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5 NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTS IN GINZA
5 NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTS IN GINZA
Explore Ginza's nocturnal charm through your lens. Capture the district's dazzling lights, vibrant nightlife, and elegant architecture for stunning nighttime photographs.
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LensTokyo is your go-to travel guide for discovering unique travel spots in Japan, including both well-known locations and hidden gems. Check out the spots we recommend above and get ready for an unforgettable photo adventure in Japan.
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Ginza is the commercial capital of Tokyo and in turn of Japan. It is one of the most glamorous shopping districts in Japan, where almost all leading brand names in fashion and cosmetics has a presence. A small plot of land here is worth several million yen making this district one of the most expensive real estate in the world. Every day during from 12:00 to 17:00 (until 18:00 from April through September), the main boulevard called the Chuo Dori is closed off to vehicular traffic and becomes a haven for pedestrians. This makes the area a great spot for street photography. Because the area is known for its high end retail stores you will see many fashion and class conscious Japanese here who are interesting subjects for street photography. And along with high end retail stores, there are a bunch of delicious foods available in the vicinity to recharge your depleted energy before heading back out to shoot again. In this article we will cover some photographic spots for Ginza.
THE SHIP
There are countless unique buildings by famous architects from all over the world in Ginza, but this building is perhaps the most photogenic of them all. Designed by an architect based in New York, this building takes form of a ship or a fish. The concave ceiling and the rib like structure lets in ample light. The enormous atrium which is the main architectural show piece in this building makes this location a great photo spot. Within the premises there are many public spaces and the building also acts as a path between two busy roads which makes the in-flow of people dynamic and the space more lively.
The pictures below were taken on the top floor looking towards the atrium. The apertures on the sides and the metal frames of the building make this image a geometrical delight. The lighting changes dramatically depending on the time of day you visit here. The below two pictures were taken after sunset and during the day respectively.
The patterns of the shadows cast by the beams change drastically by the time of day. You can spend hours here and not take the same picture twice. One of the most photographed spots in Tokyo. The geometrical structure attracts a lot of tourists interested in architecture and photography both.
THE UPMARKET CROSSING
This is one of the most well-known junctions in Ginza area. On this junction you can see several roads, railways and highways intertwining with each other. The vantage you get from this location is breathtaking. You can take a long exposure with the light trails by cars making the picture look dynamic and adding some movement in the picture. The location is located on a rooftop garden of a shopping mall. Tripods are allowed and usually the rooftop is deserted making taking pictures very easy.
It is also possible to photography this place during the day time. We recommend going there just before sunset when the sun is at a lower angle creating this strip of sunlight, as see in below picture, that runs across the crossing.
The lighting throughout the day changes here. Adjust your exposure to the beam of sunlight and let the shadows fall into darkness. The crossing is usually busy with crowds of people passing in all directions. At night, the light trails created by passing cars is worth capturing.
THE GINZA RED AND WHITE
One the best ways to capture light trails is to position your camera in a way so that all the light trails go in one direction. This captivates the viewers eyes and guides the viewer into the frame. Like the above picture, the lights emitted by the cars are guiding the viewer’s eye towards the center of the picture.
This picture was taken on a pedestrian bridge in slightly away from the main Ginza area. Because the pedestrian bridge is wide it is easy to set up your tripod without hindering the path for other people. Both a wide angle and a telephoto lens work great here. It is a great place to capture the hustle bustle and the speed that the city offers.
A nice vantage point where you have the buildings lined up in perspective and are able to get the shot from right in the middle of a busy road. Use a telephoto (70-200mm) lens to get the shiny details of the city and of this under-pass. Tokyo at it’s best.
THE SHINNY NEON LIT
This location is located right in the city center. In an area famous for shopping. Although it is possible to take a picture here in the day time we strongly recommend going here at night time. This is because the lights are only turned on during the night and without the lighting here the picture is not as epic.
The escalator is encased in a glass tube that shoots down towards the first floor. Inside, mirrored surfaces reflect and repeat the florescent lights that are piped along the frame, much to the delight of Instagram. This escalator’s unique points are not only the lights inside the escalator but also the city lights outside the escalator. Located near a junction in a busy area in Tokyo, the neon lights surrounding this escalator give it a flare to the picture.
THE YAKITORI TUNNEL
This small tunnel under the train tracks houses a couple of really good yakitori restaurants. It is a short tunnel but the worn out retro posters on the walls give it a nostalgic feel of the 70s and 80s Japan. The tunnel becomes smokey at night when the yakitori restaurants start barbecuing the meat. The barbecue smoke filled in the tunnel creates a mystical space. It is an amazing spot to take pictures especially of people’s silhouettes and blurred out lights through the smoke.
Although, at this particular time of night, there was not a lot of smoke coming out of the restaurants, this spot is famous for the BBQ smoke flowing out of the shops. Making this a smokey mysterious picture.