Illuminations: Tokyo At Night During Holiday Season

Once the air gets chilly and the atmosphere turns a bit towards the holiday cheerfulness of late November thru the New Year, many parts of the Tokyo Metropolitan area become lit up at night, and in some cases magnificently so.

Yebisu Garden

So magnificent in fact, that it almost makes you want to leave the warmer comforts of home and go out into the cold night to see those illuminations with your own eyes.  Well, almost.  But really, once you get yourself in some warm gear and perhaps arm yourself with a cheerfully hot beverage, it becomes a pretty fun experience.

Shinjuku

As previously mentioned, there are many places to take in the season's illuminations in Tokyo, but since this is my web space I'll focus on the three best places to go to, in my humble opinion (and they are all free of charge):

#3 Caretta Shiodome

The illuminations at Caretta Shiodome is compressed into a small area, especially compared to practically every other illumination in Tokyo, but it does pack a lot of light for the given area.  Also, the lights go pretty high up:

In addition to it being a great place for taking a photo, there are musical presentations in sync with the lights, which brings you into the atmosphere of the holidays even more with that added sense of sound brought on.  It's definitely worth a visit, especially if you haven't seen the illumination at Shiodome before.  The only negative I can think of is the crowds, because of the small area... but it can be avoided if you visit on a weeknight.

#2 Roppongi Hills

On a much bigger scale, I present to you the illuminations at Roppongi Hills.

Location:



Maybe it's not so easy to find, but go to Roppongi Station, find one of the exits that lead to Roppongi Hills, and then head south... find your way to Keyakizaka Dori (the street with the high end shops such as Tiffany & Co, Salvatore Ferragamo, etc).  Speaking of those high end shops, they do lend a bit to the holiday atmosphere, reluctant as I may be to actually say that.

But overall the lighted trees here are very nice, stretch out for about 500 km along both sides of Keyakizaka street, and the buildings themselves also provide a beautiful background.  And on occasion, depending on the time of year, the colors will change to reflect the fall season:

And, Tokyo Tower can be seen further out, making for an even nicer photo:

#1 Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination

Location (starting point):

My favorite of all the illuminations, the Blue Cave packs the most bang for the buck, in my opinion.  It's a 1 km walk with a lot to see.  Start out from Shibuya Station, find the Hachiko exit and move on across the famous Shibuya Crossing, walk past the Starbucks on the right side.  Video below will help illustrate this part:

You'll start seeing the blue lighted trees, which will lead you all the way to the Blue Cave located at Yoyogi Park.  Along the way you'll find yourself walking among many others in the quest for the Blue Cave, and will see a lot of the interesting shops, places and architecture that make up the identity of Shibuya.

If you need relief/assistance in dealing with the cold air and wind, there's also several cafes, a couple of Starbucks, and many convenience stores along the way.

Having followed the blue brick road (sans bricks, mostly), you'll arrive at the blue cave illumination.  Very cool and wonderful!

At the end of the blue cave, there is a pretty interesting mirror house.  Worth a visit, as you can see from the laughs and confusion we experienced in there:

Having reached the endpoint, Harajuku Station is closer should you need to get on the train from this point.  Or you could go back the way you came.  Both have their plusses and minuses, but you can't go wrong either way as both directions have additional treats in store for you in the evening, such as the illuminations at Omotesando Avenue near Harajuku Station, and the Shibuya nightlife.  The blue cave area, the walking leading up to it, and having a plethora of food/drink/entertainment/sightseeing options on top of the experience itself is what makes this illumination experience the best for me.


Overall recommendations:

- Dress warmly!
- If you're after the perfect image, bring multiple cameras.  Sometimes the phone camera captures a better image of the lights among the darkness than a true camera, and vice versa.  It's a toss up.
- Go with a friend or two, or more.  It's cold enough out there as it is, so experiencing it with the figurative/literal warmth of friends makes it a bit more bearable at least.  Also, selfies can be tricky if you want to commemorate the moment on photo, so having someone to take photos of you is a great backup plan.

CP+ : Be A Pro (Or Take Photos Like One) at Japan's Premier Photography Event

Your camera will get a great workout at CP+, Japan's premier (and free!!!) photography event in Yokohama.

