Adam - Adam in Japan

Embracing the Magic of Tokyo at Night: My Beginner’s Journey into City Photography

Lately, I’ve been feeling the urge to explore more of Tokyo and capture some of the incredible moments and views scattered throughout this massive city. Mainly to take pictures, but also maybe just a little bit to be that cool, hip guy with a camera. Anyway, I’ve been seeing a lot of photography content online ,more specifically stuff relating to taking photos in Tokyo—where to take photos, the general adventure of street photography, and so on. So, I decided to give it a try and bought my first camera last month: a used Nikon D3100. After a lot of research, it seemed to be the best entry camera for me to get started.

From what I’ve gathered so far, it seems like I got a really good deal as well. The camera came with a lens, a strap, two batteries, and even a carrying case. Surprisingly, the camera itself is quite spotless, especially considering the previous owners had it since it’s release. After buying it, it really reinforces what I’ve already noticed a few times when buying used items in Japan: Japanese people REALLY take good care of their stuff. I am constantly surprised at not only how well things are taken care of, but also at how often things marked as “Class B” and “Class C” are in much better condition than you’d expect from similar items in the same categories in the U.S. (Of course, you still have to be careful.)

That said, it seems I might not have made the best decision with this particular camera. The photos that have been inspiring me recently are mostly nighttime shots, and from what I’ve gathered online, this camera isn’t great in low-light situations. But hey, that’s a challenge I’m willing to TAKE! So with that in mind, I did a little bit of research on how to take photos (just the basics), watched some tutorials on how to use my camera, and then set out to shoot some shots.

My first, last and only stop this time was Ikebukuro, a district located in northwestern portion of central Tokyo, a place I go to quite often and know quite well. It’s place with plenty of night time views and hidden rooftops. Now there is a certain feeling of being up, right in the middle of the city, that I’m not sure if I’ve managed to captured with my pictures. I’m not sure how to describe it, but Tokyo’s cityscapes really make you feel a certain way. Sometimes, you really feel as if you are in a world of concrete and pipes and building fixtures. It makes me feel as if the city of Neo-Tokyo in Akira really isn’t all that farfetched—just a bit more extreme than the real modern Tokyo. It really is a special feeling. Especially when you go out in the middle of the night when there are barely any people around, it’s as if the city is alive and you’re the only one witnessing its breathing… you know, if I can say that without sounding like I belong in a pretentious indie movie.

Honestly, though, I really need to explore Tokyo more at night. It’s such a unique experience, and there are so many incredible sights and experiences to be had. The trick is having the willpower to stay up and not sleep too much. But I can definitely recommend it to anyone living or visiting Japan. It’s such a unique experience and honestly, it’s one of the few cities in the world where you can wander through every alley, nook, and cranny in the middle of the night and feel completely safe doing so. Anyways, I’m still new when it comes to photography, but I think the photos turned out alright.

Would you spend some time in the dark hours to explore the city?

Mount Takao and Hiking in Japan

So around 2 years was the first time I had come to Japan. At that time I was just going to be here for 3 months and then go on to do more traveling, but the important thing was that it was the end of November when I came. Wanting to have the best experience I could I had done a lot of research and made quite the intensive itinerary, BUT the one thing I was getting recommended online and subsequently completely forgot to add to the itinerary was seeing the Autumn colours (yes I just spelled colors with a ‘u’, what are you gonna do about it?). So this coupled with the fact that I had booked my entire first week to be in Tokyo, meant I wouldn’t have the chance to see them as they were to change colors and runaway before I could get to them.

So ever since that time I have been waiting, patiently, for them to reappear so that I may capture them! And see them in all there glory. My plans were set, and they were finally carried out over this weekend where I went to Takao-san (Mount Takao) and finally got to see the Autumn colours, sort of, but we’ll get to that later. You see Takao-san is the go-to hiking/nature destination for people living in Tokyo wanting to get out, feel surrounded by nature, get some leg work in and see some fantastic views. You can even see Mount Fuji on a good day. It’s only 1 hour from central Tokyo and has direct access by train, so it’s perfect for those wanting some nature but also not wanting to travel too far.

