Tokyo has a weird thing going on when it comes to graffiti. The punishments are severe and the city’s population density doesn’t exactly lend itself to covert vandalism, but at the same time it’s  one of the best places to get lost with a marker and a must-do when it comes to getting up globally. On one hand the Japanese megalopolis is a writer’s dream: shoplifting gear is as easy as pie and you can pass out drunk on the street without getting mugged.

But on the flipside you’ve got massive fines, ungodly jail bids and hard-to-locate resources. This juxtaposition of a paradise that hovers just above hell has kept Tokyo cleaner than it should be, but has also lead to the development of a bustling sticker scene, with loads of local and global talent opting for this safer option in their pursuit to re-aestheticize the city’s virgin surfaces:

photos by Allison O’Connor