The Month that Made My Smile
Breaking out of your daily routine can be the spark you didn’t know you needed. That’s exactly what I did! Instead of spending the day in the studio, I took a drive from Saitama to Mt. Fuji for the Oishi Park Lavender Festival. For more than three years, I’d been dreaming of photographing the lavender fields with Kawaguchi Lake and Mt. Fuji in the background. Finally being able to just pick up and go was both refreshing and fulfilling—and the drive itself was a joy.
One of the highlights of having Jenai as an intern this summer was having a muse to photograph. What I didn’t expect, though, was that Oishi Park had so much more than lavender. Hydrangeas were still in bloom, roses filled the garden, and the golden hour light tied everything together beautifully. Battling the bees, on the other hand, wasn’t quite as magical!
Let this be your reminder to step outside, breathe fresh air, and spend time with people who bring you joy. Life is so much bigger than our daily to-do lists.
And if you’d like to create your own memories outdoors, we also offer outdoor lifestyle photography in Tokyo. Whether in a blooming garden, a quiet park, or with Tokyo as your backdrop, we’ll capture the moments that make you smile too.
#kintsugi #kintsugiportraits #toptia #healing #strength #resilience #beauty #empowerment #golden #photography #art #tokyo #japan #tokyophotography #photographerintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #headshot #lavender #oishipark #mtfuji
Every person who steps in front of my lens carries a story waiting to be seen. My role is to uncover it—not with forced poses or rehearsed smiles, but through a process that allows you to feel at ease, understood, and authentically yourself.
Too often, photography can feel transactional: quick poses, harsh lights, and a result that doesn’t reflect who you are. At TOPTIA Photography, I believe in something entirely different. I take the time to understand your vision, your energy, and the story you want the world to see. From the first conversation to the final reveal, every step is intentional, personal, and crafted with care.
It’s never about molding you into a version that feels outdated or generic. It’s about creating an environment where you can drop the performance and step fully into your own presence. That’s when your confidence surfaces naturally, and the images become more than portraits—they become affirmations.
For those looking for a photographer in Tokyo who values process as much as outcome, I offer an experience designed to make you feel seen, celebrated, and unforgettable.
@emilyspeaksgold
When I first discovered the art of Kintsugi, I felt inspired to create a space where others could reconnect with themselves and embrace their own stories. I wanted to help people move past the fear and discomfort of seeing their past reflected on their bodies and instead see it as a marker of resilience.
Fast forward to 2025, and I am honored to continue this work, holding space for those who wish to reclaim their bodies, their sense of self, and visually process what they have overcome. The past few months have been truly beautiful, witnessing the vision of Kintsugi come to life once again. This portrait experience continues to be as empowering and transformative as ever.
A heartfelt thank you to my incredible team, @qualitea_27 , @makeupfromkanako , and to everyone who was part of this journey. This was the memorial photo we captured at the completion of our last Kintsugi model shoot, with @volodumurzybkiv choosing it as a personal keepsake.
The Reclamation is Always Within You. Ready to work with a Tokyo photographer? Link in bio.
Who has been your gold?
Tag someone who carried you through a tough time, or share in the comments what helps you keep afloat when life feels heavy.
Do you rest and recharge?
Go to therapy?
Call a friend who always understands?
Pour yourself into a hobby or project?
Enroll in a course to shift and grow?
Your answer might be the reminder someone else needs today.Because just like Kintsugi, healing isn’t about erasing the cracks. It’s about finding the people, practices, and inner strength that fill them with gold.
Model @rie.purin.muffin
#kintsugi #kintsugiportraits #toptia #healing #strength #resilience #beauty #empowerment #golden #photography #art #tokyo #japan #tokyophotography #photographerintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #headshot
Some challenges arrive uninvited. We don’t choose them—they choose us. What we can choose is how we face them, how we endure them, and how we rise beyond them.
When you’re young, surgeries feel like a distant thought. It’s something that belongs to another lifetime. Youth is “supposed to be” about friendships, adventures, laughter, and living one day at a time. Rarely do we imagine that saving our life might become part of our story.
