Movie posters adorn the wall of a railway arch in Yurakucho Photograph: Paul Church
Customers wait at a ramen shop to eat the traditional noodle broth Photograph: Paul Church
A small cherry blossom tree near my apartment Photograph: Paul Church
The strange building in the background is the Fuji TV building Photograph: Paul Church
Got back from a holiday late yesterday afternoon and it was straight back to work today. An early start and I had my second job tonight too. And then it started to snow on the way home Photograph: Paul Church
The office shook and the earthquake just kept getting stronger and stronger until eventually most of us were under the desks with emergency kits in hand. Some salarymen didn't even flinch though – they just kept on working. It wasn't until I saw the news coverage after I'd walked the six miles back to my apartment that I realised just how big the earthquake had been Photograph: Paul Church
Another wander around town. Shinjuku this time Photograph: Paul Church
More heavy rain and a busy work schedule meant that I spent the majority of the day indoors at the computer. A trip to the launderette gave me time to explore some of the back streets where I live Photograph: Paul Church
I don't know why but after seven years in Tokyo, I still get lost in the Ikebukuro district – on the odd occasion I can't even find my way out of the station. Oh, and if you're wondering, no, I didn't ask them to pose… Photograph: Paul Church
This guy isn't trying to stop me from taking his photo. Suntans are still regarded as a bad thing to many Japanese, so at the first sign of sunlight a lot of the older generation will use whatever they have at hand to fend off the evil rays. This guy looks quite sensible with his fan, but some old ladies wear arm-length gloves and Darth Vader-like masks Photograph: Paul Church
I walked and I walked and came up with nothing, but then I came across these women in a street in Koenji Photograph: Paul Church
I snapped this one under the bridges near Yoyogi station. I think the girls were walking along munching on yakitori (skewered chicken) Photograph: Paul Church
