Shooting Tokyo

• Thursday, January 26, 2012
• Posted in Learn Photography, Tokyo
• 19 Comments

I often get emails from people getting ready to travel to Tokyo asking for advice on where to shoot.   Tokyo is such a fascinating city.  It is bigger than you can possibly imagine.   I bet you could ask 10 photographers this question and get 10 very different answers.   I tend to shoot as I am going about my life so much of my photography is ‘daily life’ or places I have chosen to visit.  I have not actually photographed many of the ‘tourist’ places and I probably need to do a bit more of that.

Here is my Tokyo…as I live it and shoot it.

One of my favorite little places is called Yakitori Ally, or Omoide Yokocho, in Shinjuku.  Cramped bars and restaurants give you a view into post war Japan.    It has a great atmosphere for early evening photography.

Another favorite is Hamonica Yokocho in Kichijoji.   In the 1940s it was an underground flea market but now a few alleys of unique bars, restaurants and shops.   It is smoky, crowded and everyone is very friendly.  You can get there from Shinjuku in about 20 minutes by train.

There is a great little section on the edge of Yurakucho and Ginza that lines the train tracks.  It is a maze of little alleys of Yakitori restaurants and Izakaiya bars.   The mix of people, smoke, light and food makes for a great atmosphere for taking photos.

One of my favorite spots for night shooting is Shinjuku’s Golden Gai.  It is a small area of Shinjuku that is famous by architectural interest as well as a budding nightlife area.     There are over 200 tiny shanty-style bars and restaurants within the six narrow alleys that make up Golden Gai.    Golden Gai provides a view into the relatively recent past of Tokyo when much of the city was made up of narrow lanes and tiny two story buildings.   You can find Golden Gai a few minutes from the East Exit of Shinjuku Station between the Shinjuku City Office and the Hanazono Shrine.

Most of these bars seat only 5 to 6 people adding to their charm.

Golden Gai is full of interesting characters…

Just on the edge of Golden Gai and Korea Town there are a few noodle shops where you can see chefs hand tossing Chinese noodles…

With Tokyo being such a crowded city it can look extremely empty late at night or early in the morning making for very interesting photography…

There are small temples everywhere in Tokyo.  I found many of them simply searching on Google Maps.  They are all different and full of little charms to photograph.

Tokyo is full of parks you can spend hours in.  One of my favorites is Yoyogi Park.   It is located right next to Meji Jingu Shrine and Harajuku.   It is great for people watching and photography…

Then of course there is Shibuya…probably my most favorite place to photograph.   Something is always going on in Shibuya.

This is Hachiko…the famous loyal dog!

…and Shibuya’s famous crossing.  It gets so busy that up to 3,000 people cross at a single light change.   Check out this time lapse video to see just how busy it is.

If you go to the Marc City Hotel… you can take the guest elevator to the 25th floor and get a great view of the crossing from above.

…and some roof top soccer!

There are always bands performing outside Shibuya Station…

As well as lots of interesting people…

If you have kids you need to take a quick trip over to Hamamatsucho and check out the Pokemon Shop.  It is quite a sight and they sell Pokemon items that are only available in that shop.

I do the majority of my shooting on the train.   The green ring on this map is the Yamanote Line.   It takes one full hour to make the complete circle.  You can get off at just about any stop and find interesting things to photograph or simply ride the train and catch the action going on in the train and at the station.

The stations are massive and often packed which can lead to all sorts of photographic opportunities.

Get up early and catch the Tokyo Commute at Shibuya Station at 8:30-8:45Am… it will be a rush of people like you have never experienced before.

Or stay up late and experience the crowd on ‘last train’ at 1AM…

Or even better, stay up all night and ride ‘first train’ home…

I love shooting myself in these mirrors…

…the girl over my shoulder was amused.

Also pay attention to the different signage around Japan… it can make for some great photography as well.

Japan has a lot of holiday’s which make for great opportunities for photography starting with New Year’s Day…

New Year’s Day is quickly followed by Coming of Age Day on the second Monday of January.   The streets of Tokyo fill with young Kimono clad women everywhere you turn celebrating their entrance into adulthood…

Early April brings the Cherry Blossoms. There is no better place to see them than along Meguro River in Nakameguro. Festivals are held all along the river. Crowds pour in to eat and drink along the river under the pink flowers…

May 3rd is Constitution Day in Japan.    Japan’s current constitution implemented after World War II in 1947 was drawn up to replace Japan’s militaristic and absolute monarchy and replace it with democracy.   It turned the Emperor of Japan into “the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people” and exercises a purely ceremonial role.   It also formally rejects Japan’s right to wage war which is why it is commonly referred to as the Peace Constitution.   Not everyone in Japan agrees with the new constitution and some people would prefer that the Emperor is ‘returned to power’.    If you look around you will find the Tokyo Riot Police squaring off with those protesting against the new constitution.

