Painful Tokyo Rush Hour Captured Up Close And Personal By Michael Wolf

Published 8 years ago

Tokyo-based German photographer Michael Wolf invites you to take a look at the Japanese capital through the eyes of the city’s daily commuter. And as you’re about to see, that sight is actually quite horrendous.

Michael first took notice of the incredibly crowded Tokyo’s subways back in 1995, after the infamous sarin gas attacks on the city’s subway system. He then spent years going into the subway with his camera to capture people stuck in this claustrophobic nightmare of a commute.

The result is a series the photographer called “Tokyo Compression,” and the artist had some harsh words while describing it: “These people are squeezed against the back walls as more and more people are shoveled in,” he told CNN. “You’re living life as a sardine — it’s horrific. This is not a dignified way of living. It’s like looking into a ride in hell.”