Staten Island may soon be as well known for its sushi as its pizza.

The number of Japanese restaurants in the borough have tripled in the last four years, by one observer’s estimate. And some of the new eateries, like the Fushimi Restaurant and Lounge, aren’t even Japanese owned.

“It’s really a big trend now,” Joey Tse, Fushimi’s Chinese owner, said of the sushi boom.

Photographer Anke Michaelson found artistic solace in church.

Churches in and around Staten Island’s North Shore are the subjects of Michaelson’s new photography series, Midnight Churches. The pictures, shot at night, feature churches whose lights are off, save for a few prayer candles in some.

Michaelson, 27, said she photographed the dark church interiors by placing two cameras in each house of worship and allowing the film to expose between one and three hours – creating a scene that can’t be seen by the naked eye.

“It’s just an extraordinary view of something everyone knows,” said Michaelson, whose pictures are on display in her husband’s restaurant, Marie’s Gourmet. “You get this effect like sculptures are illuminated and the colors are different.”

Michaelson said she chose churches because of the stained-glass windows. Sometimes she would have to visit a church four or five times to get the effect she sought. “It was definitely a learning experience,” she said.

The project was funded by a grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities of Staten Island (COAHSI), said Michaelson, who has lived on Staten Island since emigrating from Germany as an au pair.

Her husband of seven years, Brian Michaelson, said he is glad to have the photos in Marie’s Gourmet, noting the works give the Italian café a feeling of warmth.

“I love them. I think they’re amazing,” he said. “When I was hiring, people came in and would call the booths pews. The pictures communicated that to them subliminally.”

The pictures, which will be on display through at least February 2008, are being sold for $500 to $700 each. Marie’s Gourmet is located at 977 Victory Blvd.

Angela Huggins works in Staten Island, but lives in Jersey City, N.J. For her, commuting to work was a hassle.

The 47-year-old used to take the Journal Square-World Trade Center PATH train into Manhattan, then the 1 train to the Staten Island ferry terminal, followed by the ferry to Staten Island, where she would finally take a bus to her job.
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