In the Tokyo subway, all the seats are placed along the sides of the passenger cars, leaving the central space for standing.
High handles placed directly above the seats allow standing passengers to face those seated without the risk of falling on them. From this standing perspective, looking down, we are led to observe the hands of the passengers seated directly in front of us, their attitudes, what they’re holding, their books, their phone screens…
With my mobile phone in hand to pass the time, like the majority of the people on the subway, I started taking photos of the view I had and gradually developed this collection. Between 2020 and 2023, during each one of my several trips to Tokyo, I constantly sought out the most narrative hands and the most expressive clothing styles. When the subway arrived at the platform, I was already scanning the travelers through the windows, planning where to position myself in the passenger car, and like any collector, the quest for hands with unique styles became an obsession of mine.
It’s worth noting that the factory settings for mobile phones purchased in Japan are set to make an obligatory shutter sound when taking a photo, even in silent mode. This restriction was put in place to prevent unauthorized photos being taken under women’s skirts. Since my European phone didn’t have this blocked setting, it enabled me to be close to passengers and discreetly photograph them without arousing suspicion.
This book brings together the first 100 photos from an ongoing collection
About Caroline Grimprel
During her childhood, Caroline Grimprel was trained in drawing and painting using the Martenot method. These years of practice shaped her sensitivity to color and composition. She then studied graphic design and art direction at Penninghen in Paris. Learning photography became a new means of expression for her while retaining her pictorial references. A semester exchange at SVA (the School of Visual Arts) in New York brought her greater freedom in her practice and encouraged her towards a documentary series mindset and street photography.
After graduating in 2016, she worked as an art director at an advertising agency in Paris, BETC, for 3 years. Photography and filmmaking gradually became part of her work, and she felt it was time to venture out on her own. In 2020, she went to live in Japan for a year, a year rich in inspirations and encounters centered around creativity, composition, and harmony in images. During this time, she was able to undertake several personal projects in filmmaking and photography, leading to the creation of the project ‘Hands of Tokyo.’
Upon returning to France but going back to Japan every year, she was able to continue this series little by little, knowing what she had already photographed and what she still needed. The image pairs then came to life. It was then that Joanna Starck, who had been in class with her at Penninghen and who is now a wonderful graphic designer, especially in the field of photo book publishing, suggested that she turn this project into a book and publish it with her new publishing house: ‘Simple Éditions.’ Joanna encouraged her to bring it to life and handled all the design and production that highlighted the project so well.
Today, Caroline still alternates between photography and video, between France and Japan, always. [Official Website]
