Finally exploring my neighborhood and sharing it with you guys here in the vids!! (sorry it took 2 years lol) What area are you wanting to explore at night the most? let me know down below!! IF YOU ARE NEW: I spend the first 30 min or so hanging out in the comments! So turn on those notifications if you wanna chat! And this week... Giving away a Patreon membership to one of the Notification squad!! (cuz there's 20% off merch for patrons this month!)
I honestly feel extreme lucky to have finally visited Tokyo just before coming home to the pandemic. Once the worlds normal again and people can visit I would strongly recommend doing the same and visiting the surrounding area of Tokyo tower late at night. never before have I felt so safe and peaceful in a country out at those hours and the views are indescribable. No matter how good the camera it can never truly give the experience you have looking across the city with a cold wind brush your hair. If you've ever wanted to go but no sure, honestly just go and visit. Best holiday I ever had.
Same, I went during january and what you say is true. It's kind of sad tho, that I felt so much more safe at 1 am walking arround an unknown city than walking arround my own neighbourhood... at any time of the day.
My wife and I planned our honeymoon to Japan in 2018 for April of 2020. It all fell apart a week before we were supposed to go. We have rescheduled it 3 times since then. We are even talking about moving there after we visit if we like it enough. We even have a imported kei car too.
Tamachi was the first area I stayed in when I first arrived in Tokyo in 1989. I stayed for a week at a long-since-gone minshuku close to Tamachi Station. I remember my first glimpse of Tokyo Tower while exploring the back streets at night and thinking "What is THAT?"
Nice to have a random night exploration video again. It’s been a while. And sakura. I dunno why, but seeing sakura always makes me happy. It’s like they hit the random button for the lights on the tower, lol.
(I really like your camera quality. It adds a lot.) It's always weird watching urban nightwalks as a woman. It ends up like a virtual view into what it is to be a man for short time, because all of my instincts say to avoid stuff like parks and alleyways once its late enough for people to have gone.
I'd say this is very peculiar to Japan in general though. I wouldn't go into the backstreets here as a man either, but in Japan I never got a bad vibe from a backstreet, not even once! Would probably be safe as a woman too! :)
I’ve covered this in other night walks But depending on the area I wouldn’t go solo even as a man let alone a woman. While Japan gives the overall “impression” of safety, I don’t recommend anyone to EVER treat it as a “safe” country. While less frequent, violent and disgusting crimes happen here all the time. Things that didn’t make this video from this walk: 2 different guys openly urinating on the street (one on a major road) One of those pizza guys throwing an empty can at a cat At least 4 cars running red lights at high speed And a drunk construction worker sleeping in what appeared to be his own vomit beside a convenience store. I recorded literally none of that, because... ewww lol But it’s a sampling of stuff even in one of the safest areas 🤷♂️
@@TokyoLens I suppose I've been lucky on my travels, haha! Although, while as you say, caution is always advisable. Here in Sweden I'd be more concerned about being robbed or murdered by junkies as opposed to just seeing minor misdemeanors when going down the wrong backstreet. :) I guess the contrast might make me feel like Japan is more safe than it actually is I suppose!
It might But violent crimes, robberies, and worse still exist here. Maybe not as obvious or frequent as overseas. But they exist and I can’t ever fully recommend anyone to feel safe here. It’s a dangerous country like any other and filled with dangerous and violent people like any other. I’ve walked the streets at midnight in Brisbane, Tuscany, Milan, California, Toronto, NYC, North Carolina, Naples, and more (often carrying expensive camera gear) and not once have I had an issue. Been pickpocketed in Japan though and know people that have had a lot worse done to them. None of those places I listed are “safe” places. And tokyo fits right up there with them 😊
@@TokyoLens Anywhere there's people there's generally similar type of problems of that nature. Mitigation taken (such as CCTV in nightclub areas) and reporting levels is really the only major variable. This is extremely topical in Australia at the moment so I'm typing a lot and backspacing a lot and retyping. I think there's different dangers for men and women. There's a place I used to walk from work to my Aunt's place every night at about 11pm. I did that for months, and never had a problem. My cousin's boyfriend did it just 3 times and was attacked by a gang of thugs I'd never even seen, but apparently had been hiding out in the nature strip. I can only think, probably he'd put his boxcutter from work away in his bag, whereas I would've had it in my pocket if not visible in my actual hand. I was always on the phone to a friend through that stretch, also I would walk out on the bicycle lane of the hwy rather the footpath through the grass. So falsely feeling safer is it's own danger.
without you, Norm, I would never know what Tokyo looks like at 2 am. Even when I visited it, I simply wasn't brave enough as a woman alone to venture out at those hours...
Woohoo! Always lovely to wake up to the notification of a Tokyo Lens Sunday vid. I have never actually been to Tokyo Tower. It, and the backstreets/gardens around it, is rapidly becoming one of the top spots on my must visit list when I'm in Tokyo.
hahaha we were just saying on the patreon discord that eventually were going to have to do a 48-hour-straight patreon hangout when all this wraps up lol
That camera / lens combo is perfect. Looking at all the aerial obstruction lights on the buildings looks like a scene from a Simon Stalenhag book. So surreal and so gorgeous!!
Amazing! I really love walking the backstreets around famous places because usually, you can find some hidden gems! When I was living in Nagasaki I loved walking around and finding little shrines or Buddha statues. Also, warm vending machine ココア always tastes amazing!