For @stephanyyuri , that moment came sooner than expected. A lung procedure changed everything and it was the difference between life and loss. She faced it with bravery, walked through the uncertainty, and emerged healthier and stronger. Her journey is a reminder that obstacles don’t define us. It’s the way we meet them, endure them, and grow from them that becomes our gold.
Be part of the Kintsugi experience. Link in bio.
#mua #muatokyo @makeupfromkanako |📍TOPTIA Kawaguchi Studio
#kintsugi #kintsugiportraits #toptia #healing #strength #resilience #beauty #empowerment #golden #photography #art #tokyo #japan #tokyophotography #photographerintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #headshot
To my body,
Thank you for carrying me through places and across years. Thank you for being the living expression of who I am.
Your knowledge is vast.
You know how to hold me.
You know how to be strong.
You know how to grow.
You know how to be resilient.
You are full of beautiful contradictions.
Strong, yet soft to the touch.
Independent, yet still in need of my care.
Wise, yet imperfect in your own ways.
I want to celebrate you, simply because you exist.
I want to celebrate your beauty.
I want to celebrate the scars you carry.
I want to celebrate you in every season.
Even when the past leaves its mark on you, you remain worthy of love, worthy of appreciation, worthy of being cherished.
With love,
Me.
Inspired by Kintsugi | Model @rie.purin.muffin | Be part of the Movement.
#kintsugi #kintsugiportraits #toptia #healing #strength #resilience #beauty #empowerment #golden #photography #art #tokyo #japan #tokyophotography #photographerintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #headshot
If everyday people are expected to be “perfect,” with flawless skin, smaller bodies, and the right features, imagine how much more these pressures weigh on those in the entertainment industry.
This is @rie.purin.muffin , a model and actress based in Japan. She shared her adventurous stories of how she scarred her face and body, yet never allowed those scars to stop her from pursuing her dreams.
How often do we tell ourselves:
“I don’t look the part to be an actress.”
“I don’t have the right story to be a speaker.”
“I want to apply for that job, but I’m not qualified enough.”
It’s so easy to stop ourselves from reaching for what we want because we feel we don’t meet the standards or the unrealistic expectations set before us. Sometimes we think, “I’m not healed enough yet… once I fix this, then I’ll be ready.” But the truth is, your “flaws” are not flaws at all. They are your perfect imperfections, often the very thing that others see, admire, and connect with.
You are worthy as you are. Strength is not born from perfection, but from embracing the stories etched into us. Thank you, Rie, for sharing your light and courage through the Kintsugi Portrait Experience.
If you feel called to celebrate your own story in this way, I’d love to hear from you. Send me a message or visit the link in bio.
#mua @makeupfromkanako
#kintsugi #kintsugiportraits #toptia #healing #strength #resilience #beauty #empowerment #golden #photographt #art #tokyo #japan #tokyophotography #photographerintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #headshot #profoto
The TOPTIA Photography Kintsugi Reclamation Portrait Experience is very close to my heart. It is a reminder of the powerful resilience that lives within us all.
Volodymyr carries a story of profound strength, a journey marked by loss, survival, and new beginnings here in Japan. His portrait will be part of our 2026 exhibition. It stands as a testament to how beauty and meaning can emerge from even the deepest fractures.
Thank you @volodumurzybkiv for trusting me to share your story visually with the world. Through your light, others find the courage to see themselves with strength and dignity.
If you feel called to be part of the Kintsugi Portrait Experience, I’d love to hear from you. Message me or visit the link in bio.
#MUA : @makeupfromkanako
Venue: TOPTIA Kawaguchi Studio
#kintsugi #kintsugiportraits #toptia #healing #strength #resilience #beauty #empowerment #golden #photography #art #tokyo #japan #tokyophotography #photographerintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #headshot
What if the way you’ve been taught to see yourself… isn’t the truth?
