Rock 'n' roll is an extreme sport and can seriously damage your health. Just ask Eri Shibata, who's fast becoming one of Japan's most celebrated "rock chicks." At a bar in Shibuya she pulls back the collar of her blouse to reveal a 10-cm scar running down from the nape of her neck.

But Shibata, known as Shiva-Eri in music circles, is not in a band, risking being dragged off stage by over-excited fans or pelted with bottles by disgruntled punters. No, it's far worse than that. As a rock photographer, she's often crouched in the no man's land between the baying crowds and the stage, where she snaps away with her camera and tries to avoid bodies that fly her way.

"During an Abnormals show, one band member jumped from the stage, kicked me in the head and I blacked out. And with all that moshing and stage-diving, I'm often left covered in bruises. But it's all part of the job," she says with a shrug.