A Rainy Day in Asakusa – Street Photography

Sometimes when I don’t have anything special to shoot I just enjoy going out with my camera and stand still in one spot for awhile, waiting for the the picture to come to me. I was in Asakusa, waiting for a couple of friends to come out of a store and the rain was pouring down, as it had for the last 24 hours. People were hurrying, hunkered down, almost scowling at the cold spring rain, but I still got some worthwhile snap shots. Every time I talk to tourists who have visited Japan they all tell me that the one thing they would have wanted to take more photographs of are the people and the crowds, so with that in my memory I try to always find as many people as possible for my photography. Usually, Asakusa is crowded beyond belief on weekends and sunnier days, so this was a good opportunity. I find that Asakusa really is the number one tourist spot in Japan, because there is something for everyone in a family, in a tour group or a group of friends: great shopping, great food, great culture, great crowds. You can’t go wrong going to Asakusa if you are traveling in a group!

Ameyayokocho – Ueno

Last post was a little bit of a teaser for this one, more about the famous Ameyayokocho shopping street in Ueno. A must stop for tourists visiting Tokyo this is an area where you can basically anything you need in terms of clothes, food, make up, golf equipment and almost anything else you can imagine. The last time I walked through this street with my camera was also blogged, and again, and once more, perhaps you will notice the large increase of panda bears since just a little over two years ago. I took these at the very best hour for photography obviously.

Christmas in Ginza

Today’s Christmas Eve but in Japan that doesn’t give us any special holidays or time off from work, it’s business as usual here in Tokyo! Here’s some pictures I took in Ginza, sort of a continuation on yesterday’s post. There’s still nothing better for me than to just walk around in Tokyo with my camera and just let my mind wander as much as my feet. Can we call it the zen of street photography? Japan is also clean and safe enough to be able to do this, so I’m doubly lucky. The big fashion houses are putting on a brave display as they probably want us to forget about the recession, and I quite liked the harlequin themed LV display with the little elephants! I saw the same display in Nagoya so I guess it is global as well. There’s still a few brave people riding bicycles in the busy Ginza traffic, which I wouldn’t have the guts to do! The second to last duo of photos are a little bit interesting. My camera had focusing problems and I was trying to unjam it when it suddenly snapped back and it seems I got a nice photo of a young lady with a very astonished look. Here’s hoping that I get some time to go out this weekend!

More Shibuya Fashion Check – November

A few more of the November edition of the Fashion check! I think the guys win in this round, for once. Ladies fashion seems a little bit more subdued this year, and people seem to be dressing warmer to prepare for a colder winter. Still, I love taking these kinds of photos. The only problem is that it takes a lot of time! Enjoy!