The Best Places to Photograph in Tokyo

Tokyo is a jungle to photograph. It’s alive with noise, movement, and the occasional mystery.

It’s a city of photographers both tourists and locals. Events attract armies of highly competent and well-equipped photographers. Photogenic attractions are equally well covered.

These spots are worth braving the crowds of fellow photographers. They have potential to yield stunning, unforgettable photos.

Shibuya Crossing

The world’s busiest pedestrian crossing surrounded by neon-lit buildings. One of the better spots to capture the lights of Tokyo. With around one million people crossing the street here every day there are endless photographic possibilities.

Ginza

Ginza is Tokyo’s premier upscale shopping neighborhood. It has interesting architectural features, plenty of lights and fashionable people.

Shinjuku Green

A large park with fine gardens and 20,000 trees on the edge of the Shinjuku urban jungle. Offers nature, city, and people.

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower in Shinjuku’s massive business district is the world’s second tallest school building. It houses three separate colleges. The tower is a delight to photograph inside and out.

Tokyo City Hall

A giant building right out of Gotham City with a free observation deck overlooking Shinjuku.

Tokyo Skytree

The tallest structure in Japan by a wide margin with observation decks at 350 and 450 meters. Completely glass covered. However, it’s possible to get photos of the dense urban expanse of Tokyo.

Harajuku

The Harajuku area is a good place to find interesting street fashions. It’s a youth-oriented shopping neighborhood that’s popular with various fashion subcultures. The area around Jingu Bashi bridge near the entrance of Yoyogi Park is the place to go. Especially on Sundays.

Golden Gai

An area of incredibly small bars in Shinjuku. Many just have three or four seats. The area is popular with photographers. As a result, photographers aren’t very popular in the area. That is to say, some bar owners in the area are somewhat impatient with tourists with cameras.

Meiji Shrine

The best photos in the area are usually from within the bars themselves. The area attracts some characters including well-known writers, actors, politicians, and artists.

Meiji Shine is where life happens in Tokyo. It’s the city’s busiest venue for festivals, events, rituals and ceremonies such as weddings. The grounds and shrine are eye-catching. The events are often intriguing.

Omotesando

Omotesando is a posh shopping neighborhood and one of the centers of Japan’s fashion industry. Like Ginza, the streets here shine with light. It feels like there’s always something interesting happening.

Odaiba

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay. Over the years, the government has spent enormous sums of money building it up and linking it with infrastructure. Now it’s essentially an entertainment and shopping island. The area affords a good view of Tokyo Bay and Rainbow Bridge.

Hamarikyu Gardens

Hamarikyu Gardens is a large Edo-era Japanese garden located beside Shiodome (one of Tokyo’s largest business districts). It’s a well known amongst local photographers. The gardens are designed to be a different color in every season. The buildings of Shiodome loom behind the garden.

Yurakucho

This is an old part of Tokyo that hasn’t changed much for the last 70 years. Check out the tiny izakaya under the railway tracks.

If you would like to visit any of these places let us know and we will make a custom itinerary just for you.

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