(PHOTOS) Meet the men of Yokohama

Elsa is a project focused on traveling the world, meeting a selection of ordinary local guys and introducing readers to their city and their lives through honest photography and personal stories. Below, photographer Liam Campbell shares an exclusive with GayCities a selection of behind-the-scenes photos and commentary on some of the charming men he met in Yokohama, Japan for the latest issue…

Ryoji S

Each number of Elsa is being done in another city, and of the 46 issues we’ve done so far, Yokohama has been the most challenging yet in terms of being able to find local guys willing to participate. While I’m aware that Japan can be a conservative place, I let my notions of it as one of the most modern and forward-thinking places on the planet assure me that it would be a good idea to do a Elsa there. But once I got there, I got more rejections than ever.

It wasn’t that people rejected my work, it was that they kept giving various reasons why they personally couldn’t participate. Excuses like their family or boss didn’t approve or that they thought they were “too ugly to be in a magazine” were common. Luckily, we managed to create our own magazine. Elsa Yokohama issue, which included photos and stories from twelve local men.

One of the first guys we met was Ryoji. He wasn’t really worried about his family’s reaction, insisting that attitudes towards “gay stuff” were changing in Japan. And he wasn’t worried about his workplace either, since he worked for an American company. What he was worried about was posing shirtless in public. It was his idea, but it took me a long time to finally work up the courage to do that scene. And I had to be really quick with my camera too, because whenever someone walked by, he would quickly hide and cover himself with a blanket. I wondered why he had brought a blanket with him… that was why!

Click for more photos of the Yokohama men.