Who is Rohan Gillett?
That’s me. I’m an Australian guy born in 1965 who never thought he’d end up in Japan.
My only connection with the country in my younger days was through a TV show, “The Samurai” which was made in the 1960s. My family also hosted some exchange Japanese students in the 1970s through my father’s Lions Club connections.
Throughout my early years I lived on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, just north of Brisbane. After working in the state’s Justice Department for a few years I quit and went to Griffith University in 1990.
How did I end up in Tokyo?
At university, I met a Japanese girl so I thought I’d better learn Japanese if we married. Her family was in Tokyo so that is where we went in 1991 and stayed for two years. I worked as an English teacher at NOVA, one of the country’s private English schools.
We returned to Australia in 1993. After graduation, I returned by myself to Tokyo in 1996 and have been here ever since. My wife preferred Australia, so we decided to split.
Tokyo then and now
For over three decades, I’ve explored Tokyo. From the neon-drenched roads of Shinjuku to the quiet, lantern-lit alleys of Yurakucho, I’ve walked many miles. I wanted to experience as much of it as possible.
Tokyo is constantly evolving and revealing new secrets. I must admit I didn’t use a camera for my first twenty years. That is something I deeply regret. So how can I explain this city without images?
I don’t know where to start. It would probably take a year to tell you everything. Here are the main things I remember from 1991:
- Rainbow Bridge was still being constructed.
- Tokyo Tower wasn’t as hemmed in as it is now.
- The Shiodome area was flat and lacked any type of skyscraper.
- Foreign tourists were almost absent from the streets.
- Most foreigners here seemed to be English teachers. Did anyone else work at NOVA?
- One group that is long-forgotten is the Iranians. They mainly worked in construction and manufacturing. On weekends, huge groups of them hung out in Yoyogi and Ueno Parks. Maybe they were a precursor to the overtourism we see today.
- Everyone wore jeans, even in summer. It was rare to see adults in shorts.
- Pasmo and Suica were in the distant future. We had to use paper tickets or train passes.
- Steve Jobs hadn’t given us iPhones either. I kept a bilingual atlas of Tokyo in my bag. It was a little book but it covered all the city’s twenty wards and it took me everywhere.
From explorer to photographer
After twenty years of exploration, I realized that my memories weren’t enough. I felt a need to share the Tokyo I knew with the world.
From 2011 I had a series of blogs (including Around Tokyo.net and Tokyo in Pics.com now both long gone). But I needed images to support the articles. Photography became a necessity.
I bought my first “serious” camera in 2012 and embarked on a new journey: learning to capture light, shadow, and emotion. But I still consider myself a learner of the craft.
My gear & recommendations
People ask about the cameras I use. In years past, I used Fujifilm, Sony, and Pentax. I currently shoot with a Canon EOS R5.
Why did I change? Their color science is superb, as is their range of lenses. The focus system is incredible. Professional support is excellent too.
If you’re looking to buy camera gear in Tokyo, head to MapCamera in Shinjuku. I have bought all my equipment there since 2017. Their service and trade-in values are outstanding.
Tokyo Snapped is a huge part of my life. I regularly update it. If you’d like to find me on social media, follow the links below. There is also a contact form in the footer for business enquiries.