Japanese photographer Takashi Homma made a name for himself in the ‘90s after a 2-year stint at i-D Magazine and the success of his photo project, Tokyo Suburbia, in 1998. His approach is simple yet effective, photographing quotidian scenes that capture the style, people, and energy of Tokyo’s surrounding neighborhoods.

In his recent shoot with V, Homma takes us to his safe place, 市外 (translation: the burbs), to deliver what he does best in his distinctly tender and timelessly out-of-this-world way and create images with a fresh yet familiar (and familial) take on United Colors of Benetton’s globally distinctive garments—for both the nuclear and chosen families of today.

Forgoing an ostentatious scene or artificial backdrop, Homma selected the home as the environment for these images to come alive, a creative inclination evident throughout many of his other works such as his photobook Tokyo Suburbia (1998). It is a space he does not take for granted, noting over email, “I’m more interested in photographing the everyday surroundings of my own home than in photographing unusual landscapes far away.” Shooting images with a home-court advantage gives the photos a uniquely DIY voice. “I always try to [shoot] with the bare minimum. I don’t like things to be exaggerated… I want to shoot simply.”

For more insight into the delightfully domestic yet ethereal world created in these images, we spoke with the stylist of this shoot, Shun Watanabe.

V MAGAZINE: What was your involvement in selecting the models? Do you have a special relationship with any of them, or was this your first time meeting them?

SHUN WATANABE: I cast models who looked like Japanese anime characters, but not too model-like. I had shot with Yuki before for another project of mine, and her strong character was a perfect fit for this casting. Ryuya was new to this shoot… and I cast him because of his unique balance of [an] anime-ish face and tattoos. Kei is a friend of mine who is a firefighter… he is also a photographer and videographer, so I asked him to do the video for this shoot. Eito and Nina are my nephew and niece. Iroha is my sister’s friend’s child and I met her for the first time [on the shoot].

V: The juxtaposition of bright, colorful garments and accessorizing set against a more neutral, organic backdrop feels unmistakably Japanese. What were some of the inspirations or influences behind the styling?

SW: The styling was based on Benetton’s mid-80s advertising, and I wanted to create a Japanese anime character look [in addition]. I also wanted to show that these models are siblings, each with their own style. Each has elements of punk, psychedelic, rave, and new romantic, and the colorful, cartoon-like characters blend naturally into their ordinary suburban Tokyo locations. I have been influenced by Homma’s photography since the ‘90s. I wanted the story to be like the colorful and slightly weird people in his photos of Tokyo suburbs.

V: Given the DIY nature of the images, was any of the styling improvised? Did any of the models bring their own pieces to wear?

SW: [Much of] the styling was influenced by my nephew Eito. Eito’s styling consisted of a Benetton polo shirt, the socks and uniform he wears when he plays baseball, and his favorite toy, a Kamen Rider character transformation belt. By adding pink and blue wigs, we were able to create a The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. [Japanese manga] feel to the anime that he often watches, giving [the look] a very Japanese cosplayer feel.

V: The hair is also a big part of this shoot. What was the inspiration behind these hairstyles?

SW: I talked to Tomihiro, the hair artist, and we decided on an ‘80s New Romantic look with a Japanese cosplayer feel. Natural Japanese hair is almost always dark-toned, but since the mid-90s, hair coloring has become more and more popular, and we see people wearing various colors on the streets. Hair color is an expression of individuality and assertiveness, and for this story, we asked him to create a deformed hairstyle to bring out the individuality of these strong characters.

V: How about the dog in the images? They match the scene perfectly!

SW: The day before the shoot, I saw her when I was walking around the Jindaiji temple in my neighborhood, and her colorful clothes [were reminiscent of] Benetton, so I asked her owner to let me photograph her. She was a shelter dog and it was her first time to be photographed, but she was very photogenic.

This story appears in the pages of V147: now available for purchase!

Photography Takashi Homma

Creative Direction Stephen Gan

Fashion Direction Nicola Formichetti 

Fashion Shun Watanabe

Makeup Tamayo Yamamoto

Hair Tomihiro Kono

Models Yuki Beniya (Tokyo Rebels), Ryura (Number Eight Models), Kei, Eito, Nina, Iroha

Production Nanami Tashiro

Casting director Shimana