Colorful
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/30
Another weekend, another couple days to write up a website post! Japan hosts an abundance of sights to see, and if you live anywhere near the world’s largest megacity, that goes doubly-so! In early December, right near the tail-end of Fall in my area of Japan, I took a midday trip to Minato, a small ward connected to Tokyo by Rainbow Bridge (fitting name, given the title photo…). The purpose of the trip was actually to have some fun at Tokyo Joypolis with a friend (think indoor amusement park/arcade galore), but I am very glad I brought my camera gear with me. There turned out to be a lot to see and photograph!
The easiest and most scenic way to visit Minato is to take the monorail at Shiodome station after getting off at Shimbashi station. The slow cars with large windows on the sides allow for visitors to get some nice photographs as they make their way across Tokyo Bay—just mind the glare from those windows!
City/Green Mix
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1250
Ship Park
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1000
Ship Yard Approach
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1250
Since we arrived many hours before the discounted prices began, my friend and I explored in and around Odaiba, the shopping and entertainment district of Minato.
Rainbow Bridge and Bird Island
105mm, ISO 100, T4, 1/4000
Ginko Illumination
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1000
Wading
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/4000
Apartment Texture
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160
Fading Tunnel
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/1000
Feeling Festive
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/250
Work to be Done
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/320
Teleport Bridge Support
16mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/400
Steaming Street Sculpture
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1600
Looking Towards Palette Town
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1600
Colorful Mall
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/200
Venus Fountain
16mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/25
Fancy Stage…
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/25
After a good deal of wandering, we finally came across the life-sized Gundam statue (with moving head) in Diver City Tokyo Plaza. I have only seen a few episodes of the popular anime it is from, but even so I can really appreciate the attention to detail, down to small warnings for armor lock points and heat exhausts all around its body.
Diver Gundam
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/2500
Overlook
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/4000
Silhouette
105mm, ISO 100, f/22, 1/4000
Foot for Scale
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/4000
Daikanransha Foliage
105mm, ISO 100, T5.6, 1/500
Flame of Freedom Sunset
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640
Fuji TV Building
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640
Rebar Sculpture
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250
After some more walking around, we found Odaiba’s own Statue of Liberty!
Odaiba Statue of Liberty
32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/4000
It is, of course, quite a bit scaled down compared to the statue in New York…
…People for Scale
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1250
Field Trip Shadows
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1000
As the sun made its way to the horizon we headed back down to Odaiba Beach Park to explore what the warming light could illuminate.
Last Fall Foliage
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400
Rocky Bayside
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250
Tri-Anchor
32mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/4000
Preserver
32mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/4000
Passerby
32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/500
Framed
32mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/160
With the sun setting (and the cold wind picking up), it was high time to head inside for some snacks. Up to this point in the day, I was actually curious why the bridge was called Rainbow Bridge. I thought perhaps it had some sort of reflecting effect like the arch in Mikasa Park. Of course, I welcomed the surprise after coming back outside from snacking to find the bridge colorfully lit up during blue hour against the Tokyo skyline (as seen in the title photo and my new website banner)!
By this point in the night my friend and I headed to Joypolis to take advantage of the late-night pricing and proceeded to have a great time. During weekdays and in the evening, the entertainment center is largely empty, so lines for rides and attractions are virtually nil!
That’s all for this post, guys and gals, thanks for dropping by! I am ever-so-close to catching up in photographs from 2016, and it’s just a matter of another weekend or two to finally get there. Next up will be some photographs (and hopefully video!) from a hiking adventure at Bear Mountain in New York, my first outing with my new a6500. Until then, I’ll leave you with a photograph taken well past nightfall of Rainbow Bridge with some festive lights by Odaiba Park. As always, have a great day!
Festive Bridge
16mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/10
Matthew Durr Photography 