Title: Yokocho Medium: Super-8, Photography, Artificial Intelligence, Acrylic on Canvas, Silkscreen, Augmented Reality, NFT Year: 2026 Dimensions: 30 in x 40 in Color Composition: White 43.0% · Purple 34.4% · Deep Red 6.8% · Pink 4.3% · Sky Blue 2.6% · Dark Green 2.2% · Cream 2.0% · Blue 1.9% · Yellow 1.6% · Raw Canvas 1.4% Tone: Low Key, lightness 16 out of 100 (0 is black, 100 is white) Journal: May 4, 2023 The moment we arrived in Japan we were greeted with the most hospitable locals thanks to the introduction by Emi Kusano. We met with her friends, Kohtaro and Takamichi. They led us through Shinjuku to what felt like a residential entrance. It turned out to be a secret sushi storefront that had no signs or symbols. You just had to know it was there by their numbers. Takamichi told us he is in the ginger trade and this was one of his clients’ establishments. We all bonded over fresh fish, sticky rice, and green tea. I can still taste the flavors on the back of my tongue of lime, squid, and ginger. After making portraits with the sushi chef; we left full of gratitude. We went onward into the night through Yokocho . There was a rose stand and I bought a couple yellow roses for my new friends. Illuminated by the lights that make up the nightlife. We stopped in a neon lit alleyway to make the Takamichi’s portrait. I asked Takamichi to hold his flower romantically, and he held it in his mouth like Romeo greeting his Juliet.