A uniform specialty store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, sells an exhaustive range of attire for medical staff, chefs, security guards and various other workers. What does a brand-new uniform mean to these workers? For 3 days in mid-March, we asked that question to customers including a dentist expanding their wardrobe; a restaurant part-time worker buying new shoes; and the owner of a traditional Japanese restaurant desperately trying to keep her business afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

A small, unmanned train station on the Noto Peninsula facing the Sea of Japan, is quiet for most of the year. But each spring, the station comes to life as about 100 cherry blossom trees flanking the tracks burst into bloom. The visitors included a woman and her elderly mother admiring the view of the petals, trains and nearby ocean; a man reminiscing about an inspiring high school teacher; and an elderly couple who helped plant some of the trees and who volunteer to keep the station clean. For 3 days, we asked people what the blossoms at this station mean to them.