There is a moment of the day, before the shrill sound of the alarm clocks, in which everything seems to pause. The light is light and reveals only the silhouettes of the buildings and the lines of the streets, the street lamps and neon lights of the signs illuminate the landscape intermittently and even the most chaotic cities look like small, almost uninhabited villages. 

Although it was enough to wake up a little earlier, there are still few people who challenge sleep to discover this urban beauty. One of them is Alessandro Zanoni, a visual designer and part-time photographer, who spent a few months among the most important Japanese cities, from Tokyo to Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka. 

Here, before the sunlight and heat flooded the streets, Alessandro, armed with his photographic spot, wandered through the suburbs, taking walks on the edge of the surreal, immortalizing the peace and quiet. 

Thus was born his photographic project “Rising in the Dark“, now in its third volume. A collection of photographs showing empty streets lined with small houses and low buildings and where, from time to time, you can see a parked car. The wires of electricity stand out against a background made by a sky that is clearing and abandoning the darkness for an infinity of rosy and heavenly shades. 

I wandered in the wee small hours, while the summer sunrise bright was approaching fast, trying to catch the suspension of a precious time that gives itself to few, chasing in vain the spirit of the ordinary-life in Japan. 

Below you can find a selection of shots, but to discover them all go to Alessandro Zanoni’s website and his Instagram profile.