Photographs by Robert Götzfried reveal the surprising quiet of Tokyo at night

With around 38 million people living there, you'd think that it would be buzzing wherever you go. But that's not the case when you step away from the main strips. "I wanted to picture the city away from the famous hot spots like Shibuya or the Tokyo Sky Tree," Robert tells Creative Boom. "I ended up in residential neighbourhoods in Minato City. It's that part of the city where actual real-life people live and hang out – or not.

"Unlike most stories that I have seen about Tokyo before these parts of the city are simply empty at night time. I guess it makes perfect sense – most of the folks have to go work the next day, just like everywhere else in the world. I found a city that sleeps."

In the series, there's a sense of calm and quiet throughout. Neon lights might still be glowing in parts with the odd reassuring vending machine blinking brightly in the darkness, but there isn't a soul to be seen as Robert wanders the backstreets of the more residential parts of Tokyo.

Discover more of his latest work at robert-goetzfried.com. Or follow Robert on Instagram or Facebook.