JAPAN TRAVEL BLOG: TOKYO PART 01
@cenchino
Hi friends! It took a while, but I've finally got around to editing the Tokyo (part 01) leg of my Japan trip. For those of you who are new here, I recently spent a full month in Japan travelling from East to West (and back again - see the map below).
It was my first time in Japan, so I kind of went a little crazy with the photos & videos - especially when we first landed in Tokyo. This blog post / photoset alone only accounts for the first 5 nights of our 30 day trip.
This travel photo series aren't all bangers. Instead, I wanted to convey the vibe of my trip & experience in Japan. I'll add some contextual comments here and there but mostly I'll keep the words to a minimum and let the photos do the speaking.
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Japan film
the route
*click to enlarge
DAY 01 - 05
21 - 26 June 2017
Your first visit to Tokyo will be intense. Even if you think you're ready for it, you're probably not.The sheer density of people, the endless urban sprawl, crazy summer heat (avoid going in summer) and the flashing lights are pretty overwhelming. Among all that chaos though, is a sense of order and cleanliness which is unlike any other asian country I've experienced. Here is my first experience of Tokyo in photos:
TOKYO (5 DAYS)
HAKONE
KYOTO
OSAKA
HIROSHIMA (MIYAJIMA & NAOSHIMA)
KOBE
KYOTO
TOKYO
PHOTO GEAR USED:
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II
(Thanks for the camera loan @canonaustralia!)
Canon 24-105 f/4.0 II
Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 III
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art
iPhone 7 Plus
KANDA, Tokyo Japan
Our first hotel was in Kanda - a few stops past Tokyo station. It was a quieter suburb, mostly just office buildings and cool alleyways with the odd traditional building wedged in between. There was a real sense of old Japan scattered around Kanda. During the day you'd see office workers and delivery trucks - that was about it!. It was definitely quieter than most other Tokyo suburbs - which was a welcomed relief after fighting the crowds at Shibuya & on the trains.
Kanda was real chill, and was an awesome place to come back to have a beer and wind down. I'm pretty glad we started our trip there - it is probably one of my favourite Tokyo suburbs to stay in.
Neon lights & night life
Tokyo really comes to life at night. Tokyo at night, is exactly how I imagined it'd be and more. Living in Sydney, seeing so much life and energy at night is definitely welcomed. On top of that, you still feel so safe - everyone is so chill and out to have a good time. The city seems to really enjoy their alcohol which is great - see @shibuyameltown lol.
Below are some street scenes from Shinjuku, Shibuya & Ueno.
In transit
During our month in Japan, we spent a fair amount of it in transit - exploring the endless sprawl of Tokyo city as well as travelling from city to city. We rarely caught cabs (they're super expensive). I think the whole trip, I only caught a cab three times. I didn't mind though, the trains there are super convenient and there was always something going on; perfect for street shooting.
I'd definitely recommend getting a Suica card (kind of like our own Opal card system). You fill the card up with money, and from there you can tap on to get local trains & buses. You can also use it to buy things at some store (ICHIRAN takes Suica lol).
If you're in Japan for a while, and you want to travel in between cities, I'd recommend getting JR pass for the Shinkansen (bullet) trains. The pass is a little expensive, but they are a pleasure to travel on, and will get you from city to city really quickly.
unexpected shrines
The first bunch of photos in this section are from Meiji shrine, which is located pretty conveniently next to the Harajuku station. Pretty crazy how you can find a shrines and a zen nature walk right in the heart of the city. The walk was pretty cool! It leads you through this treetop covered path, through a bunch of massive Torii gates to the Meiji shrine.
This photo set is admittedly very large. What can I say, I went a bit crazy in the first few days of our trip.
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NEXT photo set:
DAY 07 & 08 AT HAKONE (coming soon)
Friends! I got some photos (and a vlog) for you from a weeked trip away to Mt Fuji. We head to Mt Fuji for the weekend to chase some Autumn colours (with Fooj in the back obviously). If you have never been to Mt Fuji, be warned that depending on the time of year, it might not always be visible. It is kind of crazy thinking about how huge the mountain is and how it can just hide from you so easily in the clouds. I was once told by a tour guide that Mt Fuji is female because she likes to hide from you and will only appear if you are nice. Click through for more word and some photos to match.