You’ve spent a lifetime looking at your body — picking it apart, judging it in still frames, holding it to impossible standards. But what if the parts you’ve been told to hide… are actually the most breathtaking?
Like Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, your body carries stories that aren’t meant to be erased, but celebrated. Every scar, every shift, every change is proof of your resilience.
Join the Kintsugi Reclamation Movement! https://zurl.co/Cglzy
A one-of-a-kind portrait session that celebrates your body, your story, and your strength — with gentleness, truth, and gold. A photo doesn’t define your worth, it’s only a moment in time. But when that moment reflects who you are and how you want to feel, it becomes something more. A mirror. A reclamation. A reminder of how far you’ve come. A celebration of who you are, fully and honestly.
📹by @qualitea_27
📍TOPTIA CYK Studio
#kintsugi #japaneseculture #japaneseart #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #freelancer #headshot #photographerintokyo #tokyophotographer #headshotphoto #tokyoportraitphotographer
Kintsugi Reclamation – Your Story, Your Strength, Your Gold
The scars we carry whether on the surface or within are not flaws to hide, but chapters of who we are. Just like Kintsugi, where broken pieces are mended with gold, these lines of living become reminders of resilience, beauty, and strength.
We all carry marks! Childhood falls, unexpected moments, life's inevitable breaks. In the Japanese art of Kintsugi are seen as beauty. Gold flows through breaks, creating something more magnificent than what came before. Through our powerful portrait session we reimagine fractures as art — giving you space to see yourself not in spite of your story, but because of it. Every line holds power. Every mark tells of survival that refused to shatter completely.
Book your own Kintsugi Session and reclaim every moment that made you.
Thank you @olga_nasiedkina for being part of the Kintsugi Portrait Experience.
#MUA @kennfk.makeup.artist
#kintsugi #kintsugiportraits #toptia #healing #strength #resilience #beauty #empowerment #golden #photographt #art #tokyo #japan #tokyophotography #photographerintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #freelancer #headshot
You know that feeling when someone really gets you? That's what I'm after in every single session. I've photographed everyone over the years from CEOs to rising actors, and they all come in with the same worry: "What if I look awkward? What if I don't know what to do with my hands?"
But honestly? The best shots always happen when we drop the masks and let authenticity shine through. I've intentionally created a space where you can simply be yourself. You don't need to pretend or perform for an imaginary audience. The executives, professionals, and creatives I work with in Tokyo all have one thing in common – they light up when they feel genuinely comfortable. That's when the real magic happens.
Send me a message or comment below to experience what that feels like.
#photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #freelancer #headshot #photographerintokyo #tokyophotographer #headshotphoto
Glowing during both Day & Night - capturing it all with Justin! Till next time - TopTia
Created by @qualitea_27
#photography #tokyo #tokyophotographer #travel #modeling #portraitsintokyo #nighttimephotography #photoreveal
Slowing down on the bustling streets of Tokyo with @jouzero ! It was a pleasure photographing you!
Created by @qualitea_27
#photography #tokyo #tokyophotographer #travel #modeling #portraitsintokyo #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #freelancer #headshot #photographerintokyo #tokyophotographer #headshotphoto
Life feels easier when things fall into place. When love flows, when your body is strong, and when joy comes naturally.
But what about the moments that test you?
When illness reshapes your reflection.
When loss leaves an emptiness.
When rejection lingers.
When strength is something you have to fight for.
These moments are not flaws to erase.They are chapters of your story.
Kintsugi Reclamation is a portrait experience that transforms resilience into gold. It’s about honoring your story, your strength, and every moment that shaped you — from the quiet battles to the powerful rise. We’d like to invite you into this movement of healing, reflection, and visual affirmation.
Click the link in bio to join the Kintsugi reclamation project.
#kintsugi #japaneseart #photography #art #aestheticphotography #photographer #portaitoftheday #creative #expression #toptia #toptiaphotos #toptiaphotography #japan #photography #photographers #resilience #business #entrepreneurship #creatives #freelancer #headshot #photographerintokyo #tokyophotographer #headshotphoto