The Sanja Festival (Sanja Matsuri) is one of Tokyo’s largest Shinto festivals, held annually in May at Asakusa Shrine. For photographers in 2027, the event offers high-action shots of mikoshi (portable shrines), traditional parades, and Edo-style street culture. The best photography spots include the Kaminarimon Gate and the Senso-ji temple grounds during the Sunday grand…
This post focuses on my photographic experience at Sanja Matsuri 2018. If you are planning a future trip to the event, check out my [Sanja Festival: A Photographer’s Guide] for full information. For years, work obligations kept me away from experiencing the Sanja Matsuri on a Saturday. 2018 finally broke that streak, and it was…
The Daigyoretsu is the opener for the famous Sanja Festival. It’s an event that brings three million visitors to Tokyo’s Asakusa district for three days of endless, incredible energy. I’ve been to this spectacular opening parade many times and believe me when I say it is a photographer’s dream. You need to see this one….
Tokyo Game Show 2017 was huge. Models, cosplay, display booths, and live events filled the day. The excitement was palpable. New console titles were everywhere. From start to finish, it was perfect for photography. I was more than impressed and went home with an SD card full of photos. What was at Tokyo Game Show…
For most people, 2020 was a bad year. For photographers like me, cancelled events and empty streets filled Tokyo which was a disaster. That’s why the Spring Rose Festival at Kyu-Furukawa Gardens felt like such a gift. In a year of so much gray, these flowers were a much-needed splash of color and a reminder…
Editor’s Note: This article was originally written in 2020 following the 55th Yumi Katsura Grand Collection. With her passing in April 2024 at the age of 94, I am republishing this piece as a tribute to her legacy and the indelible mark she left on Japanese fashion. In February 2020, I had the incredible opportunity…
Imagine standing beneath a golden canopy of light, the summer air thick with humidity and history. This is the essence of the Mitama Festival (Mitama Matsuri). While Yasukuni Shrine is historically dedicated to the spirits of those who died defending Japan, the festival itself transcends politics. It offers a profound moment of collective remembrance. In…
A Meiji Shrine wedding is steeped in tradition. They are a fusion of spectacle, kimonos, history, and cultural grandeur. Ready your camera! This is your chance to capture Tokyo’s most enchanting wedding moments and create unforgettable travel photos. Let’s head to this amazing venue to see them. When to see Meiji Shrine wedding parades There…
Halloween in Shibuya used to be a multi-day phenomenon. While the world looks forward to the big day, the initiated know that the energy in Shibuya once began building well before the big day. Before the crackdown, I and thousands of others would head to the famous crossing to see what the streets had in…
Editor’s Note: This article covers the 2024 US-Japan Friendship Cup. For results and photos from the more recent 2025 competition, please see our new article. Fifty buff competitors muscled it out on stage for trophies and prizes at the 2024 US-Japan Friendship Cup Championships, and I was there to see it all. Held at the…
AnimeJapan 2017 was a visual playground of cosplay, intricate models, and larger-than-life characters. For a photographer like me, it wasn’t just an event. It was a collection of unforgettable moments, lessons learned, and yes, a few regrets. Join me as I revisit the experience. There were many great things to shoot – stage events, models…
It was a hot one in every sense of the word. The 2024 Asakusa Samba Carnival was a roaring success. But performers and the parade had to sizzle under an unseasonable mid-September sun. With temperatures soaring into the mid-thirties, the heat was as intense as the action. For one Sunday afternoon, the vibrant spirit of…
Stepping into the Pacifico Yokohama for the 28th Yokohama Custom Hot Rod Show was like entering a different dimension. It was 2019, and the air was thick with the anticipation of thousands of petrolheads in seventh heaven. From the moment I walked in, I was surrounded by polished chrome, thumping music, and a sea of…
The sharp crack of a plastic bat hitting a ball, followed by a flurry of small legs and excited shouts, isn’t the typical sound of a park in Akishima, Tokyo. But this was the scene at the 2020 Japan Cricket Blast Mayor’s Cup. It was my first chance to photograph Japan’s growing passion for cricket….
A guide to Kaminarimon Bon Odori in Asakusa! Get tips for 2026, see photos of the traditional dance, & learn how to shoot this memorable Tokyo cultural event.
The highlight of my photo life for 2018 was the FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup. I hadn’t photographed any type of motorsport until that point. My only experience with photographing cars was at the Tokyo Motor Show, which I attended the previous year. Things were about to change in my life. Drift racing was a complete…
The cavernous exhibit halls of Makuhari Messe were electric, overflowing with an outrageous sea of automotive fantasy. Vivid colors and gleaming chrome fought for attention under the constant, frantic strobe of camera flashes going off left, right, and center. Tokyo Auto Salon 2018 was here, and it was more brilliantly overwhelming than ever. The best…
Shibuya Halloween 2017 was an experience on an entirely different scale. While I didn’t go to the main event that year I went to the “prequel”. What’s that I hear you ask? Well the event goes for a whole week! I went on the 29th and the 30th. I’m not sure how many people were…
Cricket in Japan? It’s a question that might surprise many, but the answer is a resounding yes! The Japanese do play it. And as an avid fan and photographer, I was thrilled to witness and capture the sport’s growing presence right at Tokyo’s Suginami Festa. The history of cricket in Japan While cricket was first…
The trees mute the sounds of the outside city. You hear the quiet clank of replica lacquered armor and the soft thud of traditional sandals on asphalt. A line of samurai approaches. This is the Kachiya Matsuri at Kameido Katori Shrine, where for one afternoon, the pomp and pageantry of Japan’s Heian Period return to…