Sanja Festival 2025: Seeing through crowds with the Canon R5 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here. The air in Asakusa crackled with energy. Shouts of “Wasshoi! Wasshoi!” echoed off the buildings. Teams of festival-goers, clad in traditional garb, heaved thousand-kilogram mikoshi (portable shrines) through the streets and…
15-Stop ND Long Exposure of Rainbow Bridge: Clouds & Doubt A 15-stop ND filter is an extreme neutral density filter used to achieve long exposures in bright conditions. By blocking significant light, it allows for shutter speeds exceeding four minutes, which blurs racing clouds and water into a minimalist aesthetic, as demonstrated in this 257-second…
Coppa di Tokyo 2024: The Day Classic Cars Conquered a City The Coppa di Tokyo 2024 was a premier regularity rally held on November 23, 2024, featuring nearly 100 vintage European and American classic cars. Starting at Shiodome’s “Italia Street,” the event sent pristine Ferraris, Porsches, and Alfa Romeos through iconic Tokyo districts like Asakusa…
Why My Polarizing Filter Failed Me at Shinjuku Gyoen A polarizing filter (or CPL filter) fails when there is a lack of direct, directional light to polarize. These filters work by cutting glare reflected at specific angles from non-metallic surfaces. In deep shade or overcast conditions, light is diffused and non-directional, meaning there is no…
Tokyo Gate Bridge: Long Exposures on a Cloudy Evening Tokyo Gate Bridge is an iconic spot for long exposure photography, known for its unique “Double Diamond” structure. The best vantage points are found along the eastern shore at Wakasu Seaside Park. Despite cloudy weather, photographers can capture stunning images by utilizing the bridge’s night-time illumination…
The Kurayami Festival: Beyond the Shadows The Kurayami Matsuri (Darkness Festival) is a seven-day festival held every year from April 30 to May 6 at Fuchu’s Okunitama Shrine in Tokyo. It is one of the Kanto region’s oldest and most significant festivals, known for its “darkness” theme. The highlights are floats and mikoshi (portable shrines)…
Koenji Awa Odori 2024 Recap: Tokyo’s Biggest Dance Fest Every August, Koenji celebrates one of Japan’s most spirited traditions: the Awa Odori. Bringing the 400-year-old dance festival from its home in Tokushima Prefecture to the streets of the capital, the event sees the area around the station erupt in a frenzy of music and color….
How to Find Your Next Tokyo Photo Spot As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here. Living in this city is like a double-edged sword. Everyone wants to come here for their holidays and take photographs. So while I love Shibuya, Meiji Shrine and Sensoji, there are times I…
Koenji Awa Odori: Tokyo’s Biggest Summer Dance Festival Every August, the streets of Koenji erupt in a vibrant celebration of music, dance, and tradition. The Koenji Awa Odori is Tokyo’s largest dance festival, a spectacular event that brings the 400-year-old tradition from Tokushima Prefecture to the heart of the city. With over 10,000 dancers and…
Tokyo Auto Salon 2022: Discover My Top 10 Cars Tokyo Auto Salon 2022 was a blast. While the venue at Makuhari Messe was filled with jaw-dropping engineering and cutting-edge concepts, veteran attendees might have noticed a shift in the atmosphere. The “hot models” that populated the booths in previous years were noticeably absent, but that…
The Photographer’s Guide to Tokyo’s Historic Cemeteries Do you know the word, taphophile? It means individuals who have an appreciation for cemeteries, gravestones, and the art, culture, and stories they represent. Another word to describe them is tombstone tourist, which seems less confronting. If you are one of those, Tokyo is one of the best…
Photos of Hibiya Park Chrysanthemum Exhibition 2019 In the autumn of 2019, Hibiya Park, a green oasis in the heart of Tokyo, hosted a truly exceptional chrysanthemum exhibition. While the park is renowned for its magnificent rose displays that draw large crowds each year, the annual chrysanthemum show is a lesser-known yet equally captivating event….
Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival: Trip Report & Tips My trip to the 2022 Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival (つつじ祭り) started with a tough choice. With Tokyo’s spring flower season in full swing, it was either there or the tulips at Showa Memorial Park. I only had time for one. Knowing both would be crowded on a…
How to Improve Flower Photos on a Cloudy Day The weather forecast promised sun, but Hanegi Park only had cloudy day flowers to offer me in February 2024. My heart sank. How could I capture the delicate beauty of the plum blossoms under flat, dreary light? The answer was easy: my flash. The trip to…
Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 350 AW II: A Long-Term Review As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure here. Photographers need backpacks that can comfortably and safely carry thousands of dollars’ worth of gear. The Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 350 AW II promises to be that solution for serious hobbyists…
Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival 2026: The ¥1000 Price Hike I wasn’t able to go to the 2026 Nezu Shrine Azalea Festival during the peak bloom, which turned out to be a mixed experience. It couldn’t be helped; I’ve started several new jobs recently, and making a living is a priority. However, since I have rarely…
Nezu Shrine Azaleas 2018 Every spring, Tokyo’s Nezu Shrine offers a spectacular display of azaleas. It’s a tradition known as the Bunkyo Azalea Festival (Tsutsuji Matsuri). With over 3,000 bushes of roughly 100 different varieties, the shrine grounds become a sea of color. This annual event transforms the historic shrine into a major attraction, drawing…
Rose festival 2021 at Kyu-Furukawa Gardens After a long lockdown in Tokyo, the Kyu-Furukawa Gardens Rose Festival 2021 was a much-anticipated floral escape. I woke up to an overcast sky, but I wasn’t about to let that dampen my spirits. A trip to one of my favorite places in the city for a dose of…
Is the Imperial Palace Tour Worth It for Photographers? For photographers in Tokyo, the Imperial Palace presents a tantalizing opportunity. It has a free tour that takes you inside the grounds of Japan’s most famous castle. It’s a landscape of massive stone gates, historic keeps, and sprawling courtyards. But with a guided tour, time is…
Aoyama Cemetery Cherry Blossoms: 2022 Report & Photo Tips Every spring, Tokyo transforms into a canvas of pink, and few places are as atmospheric as Aoyama Cemetery. While it might seem unusual to visit a graveyard for sightseeing, this location offers some of the most stunning photo opportunities in the city. In 2022, I grabbed…