Greg Girard - Snack Sakura - 2025
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Description from the seller
Snack Sakura. A Journey Through the Bars of Japan.
If you know Japan you’ll know a certain kind of drinking place called a snack. They are found all over the country, in large cities and small towns. Typically they consist of a counter and a few stools, perhaps a booth or two, usually presided over by a middle-aged woman, the mama, or less often, by a man, the master. The customers tend to be regulars. Unlike a regular bar where a first time customer simply walks in and sits down, the etiquette in a snack for a newcomer is to first ask the mama if it’s ok to come in. The entertainment, if one can call it that, apart from a simple drink menu, is conversation with the mama, conversation with other customers, and karaoke. At the time of writing they are considered the least fashionable places in the country to have a drink.
Some years ago while travelling in Japan I noticed that every town seemed to have a snack named “Sakura”. Sakura, or cherry blossom, is so common a name for a business as to be a bit unimaginative perhaps. Though in a way that seemed in keeping with how unfashionable these places were. It really did seem like every town had one and, upon checking with the All Japan Snack Owners Association, they confirmed that indeed, among their members, Snack Sakura was the most common name. And so I decided to try and visit and photograph as many as I could, across the country from Okinawa to Hokkaido.
In the beginning I had simply stumbled across Snack Sakuras, without looking for them. Once I decided to actually try to find them, things got rather more difficult. Many of them have no phone numbers or web presence. For others that do, by the time you get there you discover they have changed their names, or the building was torn down, or they closed and never re-opened. But little by little I started to make headway. Until after six years of travelling the country I’ve now photographed snacks named “Sakura” in more than half of Japan’s forty-seven prefectures. “Snack Sakura” introduces this not exactly “hidden” world of snacks but one that only comes into view when you look at it from a certain angle.
Seller's Story
Dartbooks is a specialized photography bookshop based in Barcelona, dedicated to photobooks, rare and out-of-print editions, and historically significant publications. With a strong focus on Japanese photography, Dartbooks was founded to provide continuity to a field that requires depth, expertise, and careful curation.
The bookshop was established after the closure of Kowasa, a landmark reference for photography books in Spain. Its disappearance left a clear gap for photographers, collectors, and institutions in need of a space with a serious and knowledgeable approach to the photobook. Dartbooks emerged in response to that need, not as a replacement, but as part of the natural evolution of a cultural ecosystem.
Dartbooks operates with a curatorial mindset, shaped by long-term engagement with photography and book collecting. The project functions as a book hunting platform for collectors, professionals, and libraries worldwide, and also provides advisory support to other bookshops seeking to develop coherent and specialized photography collections.
The catalogue includes new publications, rare and out-of-print titles, monographs, retrospectives, self-published works, signed copies, and editions produced directly by photographers through their own imprints. The selection reflects a sustained commitment to photography as a form of visual narration, where images construct meaning beyond text.
Although rooted in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona, Dartbooks serves an international audience. Its community includes collectors, professionals, and institutions from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and beyond, both through the physical space and the online platform.
Dartbooks understands the photobook not merely as an object of consumption, but as a cultural artifact that documents artistic practices, historical contexts, and personal visions. The bookshop functions simultaneously as a place of discovery, an archive in constant growth, and a point of connection between photographers, publishers, and readers.
Snack Sakura. A Journey Through the Bars of Japan.
If you know Japan you’ll know a certain kind of drinking place called a snack. They are found all over the country, in large cities and small towns. Typically they consist of a counter and a few stools, perhaps a booth or two, usually presided over by a middle-aged woman, the mama, or less often, by a man, the master. The customers tend to be regulars. Unlike a regular bar where a first time customer simply walks in and sits down, the etiquette in a snack for a newcomer is to first ask the mama if it’s ok to come in. The entertainment, if one can call it that, apart from a simple drink menu, is conversation with the mama, conversation with other customers, and karaoke. At the time of writing they are considered the least fashionable places in the country to have a drink.
Some years ago while travelling in Japan I noticed that every town seemed to have a snack named “Sakura”. Sakura, or cherry blossom, is so common a name for a business as to be a bit unimaginative perhaps. Though in a way that seemed in keeping with how unfashionable these places were. It really did seem like every town had one and, upon checking with the All Japan Snack Owners Association, they confirmed that indeed, among their members, Snack Sakura was the most common name. And so I decided to try and visit and photograph as many as I could, across the country from Okinawa to Hokkaido.
In the beginning I had simply stumbled across Snack Sakuras, without looking for them. Once I decided to actually try to find them, things got rather more difficult. Many of them have no phone numbers or web presence. For others that do, by the time you get there you discover they have changed their names, or the building was torn down, or they closed and never re-opened. But little by little I started to make headway. Until after six years of travelling the country I’ve now photographed snacks named “Sakura” in more than half of Japan’s forty-seven prefectures. “Snack Sakura” introduces this not exactly “hidden” world of snacks but one that only comes into view when you look at it from a certain angle.
Seller's Story
Dartbooks is a specialized photography bookshop based in Barcelona, dedicated to photobooks, rare and out-of-print editions, and historically significant publications. With a strong focus on Japanese photography, Dartbooks was founded to provide continuity to a field that requires depth, expertise, and careful curation.
The bookshop was established after the closure of Kowasa, a landmark reference for photography books in Spain. Its disappearance left a clear gap for photographers, collectors, and institutions in need of a space with a serious and knowledgeable approach to the photobook. Dartbooks emerged in response to that need, not as a replacement, but as part of the natural evolution of a cultural ecosystem.
Dartbooks operates with a curatorial mindset, shaped by long-term engagement with photography and book collecting. The project functions as a book hunting platform for collectors, professionals, and libraries worldwide, and also provides advisory support to other bookshops seeking to develop coherent and specialized photography collections.
The catalogue includes new publications, rare and out-of-print titles, monographs, retrospectives, self-published works, signed copies, and editions produced directly by photographers through their own imprints. The selection reflects a sustained commitment to photography as a form of visual narration, where images construct meaning beyond text.
Although rooted in the Gràcia neighbourhood of Barcelona, Dartbooks serves an international audience. Its community includes collectors, professionals, and institutions from France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and beyond, both through the physical space and the online platform.
Dartbooks understands the photobook not merely as an object of consumption, but as a cultural artifact that documents artistic practices, historical contexts, and personal visions. The bookshop functions simultaneously as a place of discovery, an archive in constant growth, and a point of connection between photographers, publishers, and readers.
Details
Number of books
1
Subject
Photography
Book title
Snack Sakura
Author/ Illustrator
Greg Girard
Condition
As new
Publication year oldest item
2025
Height
28.2 cm
Edition
1st Edition
Width
22.4 cm
Language
English, Japanese
Original language
Yes
Publisher
Kominek Books
Binding/ Material
Hardback
Extras
Dust jacket
Number of pages
276
