It was my plan to get to Tokyo for every single Halloween, but I missed it last year because of some family stuff. But, this year, coronavirus permitting, I plan to go! It’s absolutely amazing because everyone is in costume and the Shibuya area is completely crazy. Also, since it’s in Japan, everyone is super nice despite the insane number of people out partying in the streets. It’s a goldmine for photography, so I can’t wait to get back out there with my Leica lenses to capture more photos like this.

The Joker in Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-11-01 07:32:50
• CameraX1D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/90
• Aperture4
• ISO3200
• Focal Length45.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias-2/3

When I look back at this amazing rainy night in Tokyo, it just makes me want to return! This night was actually completely freezing and below zero. Most of the “rain” was actually sleet. I stayed up extra late, roaming the streets of Shinjuku, hoping that the sleet would turn into snow but it never did.

Blade Runner Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-02-02 05:29:31
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/200
• Aperture4
• ISO1600
• Focal Length102.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

Remember Google+? Yeah, that was the best! Actually, it was an absolute blast for a while. I made a lot of great friends including this guy: Vic Gundotra! He was kind, he made me laugh, and he was always full of surprises. That’s about all I ask for in a friend! 🙂 I gave a talk at the Google HQ in Tokyo after a fun photowalk (where I took this photo).

Vic Gundotra in Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2013-10-03 08:27:29
• CameraNEX-7
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/20
• Aperture4
• ISO1600
• Focal Length13.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+2

I have a hot tip for you as a photographer on a rainy night in a city. See if you can convince a friend (or hire someone) to carry around a giant golf umbrella for a few hours while you take photos. Photographers really need two hands, so having a buddy do this for you is a huge game-changer. It’s kind of boring for your friend, but promise you’ll buy them a burger or something!

More of Tokyo in the Rain

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-02-02 05:16:21
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/320
• Aperture4
• ISO3200
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

I stayed in a hotel that was kind of in a “boring” area near Shinjuku. It was all office buildings and kind of dull. But it was only a ten-minute walk over to the more intense part of Shinjuku, which is the most Blade Runner area of Tokyo. On the way, you begin to walk over a bridge and things suddenly start to come alive. This is the first scene I saw each night as my son and I walked into the city.

Heading towards Shinjuku

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2018-01-28 23:31:00
• CameraILCE-7RM3
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/60
• Aperture4
• ISO800
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias

While in Tokyo last time, I got the quad up a few times to take photos of this incredible city. There are many interesting things about Tokyo. For one, streets do not have names. Blocks have names. It’s the opposite of the west where streets have names but blocks do not. Interesting, eh? Also, Japanese addresses are not in order. For example, address #1 on a block might be smashed between #23 and #38. The number is associated to the first building on said block.

Floating Over Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-01-26 19:31:03
• CameraFC2204
• Camera MakeDJI
• Exposure Time1/5
• Aperture3.8
• ISO800
• Focal Length8.6 mm
• FlashNo Flash
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias+0.3

This is a fun quick Pixel shot I got while in Tokyo. Man, I love that camera so much. Here’s a quick tip for it (and I believe the iPhone and other cameras have something similar). Whenever I see something cool, the fastest way to get a photo is to double-click the power button. This gets the camera right into photo mode. Then, just push the volume up and you get a quick snap. Easy peasy!

Japanese Children Emerging from an Egg

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2019-02-11 14:20:19
• CameraPixel 3 XL
• Camera MakeGoogle
• Exposure Time1/120
• Aperture1.8
• ISO56
• Focal Length4.4 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramProgram AE
• Exposure Bias

Not until after I took this photo did I realize that the cloud was in the shape of a dolphin! We were having a crazy-good sushi dinner in the Ritz-Carlton there, and this was the view out the window. Luckily, the window was right by the table, so classic lazy-me only had to take 5 steps every 10 minutes or so to rattle off more photos of cloud animals jumping over Tokyo!

Dolphin Over Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2020-04-09 18:28:11
• Camera
• Camera Make
• Exposure Time
• Aperture
• ISO
• Focal Length
• Flash
• Exposure Program
• Exposure Bias

Yeah, a photographer can never get tired of this area! Well, maybe if you’ve had a few too many bar visits, then you do physically run out of energy at some point… that’s why I try to spend as long taking photos before going inside any of them! 🙂

More of Golden Gai in Tokyo

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• Date Taken2020-04-09 18:28:11
• Camera
• Camera Make
• Exposure Time
• Aperture
• ISO
• Focal Length
• Flash
• Exposure Program
• Exposure Bias

I feel like I jump on here every week and talk about how awesome Japan is. It reminds me a little bit of Austin in a strange way… in that, in Austin, everyone sits around coffee shops and talks about how awesome Austin is. It’s sort of a strange thing, and quite the existential self-compliment. But, I do the same thing in Japan when I meet another English speaker. It’s always the same conversation: “Can you believe how awesome Japan is?” then they say, “Yes, how about the Japanese people?!?” then I say, “Yeah, like totes.”

Awesome Tokyo

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-11-03 00:43:32
• CameraX1D
• Camera MakeHasselblad
• Exposure Time1/15
• Aperture3.5
• ISO100
• Focal Length30.0 mm
• Flash
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias