Where is Japan

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The entrance to Makomanai Takino Cemetery Park, Hokkaido Andri Pol

Chura-umi Aquarium, Okinawa Andri Pol

Little Red riding in the hood, Tokyo Andri Pol

Shibuya, Tokyo Andri Pol

On the campaign trail with the Communists, Nara Andri Pol

Log protection, Kyushu Andri Pol

Sumo, Sapporo Andri Pol

Comic store, Shibuya Andri Pol

Snapping cherry blossom in Ueno Park, Tokyo Andri Pol

Living rough along the Sumida River, Tokyo Andri Pol

Dog hotel, Tokyo Andri Pol

Schoolgirls at the top of Mount Azuma, Fukushima Andri Pol

"Bit more off the back, sir?" Nayoro, Hokkaido Andri Pol

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Swiss photographer Andri Pol searches for the real Japan behind Western clichés.

Say “Japan” and most Europeans think of temples, cherry blossom, samurais, geishas and Zen. This romanticised image has more to do with European longings and utopian ideals than with contemporary Japan. Andri Pol has visited the Japanese Islands over many years and taken pictures purposefully avoiding any such soft-focus clichés. His collection, Where is Japan, comprises 227 images and is published by Steidl Verlag, Göttingen.