Yearly Archives: 2011

I Long To Be Invisible Again

5D in for repair? (*see note below)
No problem, shoot loads of clips using your iPhone 3GS , edit them together in Premiere Pro with some music from your old band and voila a music / personal confession video.

Music – “Plinky One” – The Hawkline Orchestra
(That’s me on guitar that is – and the fantastic singer Rochelle Vincente, now of Product/01 )

*5D mk II mode dial broke off in my hand a few weeks ago. Took it to the Canon service center, 19,000Y ($220 U.S. ish) to repair or 10,500Y ($120 U.S. ish) to replace the dial with the new locking mode dial.
WTF?
New locking mode dial thanks, oh….but that’ll take 2 weeks!! f%&k what am I going to do without a camera!!!!*

DISCLAIMER: This video was filmed and this blog post was written before the events of 11/3/11 in Japan and the subsequent disaster that struck the country. I am publishing it now in an effort to return to some kind of normality.

Japan Earthquake 11/3/11

Just a very quick update.

Me and everyone I know is fine.

I was up on the 19th Floor during the quake which was a little scary ;-) but basically here in Tokyo, all is pretty much well.

Our thoughts go out to those in the north-east of Japan who are suffering far more.

The nuclear reactor problem in Fukushima is more than a little scary, but basically it is disturbingly normal here.
The frequent aftershocks are pretty scary too, even as I write this the building shakes!!

Thanks for all your emails.

follow me on twitter for up to the minute information @uchujinphoto

1 in 13 million – The only native Japanese Imam in Tokyo (UPDATED)


*Updated with NEW film documentary for VICE Japan – see end of post*

Population of Japan – 127,000,000
Population of Tokyo – 13,000,000
No. of Muslims in Japan (estimate) – 100,000
No. of Japanese Muslims (estimate) – 10,000
No. who converted to Islam NOT for marriage(estimate) – 2 or 300
No. of Japanese Imam’s in Japan – 5
No. of Japanese Imam’s in Tokyo – 1

Abdullah Taqy is the only Japanese Imam in Tokyo.

A chance meeting with a foreign Muslim 12 years ago in Tokyo’s Shibuya district and a life spent studying various religions led him to convert to Islam 3½ years ago.
He completed the Hajj, the worlds largest annual religious pilgrimage, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia 2½ years ago at the invitation of the Saudi Arabian government.
Shortly after, a meeting with the man who started him down his path to Islam 12 years previously led him to becoming the Imam at a small mosque in the Kabukicho area of Tokyo.

His day job for the past 20 years has been as a tattooist and body piercer.

He is soft-spoken and exudes a calmness and friendliness that one cannot help being affected by.

He is truly, 1 in 13 million.

Photography, Audio & Editing – Uchujin/Adrian Storey

I am very pleased to announce that some of the photographs from this photofilm and the photofilm itself are available for licencing through Redux Pictures – HERE

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This project is the culmination of several months of work and religious freedom is a topic I personally feel very strongly about.
The news last year of the Tokyo Police’s leaking of data on to the internet about Muslim residents (Japantimes link) and Abdullah’s own questioning by the Police because of his religion highlight that Muslims all over the world face persecution and prejudice.
Part of my intention in making this photofilm/documentary was to highlight the absurdity of these prejudices.

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*UPDATE December 2012*

I am pleased to add my new short film documentary about Abdullah, shot in Novemeber 2012 for VICE Japan almost 2 years after the original film was made.
I hope you enjoy it!!!