Tokyo On Film

 Happy Sunday! Last month was a busy one between work, travelling to Japan and then all the Christmas madness but I'm finally back to it today with the first blogpost of 2018 - my film photos from Tokyo! I hadn't picked up my film camera in quite awhile so I was pretty out of practice and none of these photos have any major editing done to them. I spent the majority of the trip filming on my Canon G7X, so unfortunately I didn't really think to pick up the film camera until our last few days in Tokyo. However it was so enjoyable to just freely shoot (and hope for the best!) as we wandered around and I'm so happy that I brought the camera with me, these photos will be lovely to look back on.

One of the places I really wanted to visit again before we left was Yoyogi Park, located very close to the vibrant Harajuku district. This treetop covered path is such a tranquil & relaxing walk that makes you completely forget about the hectic pace of the city you're still in the middle of. We got so lucky with the weather on this day, the sun was shining and the December chill completely disappeared for the afternoon. Only a short walk through the park leads you to Meiji Shrine, the entrance marked by a massive torii gate in the photo below. Something I really love about Tokyo is how you can find shrines and nature strolls like this one right in the heart of the built-up city, merging the old and new together. This was such an amazing day!

Since the neon signs & bright flashing lights are iconic to the district, it's no surprise that Shibuya really comes to life at night. One of my favourite things to do was just wander around aimlessly at night through both the busy area's and the quieter side streets, you're bound to come across interesting sights & hidden gems! The atmosphere in Shibuya at night is so unique.

While Shibuya Crossing is famed as a must-see attraction, you can genuinely feel the energy of Tokyo when walking through the scramble - we must have have done it like 8 times in a row one day and it never got old! Day or night this area is buzzing with activity. It's both amazing and admirable how in such a bustling & densely populated city, there's still a really prominent sense of structure, order and cleanliness all around!

 

For our last few days of the trip we stayed in the same apartment that we booked during our first visit to Japan back in 2016. The apartment is located literally less than 5 minutes away from Shibuya Crossing so everything was so accessible to us. We may have been staying in one of the busiest area's of the city but our apartment was such a nice and surprisingly quiet place to come back to after a long day of wandering around - perfect to wind down and eat our way through the local FamilyMart snack selection!

 

As I said... I was very out of practice with the camera and as a result there's a fair few blurry photos but sure, I like them anyway! The three photos below were shot on the last night, the bottom one from one of my favourite places & viewpoints in the city, the Tokyu Plaza rooftop! 

 Looking back on these photos makes me want to relive the trip all over again. It really is a country like no other I've ever visited and obviously so different to Ireland. While the constant crowds of people, the neon lights, the sensory overload and the seemingly endless span of the city can be overwhelming, every day feels different there and I loved that. I'm already itching to get back ASAP and see a lot more of this amazing country!

I hope you enjoyed looking through the photos - I'll be posting a video from Osaka, Kyoto & Tokyo this month too so look out for that! :)