CP+ (Camera and Photo Imaging Show) is not the typical big event for the Tokyo area, though it certainly is a big event which occupies all of Pacifico Yokohama's event space.  For one, it's held at Pacific Yokohama; though located in Japan's second biggest city, it's not at the places synonymous with big events in the area (Tokyo Big Sight and Makuhari Messe).  Also, it's free (remember that as you go along reading and seeing what's offered here).

Regardless, CP+ is a truly wonderful 4-day event that will captivate and entertain beginner-level photographers, seasoned professionals, and everyone in between.  Many companies in the photo/video industry and related industries are represented here, in typical Japan event fashion.

The latest in cameras, lenses, and all associated hardware/software are showcased at CP+.

For me though, the highlight of the event are the companies' test shoot areas, where you can test/practice use of cameras (yours and/or theirs) with models on a set:

"Test-driving" the latest and best equipment is a fun and memorable experience, even if only a tease for a few minutes (like test driving a brand new car would be).  But, getting those shots on your own SD card, you'll have proof of that experience and perhaps, some high quality images to look back on as your own, as you dream on about spending more $ on a newer, better camera... below are some of the images I took home from the companies' cameras:

Look at all the awesome photos you can take with the newest and most powerful cameras!

Almost makes my skills look professional?  Maybe not, but CP+ is definitely a wonderful experience for any level of photographer, or even those on the outside looking in to the hobby of photography.  And, for the price (free) it truly makes for a great bargain as you take in the joys of photography at CP+ in Yokohama.

Recommendations:
- Register in advance for your free admission!
- Bring a camera!  I can't emphasize this recommendation enough... this event is all about photography and it will inspire you to put your skills to use and take them to the next level.  I'd recommend having a camera in hand when that happens!
- Be mindful of the respective booth/company rules on photos: some only want you to use their cameras at the shooting sets, some are okay with either yours/theirs.  Watch what others do, or ask if you want to use your own camera.
- Bring a spare/extra SD card, or be prepared to remove yours from your camera (to insert into another camera): you'll love your work with the newest cameras, so why not take it (the photos) home with you?
- There is an abundance of restaurants/convenience stores within a short walk (5-10 minutes to Yokohama Queen's Square); leaving the event area and returning after having a meal is not a problem here.

Specifics:
CP+ (Camera and Photo Imaging Show)
Held annually in March, at Pacifico Yokohama
Cost: Free, with advance registration online
Location:

Tokyo Motor Show: The Big One!

You've been to other motor shows... but Tokyo Motor Show is the Godzilla of them all!

Japan is a nation almost synonymous with the motor industry... with names such as Toyota, Nissan. Mazda, Honda, and others come to mind.  And as cities go, they do not get any bigger, flashier, and more eventful than Tokyo.  So, put those together and you have the very grand spectacle that is Tokyo Motor Show!

There are other events held more frequently, more like annually, such as Tokyo Auto Salon.  While Auto Salon, though, features the aftermarket/custom realm of vehicles, Tokyo Motor Show is the motor industry's showcase, featuring the latest and greatest offerings from the major makers, both domestic and abroad.

Tokyo Motor Show is only held every two years...

Being a biennial event, it makes it even more of a must-see thing on those years when it does come around.  Aside from the amount of time between each iteration of Tokyo Motor Show, though, it is a massive event in that it takes up the entirety of Tokyo Big Sight.  Let that sink in: this event occupies every event hall at Tokyo Big Sight.  Not even the biggest otaku event, Comic Market (Comiket) can boast that kind of magnitude.  Tokyo Motor Show is huge.

So huge that words can't begin to describe Tokyo Motor Show...

So I'll just let the words (and some videos) do most of the talking.

Enjoy your time at Tokyo Motor Show, for it only comes every other year!



Recommendations:

- If possible, attend on the "preview day" (first day); though it comes at a higher price, it affords you not only smaller crowds to maneuver around, but the opportunity to see the treats of the Motor Show before practically everyone else does.

- Dress in layers; around this time the air develops a chill outside but it can still get stuffy inside of Tokyo Big Sight's halls, especially with the crowds.

- Wear comfortable walking shoes.  As the event is sprawled throughout all of Big Sight's halls, to be able to see it all, or most of it, be prepared to walk!

