Japanese version is here
For the first time at siesta magazine, external contributor Elena discovered us on Instagram, and we put together this special collaboration article beyond borders. We are thrilled to explore the street art and communities she has encountered throughout her travels around the world.
Through "The Homesick Moon” in May — an Art x Architecture collaboration conceptualised by siesta in Akashi, Japan, aimed at local revitalization — we have grown deeply interested in the local communities and their differences that are represented in diverse aspects of Japanese culture.
Text by Elena from Spain, edited by Natsuko from Japan / siesta magazine – we publish in both Japanese and English to share her passions with readers who are new to this unseen world.
Contributor: Elena Calderón Aláez
From Home to the Wall
Q: How should we describe you?
I would describe myself as an independent researcher and curator of Graffiti & Street Art, originally from Spain. I’ve lived in Tokyo since 2020, but my life has always been shaped by movement, curiosity, and discovery. Some people might call me a kind of flaneur, walking the city, observing, and documenting its hidden layers it’s my absolute passion. My focus is not only on showing art but on connecting it to people, stories, and communities.
Q: Where have you lived & traveled?
I was born and raised in Spain, but my path took me through different countries. Before settling in Japan, I spent time moving from country to country almost every year (including Greece, Sweden, Ireland, UK, Slovenia, Germany, Iceland. In 2020, I moved to Japan with a work and holiday in Yokohama, but at the same time, I was already developing my career as a curator and researcher. Since then, I’ve traveled around Europe and Asia, always trying to discover the graffiti and street art scenes wherever I go.
Found in Bilbao, Spain
Q: How long have you been in Japan?
I’ve been here since 2020, non-stop. During these years, Tokyo has become both a home and a field of research for me.
Q: Your origins: How do you describe your identity—hometown, family, friends, local community?
I grew up in Madrid, Spain in a creative and supportive environment, surrounded by family and friends who always encouraged me to follow my passions: travelling and art. My “local community” back home was open, social, and expressive. That identity shaped me into someone curious, outspoken, and eager to connect.
Q: Your impressions of Japanese communities vs. your local community.
In Japan, communities are more closed, private, and harder to approach, especially in the graffiti scene. Many artists here are secretive because of the illegality of graffiti. Sometimes, when I try to connect with them, they even ask me if I work for the police! That distance can be challenging, especially compared to the openness of my hometown community. But at the same time, I’ve learned to respect this way of protecting identity and privacy.
It gives the scene here a unique atmosphere: hidden, underground, almost invisible unless you know where to look.
This became a kind of challenge or “treasure hunt” for me, being able to discover all the artworks in the streets and getting to know all these artists behind them made it worth it.
Graffiti Journey
Q: How did you discover Graffiti?
I first discovered graffiti in Europe, specifically in Athens, Greece. I studied it for many years academically and personally, focusing on the history, theory, and practice of tags, throw-ups, and murals. Graffiti fascinated me because it’s both rebellious and creative, illegal but also poetic, and the most important aspect for me: ephemeral. Over time, I began writing articles and presenting at conferences in Portugal, Spain, and Slovenia, giving lectures in conferences about graffiti.
Q: Why did you start exploring beyond home?
Because graffiti is about travel, about seeing how the same language of writing changes from one city to another.
I wanted to understand not just my local scene but the global connections. Each country adds its own flavor, for example, some my favorites are: Brazil’s pixadores, Germany’s crews as 1up and Berlin Kidz, and Japan’s calligraphy (shodō)-inspired tags.
by LEDANIA, in Tokyo Meguro
Found in Tokyo Sangenjya
Q: Why Japan? What draws you here—culturally, artistically, or in terms of Graffiti?
I heard that Tokyo’s graffiti scene was extremely underground, almost invisible, because of strict laws. That caught my attention. As a researcher, I wanted to know: how do artists survive in such a restrictive environment? Culturally, I was fascinated by Japan’s unique aesthetics: minimalism, calligraphy, manga, pop culture and how they could merge with graffiti. My long-term goal was to pursue a PhD at Tokyo University of the Arts on Japanese graffiti.
With KUUA from Osaka
Q: How do you explore Graffiti in Japan? Do you focus only on Tokyo?