Anyways, I had finally decided this was the time to go and although I had planned this out my other plans for the morning had gotten a little out of hand and ended up getting there around 4:00pm. Given that 5:00pm is now sunset time in Japan I was a little worried about reaching the summit in time to be able to see anything. But alas, I had finally gotten there and guess what I saw on the train in. Lots of trees, and guess what color they were. GREEN. For some reason I assumed Autumn colours just started in early November and I had heard some people talking about the Autumn colours in the supermarket the other day so I just assumed it was now. And assumed I should not have. I was heartbroken, crushed, and most of all devastated. Turns out, it’s in another 2 weeks.

But I wasn’t going to let that ruin my enjoyment of the hike and nature. Nevertheless I needed to hurry if I was to get any of the views I had heard about, and considering the hike normally takes 90 minutes I REALLY needed to hurry. Luckily though, there is a cable car or chair lift that goes halfway up the mountain and cuts that time in half, so I spent the 450 yen ($3-ish dollars) and chose that route. This was honestly really fun, and since the lift closes at 4:30pm I was pretty much the only one going up, which was nice if not a bit lonely. At the half-way point there is a pretty nice view of the city from the Tokyo side of the mountain and quite a few shops, a beer garden and food stands selling famous Takao-san treats like the extra large Takao-san dango.

From there it was a simple walk up the mountainous roads passing another viewpoint and dango stand and made my way to Yakuoin Temple near the summit.

Honestly as temples go in Japan I believe it is quite unique, especially as it’s the first temple I’ve ever seen Tengu statues at, the mischievous supernatural beings found in Japanese folklore (typically red faced and long nosed). From my experience I’ve only seen Tengu in the form of masks in festivals and portrayed in media as tricky, mischievous characters. This was the first time I had seen them at a temple and they were kind enough to pose for me when taking a picture.

In any case the temple was quite large and after seeing the various pagodas and smaller shrines I made my way to the summit. Reaching the summit took another solid 5-minute speed walk through a pitch-black forest path at the top of the temple—no lanterns, just my misguided faith in my non-adjusted eyes to see the path and not to trip over something in the dark. Somehow, I made it just in time to witness the sun going down behind the mountains. And sadly Fuji-san was the only mountain being covered by clouds. But I did manage to experience and capture some amazing views from the top.

It’s a me

Hey my name’s Adam and I moved to Japan about 1 year ago now, well 10 months I guess. I’m from the US of A and am 25 years old. I’m currently working as a Software Developer at a haken-gaisha (dispatch company) and spend my time exploring Tokyo, studying languages (if I ever make the time), and working on a video game I am currently making. Well, here’s my introduction, I guess!

Now living in Japan has been… pretty… crazy. I know that might sound bad but there are just so many things to talk about when it comes to living here and I don’t know how else to put it. There are lots of good parts and also some bad parts. But don’t get me wrong, living here is amazing.

I’m not sure where to start but here it goes. I know it goes without saying, but in Japan almost every aspect of life is so different from the place I grew up in the US (Missouri btw). Just even going to the store is so different. For one, just being able to walk to a supermarket five minutes away is something I never have experienced before. And even that comes with new challenges and parts of daily life. In America, you can get this massive cart where you can fit AT LEAST an entire person into it with some room below that. So that means you can fit pretty much as many groceries as you want and get like a month’s worth of groceries in one trip.

In Japan on the other hand all we have is a simple normal size shopping basket and if you’re lucky, there are separate carts you can put that basket on and have a… basket cart? Cart basket? Anyways, this means that unless you are rich enough to own a car in the biggest city in the world then you gotta carry that stuff back home.

And I know what you might be thinking, “It’s only 5 minutes away”. But if you’re like me and you want to make as few trips as possible then that means 5 minutes of 25 pounds of force directed into a plastic bag handle that becomes a knife in your hand. But I’ve remedied that by buying a simple rubber plastic bag handle at the 100 yen shop. All of that to say that although I love that I can just walk 5 minutes to get groceries but it comes with its own challenges and now I want a bike, with a basket.

And I suppose Europeans are not at all surprised by this. But as a car-bred American it is so new to me. Let’s just say I’m still getting used to so many aspects of life here and just, in general, how to live in a city like Tokyo. But I suppose that is to be expected living in an entire different country, that pretty much every aspect of life changes from place to place, depending on the culture of that country. And I suppose I knew how many things would be different, and even though I knew this, it just surprised me at just HOW different my life would be.