Another member going to Tokyo

[coelacanth]

I've seen several Japan trip threads already so I didn't want to make another one for a while, but heck my trip is closing in (flying out tomorrow) so here goes.

My friend and I planned this trip to be a very laid back, Hakuna Matata type of casual trip with minimum planning (if not at all). Main focus is to eat and drink to death, but of course I want to shoot around, too. Will be staying in Tokyo for 5 days, then will be visiting my folks in Kochi, Shikoku for the weekend.

I'd love to walk around and shoot local streets and people, "showa-like" (not sure if this still exists) and/or "tokyo's downtown" (japanese word for downtown got bleeped out. 😛) atmosphere if possible, while avoiding Odaiba kinda stuff. I'm planning to take just an M, 35mm and 50mm, probably an XA as backup. Digital or film, I'll be sticking with B/W as I always do for travel. When I went to France, many people recommended taking wide angles, but I ended up using 50mm for 95% of times so I'm planning to do the same this time around assuming Paris and Tokyo got similar compactness of streets.

Any recommendations on the neighborhoods to walk around? We'll be just taking trains and buses to get around, and probably just walking a lot. No JR "gaijin" pass nor driving this time.

Any random thoughts, recommendations for places to see, food, activities, things to look out for, etc would be fun a read to prep for the trip and deeply appreciated...

 

[kdemas]

Have a great trip Sug! I look forward to seeing some of your images.

 

[tonyc]

For Showa Style I would recommend
all the offbeat backstreats around Ginza, Yurakcho and of
course Shinbashi.
There are quite a few really old cafes [1960's] that serve unusual coffee
and attract some real characters, quite a few underground in odd placesa
around the backstreets of Ginza and Shinbashi.

If you go to the Nikon Salon [Gallery] in Ginza, then be sure to check
out Ginza Lyon Beer hall, which is a bizzare 1960's German Beer Hall.

Great place after dark, for food/drink and salaryman
debauchery is the West side of the track of Shinbashi station
[just next to 3-chome].

Also a night walk along the edge of the West side of the tracks up to Yurakcho, is nice and seedy for photo oppertunities.

In Shiodome [awfull new shoppy bit on East side of Shinbashi] there is
the Dentsu advetising museum, which has a great show of all Japanese
commercials from the 1950s onwards, quite interesting.
http://whereintokyo.com/venues/25069.html
Hard to find the entrance . . .

Kabukicho is the famous seedy night-place, [West Shinjuku] mostly tacky, but some amazingly weired cross dressing clubs . . .

Kanda is a nice place for some relaxed weekend stroll around
the exellent vintage book shops, quite a few photo-book places too, and has a vague time-warp feel to some areas.

Also if you are into books, then definately check out T-site in Daikanyama.
It is definately not Show-style, but it is an awazing complex of 3 buildings
for books, magazines, and DVDs [set up by Tsutaya] the photobook section
is really good, it is open until 2am, and has great bar with 1960's magazines
to browse [check out Sun Magazine], and a cute camera store too.

Dont forget Asakusa, which is a great place that time forgot,
althought a touch touristy in certain parts.

Have fun !

 

[coelacanth]

Kent, thanks! It's been many years since my last visit. Let's hope I won't go too crazy with the drinking... 😛

tonyc, Thank you sooo much for the detailed info. I've copied and pasted the whole post to Evernote so I can look up when I'm there. I really appreciate it.

It's kinda brief, but I know it's gonna be a fun trip. 🙂

 

[denizg7]

theres this sushi where the fish is fermented for 3 years. It is the first sushi in the world.

 

[I Love Film]

I'm afraid I have already shot my wad on Tokyo. Please refer to my posts in the other thread.