Specifics:
Tokyo Motor Show
Held every two years, for almost two weeks (2019 is a 12-day event)
Location:

Akiba Daisuki Matsuri: Bring the Best of Akihabara Into One Event

Akiba Daisuki Matsuri brings together all that is good about Akihabara into one event building, BelleSalle Akihabara.

Here's another event that otaku of almost any kind should not miss.  Even though it's all about... Akihabara?

Why this event, Akiba Daisuki Matsuri?  Akihabara isn't that big... right?

Sure, Akiba in itself can be walked, distance-wise, in a day, probably a bit less than that.  The challenge, though, is the details.  Can you truly visit every establishment and get a good feel for it?  Find the memorable ones among the more common, missable ones?  That can be the biggest challenge, and Akiba Daisuki Matsuri can help significantly with that.

Akiba Daisuki Matsuri can help you find the place, the shop, the café that you didn't know existed or better yet, the one you thought wasn't for you, but really is.

Plus, there is just a lot of cool stuff to see, and do, in one place during the event.  Many of the shops, cafes, and other related hobby/otaku business set up booths to show off what they offer to the Akihabara community.

Cosplayers?  Well, you're in Akihabara after all, so there's a lot of them and in most cases they are more than happy to pose for a pic:

There's also groups of performers from the various themed cafes in Akihabara, however, like trying to take photos of them in the streets, photography of them onstage is not allowed, but there are some performers/performances that encourage photography.  Just be mindful of the visual cues and signs, and if in doubt just observe what the other attendees are doing.



This event also hosts the biggest, tallest train rail set I've ever seen.  I could just watch the trains moving on it for what seems like ever...



Speaking of admission, did I mention it's free?  If you're in town on the day, it's almost must-see stuff because of all that's here and the value of the event.  It's like a free sampler dish of everything Akiba.  You almost have to go there, whether you're new to Akihabara or even a seasoned veteran like myself!

Recommendations:
- Bring a camera!  Or be prepared to take a lot of photos with your phone!

Specifics:
Akiba Daisuki Matsuri
Held annually during the summer (usually in August)
Admission: Free!
Location:

Huis Ten Bosch Waterpark at Odaiba (2017)

Huis Ten Bosch: Beautiful and fun event, especially at night, during the summer of 2017 at Odaiba, Tokyo.

While I was recently blogging about a dearly passed event in hopes that it would return, there is another event/experience we should all hope returns to the Tokyo summer scene, and that is the Huis Ten Bosch waterpark that was held as part of the Odaiba Minna No Yuma Taiku (summer festival) near Fuji TV building and DiverCity.

Huis Ten Bosch's waterpark experience was held during the summer of 2017.  As it was a temporary event (just for a couple of months), the infrastructure was temporary in nature... inflatable pools, slides, playgrounds, and the like.  But don't let the "temporary" words be a negative thing... as everything was pretty big, impressive, and almost on par with the best waterparks in the Tokyo/Kanto region.

The slides were very fun, bouncy, and perhaps due to their inflatable nature, it felt more safe than the typical permanent waterslide.

The best slide was one that ran for around 300 meters, along the length of the waterpark area.  Not big in height but great on distance, sights, and great for a video, right?

Though the watery fun was open throughout the day, the best part of the park was to be seen, and experienced, during the night!

The pools, composed of cool clear water during the day, would be filled with soft plastic balls.  That would make for some nice scenery, and interesting photos.  Especially when the night lights start to shine as the sky gets dark.



Then, as the skies get darker, the place would turn into a water-based nightclub, of sorts.  The crowd seemed to accentuate this, as they seemed like the type to put the "life" into "nightlife" and would definitely fit into any Tokyo club scene.

The lights, DJ spinning music, and everything was surreal.  At many times, I smiled to myself thinking "where else in the world can I have this kind of experience?"  Dancing the night away in swimwear under the warm summer skies among the best party people in the world?  Only in Tokyo... and sadly, so far, only in that summer of 2017.

Then, perhaps to cool down or calm down after the dancing, partying, and ball throwing, one could retreat to the quieter pools for some blissful time among the little balls?



Until this event comes back, you can enjoy the more permanent waterpark fixtures in and around Tokyo, such as at Toshimaen.