July and August is filled with Matsuri festivals. It’s a bit hard to explain a Matsuri if you haven’t experienced one but basically people gather in town squares to socialize, drink and occasionally carry this float around…

At Christmas Tokyo is covered with Christmas lights…

When shooting cities always try to get up high.   Many office buildings you can take the elevator to the top and shoot out the window to get a great view of the city… here are a couple of examples.

You can really get a sense of the size of Tokyo this way…

Roppongi Hills Sky View offers you the chance to shoot from the roof for 1,800 yen.   The view is breathtaking and you can get some amazing pictures.   Unfortunately tripods are not allowed.

Tokyo has some pretty amazing architecture as well.   Make sure you take time to notice how amazing many of the buildings are like Roppongi Hills…

Tokyo International Forum…

Shinjuku Maynds Tower…

Tokyo Midtown…

I love cars and Tokyo has some pretty amazing car dealerships.    It is pretty easy to get in and shoot some of the most expensive cars in the world… Like at the Audi Forum Tokyo.

Or the Lamborghini Shop in Hiroo….

Japan has an endless number of camera stores but here are my favorites….starting with Leica Ginza.  You can spend hours lusting some of the world’s best and most expensive cameras.

Like the lovely Leica M9-P…

There is a small gallery on the 2nd floor where you can see some work of the featured artist.   You can also buy some photography books…

If you have a habit of breaking your gear like I do…Naoki can fix it for you!   This guy is a Rock Star in my book!

Just down the street and across Ginza crossing is the famous Lemon Camera.   It is packed with a huge selection of used cameras and well worth the stop.

In Shinjuku there is MAP camera carrying a selection of new and used cameras…  The basement is Leica but they have floors for Canon, Nikon, Pentax and others.   It’s a cool shop.

The flagship store of Yodobashi Camera is also in Shinjuku.   It is hard to describe how big this place is… I think it is 8 or 1o buildings now.   Just massive.   Anything you want, they probably have.

Another great little shop is Lucky Camera just on the other side of Shinjuku Station from Yodobashi.    It is packed with lots of old Leica equipment.

I got a lucky find at Lucky Camera when I first started shooting Leica.  I wanted to find the original plastic 35mm viewfinder.   I called a few shops in Hong Kong who told me I would never find it and if I did it would cost me more than $1,000 USD…then I got lucky at Lucky.

There are also Camera Shows all the time, like this one in Shibuya. Make sure you check local magazines before you come.  There are thousands or more camera shops but these are the ones that I like to go to.   If you are looking for something rare and struggling to find it make sure you check with Bellamy Hunt from Japan Camera Hunter.   He can find anything…

Lastly let’s chat about food…  You cannot talk about Tokyo without talking about the amazing food available here.  One of the best places in my mind is Nobu Tokyo.   Eating at Nobu, it is an experience in Japanese fusion dining.   Nobu is owned by master Chef Nobu Matsushita and actor Robert De Niro.   Nobu Tokyo is a very visually stunning restaurant.    It can run up to 20,000 per person but worth every yen…

Another favorite of mine is Heaven in Roppongi. It is Japanese Tappanyaki. Great food for about 15,000 yen per person.

Another treat is Gompachi in Nishi Azabu.   It is great Japanese fare for about 10,000 per person.   It is very reasonably priced and the food is excellent.  This is the restaurant that they replicated for the big fight scene in Kill Bill.

You must try sushi if you are in Japan.  So many people have never had it before coming to Japan and become lovers before they leave.   I never ate seafood, for the most part, before moving to Japan.   Now I eat sushi for lunch at least 3 days a week.   If you are hitting Lucky Camera, Ougi Sushi is just a few doors down…

Sushi comes in all grades and in all price ranges…from 1,000 yen to 10,000 yen.

Many places have ‘sets’ and you can try a bit of everything…they are usually very reasonably priced at lunch.

But make sure to try ‘Negitoromaki’ before you leave Japan…absolutely the best.

