Tokyo streets

At the end of October last year we went to Japan and I took the opportunity of a free evening in Tokyo to take a walk along the Yamanote train line and take some night photos. Having a good lens for low-light photos was one of the reasons I bought the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens I mentioned in the previous post, and I think it turned out to perform pretty well.

Zojo-ji Temple, 30mm f/2

The main entrance to a temple near the hotel where we were staying. I should have paid more attention to the elements in the frame when I took this, it would have been more interesting with someone in the frame to give a sense of scale, and I should have moved a little to cut out the traffic light on the left. Of the photographs I took this turned out to have the best focus, and the colours turned out nicely!

Izakaya in Kanda, 30mm, f/4

An izakaya (restaurant with food that goes well when you're drinking, seafood in this case) under the Yamanote line tracks -- that's a train passing overhead. It was a happy coincidence that the waiter came out just as I was taking the photo.

Izakaya in Kanda, 30mm f/2.8

Another izakaya, this one specialising in grilled chicken (yakitori, a favourite of mine). This caught my eye because of the colours and the regularly-spaced lanterns at the top.

Akihabara station, 30mm f/2.8

I turned around once I reached Akihabara, the electronics district (though now it seems to be overrun with manga-type stuff). Since it was already past 10pm everything was closing up so I decided to to head back. Waiting for the train I took this photo, I guess the woman standing on the platform had just missed the previous train since she's the only one who doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

Monroe's House, Yurakucho, 30mm f/2.8

As soon as I got off the train I spotted this little place under the train line. Since Japanese company employees often go out drinking after work before heading home on the train, streets around train stations often have bars and restaurants for the thirsty office worker. Yurakucho is no exception.