My main focus is Tokyo, which I see as the equivalent of New York for graffiti: the heart of the scene, but not representative of the entire country. I’m also interested in other regions, but Tokyo’s mix of chaos, density, and subcultures makes it a central field. I guide a Street Art & Graffiti Walking Tour in Shibuya and Harajuku, showing visitors not only murals and legal projects but also hidden tags and the city’s layered graffiti. And I’m working on a new tour around Koenji and Nakano, to show something even more local.
Q: Community & streets: How do you find differences between 'local community' and 'street' in Japan vs. abroad through Graffiti?
In Europe, the community is more open, although graffiti is illegal too, but artists are easier to approach, and they often work collectively.
In Japan, the community is fragmented and very private.
Crews are secretive, and there’s a big gap between those who paint legal murals and those who do illegal tagging. As a foreign curator, I sometimes feel misunderstood, some artists think I want to create controversy between these groups. But my aim is the opposite: to research and highlight both perspectives equally. I love researching both illegal and legal works, as both are important parts of the culture. I'm also interested in their techniques, locations, and the messages they transmit.
Q: Do these definitions change depending on the region?
Yes. For example, in Osaka, there’s a slightly different vibe, more raw and expressive, with strong tagging culture. In Tokyo, the density and surveillance make it harder, so the underground feeling is stronger. Each region of Japan has its own style, just like in Europe. Also in Osaka is easier to get permissions to paint huge legal murals, and that’s why projects like YODOKABE are only possible there.
Outside the urban centers - Found in Takasaki, Gunma
Reflections & Future
Q: What does Graffiti mean to you?
Graffiti, for me, is a way of understanding society. It’s about who claims space, who has a voice, and how people resist being invisible.
It’s also about aesthetics: tags, throw-ups, murals, they are different alphabets of expression. I’m fascinated by Japanese artists who mix American tagging with Kanji, Katakana, Hiragana, or even Shodō (traditional calligraphy). Some incorporate mythological creatures or religious motifs. For me, this is the perfect combination: tradition, religion, and culture blending with new urban aesthetics.
Inspired by Origami – Japanese traditional paper folding
Q: Future plans—continuing research, projects, dreams?
At the heart of my work with graffiti lies a simple question: the act of covering a wall with gray paint, or leaving strange traces of what was once there, is another form of art. But who decides what stays and what is erased?
Looking ahead, I want to keep exploring this question through multiple lenses—and to expand them even further. Academically, I’m continuing my research and working toward a PhD on Japanese graffiti at Tokyo University of the Arts. On the ground, I’m developing the Tokyo Street Art & Graffiti Walking Tour that I organized. And on a curatorial level, I’m collaborating more deeply with cultural platforms such as TOTEMO, connecting graffiti with local communities and traditions—including in rural areas.
KAZZROCK & TABOO1 for DIG SHIBUYA, in Harajuku with TOMEMO
Together with TOTEMO, we create visibility for international artists in Japan and Japanese artists abroad—a real bridge between Japan and the global art market. We’ve produced murals in Harajuku and organized collaborations with artists like MUEBON, TABOO1, KAZZROCK, LEDANIA, NYCHOS, and JEREMY YAMAMURA…
Jeremy Mamamura’s work also appears in another interview by siesta
In the future, I’d love to work with Japan’s major art festivals—such as Biwako Biennale, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, and Setouchi Triennale—to bring graffiti and murals into rural regions, not just the big cities. For me, it’s important to show that graffiti can exist anywhere, it can connect with local communities and traditions just as strongly outside the urban centers.
I also continue writing for international platforms like ike Sabukaru, Yokogao, and UP Magazine in New York, while expanding my walking tours, seasonal exhibition blogs, and public talks.
My focus is not only on showing art, but on connecting it to people, stories, and communities. Through this, I hope to show that graffiti is not limited to cities—it can take root anywhere, resonating with traditions and local voices just as strongly beyond urban walls.
You can find more with Elena: Tokyo Street Art & Graffiti Walking Tour
Text & photos by Elena Calderón Aláez
Edited & Japanese translation by Natsuko
