Tokyo by night

D and I are not night owls, especially when we’re traveling – jetlag and busy days always result in us going to bed early.

But on this trip, I decided to stay up late enough to see Tokyo by night.  And since I needed someone to help me see me a variety of interesting places, I arranged a private photo tour.  So after dinner one evening, I met my guide, a professional photographer named Giovanni, at Shibuya Station to explore the area.

We started by checking out some alleys near the station, where I was enchanted by the colorful paper lanterns overhead, an interesting contrast to the sometimes gritty streets.

We visited a hidden path that led to a temple…

And went to the top of a building to look out at the neon signs below…

Then into Golden Gai, a series of narrow alleys lined with equally narrow bars.  It’s clearly a well-known destination these days, with plenty of tourists (including quite a lot who were pretty drunk and rowdy).

We stopped on an overpass to try some time-lapse photography…

And wrapped things up in another famous alley called Omode Yokocho, filled with tiny bars and yakitori stalls.  Incongruously, the grill smoke wafted up to the night sky through boughs of faux cherry blossoms.

I was happy to see (and snap) some of Tokyo’s nightlife!  But I was even happier when my taxi arrived back at the hotel and I could climb into my comfortable bed.

Even Tokyo can’t make me into a night owl!