Taro Moberly is a street and travel photographer currently based in the Bay Area. His passion for photography started when he moved to Kyoto, Japan from his native California in 2015. Originally just a way to share his life with friends and family back home, his photography practice quickly became a source of curiosity and an opportunity to explore the world around him. Now back in the United States ten years later, he’s interested in using photography to share how he sees the world, its cultures, and its people. Following the successful release of his 2023 title, In Kyoto, Taro's upcoming book, Kyoto Dreaming, features 130 colorful images exploring Kyoto's traditional architecture and iconic landmarks, including Nijo Castle, Kinkaku-ji, and the Gion district, as well as the more modern areas of the city that are equally captivating.
Kyoto Dreaming will be in stores this November and is exclusively available at Trope.com. Read more about Taro below.
How has your photography style evolved or changed since In Kyoto was released?
A lot has changed in my life since In Kyoto was first released, most notably my return to California after living in Japan for nearly a decade! With that, I think my photography has changed quite a bit. Being in the Western US, my interest and appreciation for the vast outdoors and open spaces has grown considerably, and I make more efforts to spend time in and documenting the vast wildernesses we have here. With that, I do find myself exploring urban environments less, though there’s certainly no shortage of beautiful and unique cities here!
I think the bigger change is a larger focus on photographing moments that are personal to myself. It could be part of maturing as a person, but I find myself shifting my focus to scenes and moments that are meaningful to me and that I would personally like to cherish and look back upon.
After living in Japan and now moving back to California, how has your perspective on Kyoto shifted? Do you see the city differently in hindsight?
Moving back to California has made me miss it and want to visit it more! But otherwise, I don’t feel my perspective has changed too much. It will always be a second home to me. I had the opportunity to visit once since returning to the US, and certainly things have changed: there’s more tourists, buildings have changed, they have those electric scooters on the street now. But to me if felt just as if I were coming home
Follow up – What does Kyoto mean to you?
It means so much! It’s part of my heritage, with my mother being from Kyoto and still having plenty of family in the area. But more so, I feel it is where I developed into the person I am today. I learned so much about myself living there and think a big part of who I am today is because of my experience in Kyoto.
Over the past few years, how has your photography style or creative approach evolved?
As I mature as a photographer, I find myself looking not so much to take the shot, the ones everyone recognizes and gather all the likes on social media. Instead, I try to look for the small details and textures that make up a scene. By themselves these photos may lack context but put together I think a collection of images can tell a more complete and personalized story.
Kyoto is known for its iconic temples and gardens, but also has quieter, hidden corners. How did you strike the balance between the well-known and the unexpected in your photos in Kyoto Dreaming?
I think this came pretty naturally as everything in Kyoto is so photogenic! I’m half-kidding, of course. That said, even though I’ve spent a significant amount of time in Kyoto and Japan as a child, having grown up predominantly in the US everything in Kyoto, and Asia as a whole, stands out as being so different that what I am accustomed to. It’s a place where so much is different from here - the culture, the customs, the architecture. Spending time there it’s difficult not to find intrigue and beauty all over, not just the iconic areas that make it into the guidebooks.
Over the past few years, what have you discovered or re-discovered about Kyoto (or Japan more broadly) that surprised you, in terms of photographic potential?
A big one would be nature, and Japan’s relationship with it. Previously I mentioned that I now have a stronger appreciation for the outdoors here in the US, but that interest began while I was in Japan. There are so many scenic mountain ranges, coastlines, forests that might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Japan, but they are all around you and highly valued and respected within Japanese culture. Even Kyoto is surrounded by nature, which is an important part of the city’s identity. I especially found myself traveling into the mountains with my camera more and more during my later years in Japan.
Looking back on your time in Japan, is there a particular photo or experience from Kyoto Dreaming that feels especially meaningful to you now?
One set of photos that stands out are the ones on pages 136-139, which were taken on one of my last nights living in Japan before returning to the US. I remember feeling a so many emotions that evening; sadness that a chapter of my life was closing, yet excited for a new adventure awaiting across the ocean. It felt very surreal and almost dreamlike to be leaving Japan, which I tried to convey with the dreamy glow of the bright lights in an otherwise dark alley. Unlike my dreams though (I am terrible at remembering my dreams when I wake up in the morning), I can remember that night clearly, and to me it is an entry point into the countless memories of the experiences I had in my years living in Kyoto.
