to work.

Tokyo from above.

Apparition: a ghost passes through the iconic tori gates of Fushimi Inari at sunrise.

Bamboo army: thousands of bamboo stalks rising with the sun in the mesmerizing Arashiyama bamboo forest.

Blade Runner atmosphere in Asakusa, a popular district in Tokyo.

Riding through the peaceful town of Takayama in the Japanese Alps.

Exchanging looks in the streets of Takayama.

Exchanging looks in the streets of Takayama.

The red bridge.

Into the box(es).

Early morning prayer at Sensoji Temple.

Out of the darkness: the silhouette of a woman in Kyoto by night.

Tokyo by night: Shinjuku's Golden Gai is a popular nightlife spot composed of a network of six narrow alleys.

Top photo: A little girl is tired of waiting for her mom in the streets of Gion, Kyoto's most famous geisha district.