Kaiten Sushi, or Conveyor Belt Sushi, can be a lot of fun and great for photography…

I give McDonald’s a lot of flack here sometimes but one thing you must try if you are here in September/October is the annual Tsukimi Burger…it is so good.   So are a lot of their monthly promotional specials.

I hope you enjoyed.   I will continue to update this guide so make sure to check back before your trip.   Leave a comment and let me know what you found in Tokyo or if there are places you think I should add.   Thanks for stopping by.

 

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• Show comments (19)
  • April 14, 2012 at 9:21 pm, Dave said:

    Kevin – Thanks for reaching out. I actually do need some graphic design help. I’ll drop you a mail.

  • April 14, 2012 at 5:43 am, Kevin van Diest said:

    Hi Dave,

    I just wanted to compliment you, you’re doing a great job. Your pics are awesome, nice angle’s and lightning…..and very important you really know how to picture Tokyo. I went there in 2007 and really feeling a bit homesick after watching your blog!

    If you ever want to redesign your blog/ website I would love to do this for you or collaborate with you. I just love Japan, the culture, language, food, nature, manga/anime, movies, infrastructure and architecture.

    Feel free to contact me… Always great to chat with someone who’s interested in Japan!

    ^_^

  • January 30, 2012 at 6:05 am, Dave said:

    Nimish – I don’t have issues with photographing people in Japan. I tend to ask to signal to someone I am going to take their photo vs. shooting people up close without letting them know first. Tokyo is pretty easy to get around, even without Japanese but I won’t say people are comfortable with the English language.

  • January 30, 2012 at 4:50 am, Nimish said:

    Hi Dave,
    This post has been a very very helpful one. Specially for someone like me who is into street photography, places such as Golden Gai are a treasure trove.
    Just wanted to ask one more question. I have this impression of Japanese people being very formal and disciplined. As a street photographer, will it be problematic to shoot people from up close?
    Also if you do not know any Japanese, is it easy to find your way around the city. Are people there comfortable with the English language? Apart from the train stations, do other places also have signboards in English?
    Thanks

  • January 29, 2012 at 2:45 pm, jchb said:

    Having made over 200 trips to Tokyo over many years I can truly say that you have really captured the soul of the city. You could add Ginza, Harajuku or Tsukiji if you wanted to cover more areas but even as is it’s terrific.

  • January 28, 2012 at 8:50 am, Dave said:

    Norbert… I added Ueno to my list while writing this as I realized I had so few photos of Ueno.

  • January 28, 2012 at 8:49 am, Dave said:

    Thanks for the suggestion Al. I don’t think I have ever walked around Yanaka but it’s on the list now.

  • January 28, 2012 at 8:46 am, Dave said:

    Thanks so much Gabby…
    Thanks Spencer. Daily life is what interests me.

  • January 28, 2012 at 8:41 am, rudolf said:

    Nice pics! Love Yoyogi Park. so beautiful throughout all 4 seasons!

    Also dont miss Omotesando. Center of art. Great for picture shooting and spend relaxing time.

  • January 28, 2012 at 7:54 am, Arefti said:

    So many great pictures. Love the rooftop soccer game. It looks so unreal.

  • January 27, 2012 at 11:19 pm, Norbert said:

    Great summary and fantastic photography, really enjoyed looking at all of it! Love the yakitori stalls around Yurakucho Stn, too, and would perhaps add Ueno area. Cheers Dave.

  • January 27, 2012 at 6:09 pm, Jack said:

    Thanks for the response and the full guide as promised ! Awesome post!

  • January 27, 2012 at 11:08 am, Al said:

    What about Yanaka? I love that part of Tokyo.

  • January 27, 2012 at 9:21 am, Snagator said:

    Predivne fotografije, kao da sam bio u obilasku, fantastično.
    (Beautiful photos, as I was on the tour, fantastic.)

  • January 27, 2012 at 7:04 am, Lisa said:

    I love it all!

  • January 27, 2012 at 6:23 am, Goukaseishi said:

    Great shots . Making me want to visit Japan again!

  • January 27, 2012 at 3:01 am, Gabby said:

    I love your blog! The photography is great, and I love how you’re able to capture everyday life. I’ve been following you by email without commenting, but I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your posts. They make me want to visit Tokyo!

  • January 27, 2012 at 2:20 am, Spencer said:

    Seeing tourist attractions is great. But as a historian and anthropologist i am completely floored by the daily life in other cultures. You do such a great job with capturing it.

  • January 26, 2012 at 11:46 pm, Mark Esguerra said:

    Great post Dave. You selected some excellent spots!