Nikkor Club No. 37 Hong Kong Special Issue （1966）

A historical fragment, a cultural observation, and an unexpected chapter in the work of one of Japan’s most important photographers.

Published in the summer of 1966, this rare and visually striking issue of Nikkor Club magazine offers a fascinating glimpse into postwar Hong Kong, captured through the eyes of Japanese photographers at a pivotal moment in the city’s transformation. Published by the Nikon-affiliated Nikkor Club, the magazine blends documentary photography, urban observation, and visual storytelling into a compelling historical record.

The cover features a dazzling nighttime collage of neon signs—a quintessential image of 1960s Hong Kong, when neon was more than light: it was language, movement, identity. Inside, the issue presents both color and black-and-white photographs, covering street life, working-class neighborhoods, and fleeting human encounters.

Among the highlights is a series of images photographed in Hong Kong by the legendary Eikoh Hosoe, known internationally for his experimental, deeply expressive photographic language. While best known for his work with Tatsumi Hijikata and Yukio Mishima, Hosoe's photographs in this issue reveal a rare, more observational mode—subtle, humanistic, yet unmistakably charged with his sense of form and drama. These images add a new layer to his oeuvre and offer a striking contrast to his more theatrical works.

The issue also includes:

• A visual chronicle of David Douglas Duncan’s visit to Japan,

• A Hong Kong-themed photo contest featuring award-winning entries by Nikkor Club members, including Eikoh Hosoe

• Observational street scenes, children in play, daily life in crowded alleys, and markets from a distinctly Japanese lens.