Notification squad! What's up? Loving these backstreets videos especially at midnight, it has a different atmosphere to it! I gotta say the low light capabilities of the A7Siii is really mind blowing. Have an amazing day y'all!
I’m amazed at how well lit all of those backstreets are! Even the dark area had its big ground lights. The sky doesn’t even look totally dark at times. Quite beautiful.
I appreciate how late you stay up so we can see japan and all its beauty at night. Thank you for the experience you bring us on can wait to come visit at the end of 2023.
I found Zojoji Temple by accident when walking round the area in 2019, It was so beautiful and really peaceful, the views of Tokyo Tower were amazing! I cant wait to see more of the backstreets in these vids!
@@TokyoLens Honestly a great discovery! I cant wait to get back to exploring Japan sometime hopefully soon. Your videos are great I love watching them, it makes me feel like im exploring Japan with you! Keep up the amazing work! Thank you :)
I watch these videos when I’m “homesick” for Japan. My favorite places I was able to experience while I lived there were the small mountain city of Suwa, in Nagano Ken, and the seaside city of Gamagōri in Aichi Ken. They are both pretty ordinary in every way. I just fell in love with them for some reason! Thanks for helping me feel like I’m there again.
The gate you showed at 4:10 brings me back so much! At the time I went there (2017) it was still opened. I managed to take pictures of the gate itself as well as the statues (not sure how to call them). The gate is also the subject of my very first photoshop project! Love your content.
I love this, gives me a little bit of nostalgia from some of your older backstreet videos. Looking forward to when pressure and at work and all eases and I can ride up to Tokyo and do some exploring as well.
My family’s cemetery is right across the street from the tower. Will have to wander some of these paths the next time I get to visit and pay my respects.
Thank you for showing us all of these little spots that we can hit once we are there. And thank too Norm, for us being able to live vicariously through you in Japan, especially during the pandemic.
Midnight Walks are Amazing, everything becomes empty and quiet for a while. But the lights and streets of tokyo are something DIFFERENT.Love the little shrines everywhere they almost seem like little checkpoints from a video game or a little scavenger hunt.
Hehehe I was waiting for this 😆 Time to explore the underrated and gorgeous backstreets of Tokyo 😋 Definitely gonna spend a few nights for backstreet exploration once I get to go Japan 😉
Again thanks for making such a beautiful video and brightening our days . I always enjoys these Tokyo vlogs , example secret spots in Tokyo , backstreets etc .
Always love seeing the back street videos! I really want to visit Japan someday and see all the little towns and experience pieces of the culture that I can't get elsewhere 💖
I always love these videos. I love the night aesthetic. The serenity, less people the coolness. My friends and I enjoy going out at night. It’s so relaxing. Sadly, can’t do it downtown at night anymore but it’s still fun and relaxing where we live!
Thanks Norm, midnight walk / vids around Tokyo area always amuses me since I can't do it when I'm in Tokyo, have to sleep and wake up early to catch up with holiday schedule 😄
It's cool that the camera lets us see so much more than we might normally in real life, a lot like the Fushimi Inari video. If the Shiba Park secret area looked that dark in the video, it must have been darn near pitch black to human eyes. I probably would have chickened out, but props to you for going where most of us wouldn't dare to tread.
I’d be happy for see any area at night. The quiet calm of the night and early mornings are always my favourite when traveling! Enjoy those cherry blossoms (I wonder how crowded or not it’ll be with no tourists and pandemic restrictions) Always a treat to watch Norm!
Has anyone else noticed how good Norms Vids have become in the last 6 months or so? I will say with respect that I use to watch some and leave a lot unwatched. Now i think i watch nearly every time he posts. His work has become much more compelling, not sure if it's being shot better or edited better but something is working
Must be so nice to explore at night when the city is quiet; the shrines and parks looked so peaceful. Planning a trip for when I can travel again. You're giving me so many ideas! Thanks for the video and staying up for it.
Nice. On my very first trip to Japan, I spent my first full day exploring that very area. I had been on a tour bus and got sick of hopping from one hotel to another to pick up tour passengers. It was taking forever and we were passing all these great sites that I wanted to photograph. I ended up getting off the bus and walking and found that little park you first walked through at the start of your video. That's where my very first Japan adventure began. Love your videos. Thanks. G
Thanks Norm. I really love it when you pick me up at my computer and take me out for a walk around Tokyo and points beyond. You are like a good grandson to me
Thanks for the tour of the backstreet areas! Some of them I recognize from when I was there in 2016, my hubby and I took a couple going to Tokyo Tower when we were there. (ahh, brings back some great memories! And I want to visit Japan again so badly!!). The little Shrines are adorable, I can see why you love going to the last one in the video, there is a definite pull there!!
That place really is beautiful. Looking at it from the video it seems peaceful and is the type of place that looks nice to explore. Seeing the houses on the more residential parts made me wonder what it's like to be living there. I wonder if they see how pretty the place is or if they're used to it that it seems like a normal place. The place would probably feel different if it was a morning video. There really is something nice and mysterious when walking around a place at night.
I always go to see the Tokyo Tower when I'm in Tokyo. It's like I know I've arrived 😊 thank you for this video, it helps me wait for a time when I can travel there again.
Wow I never seen that green lights on Tokyo tower!!!! 🗼 😮 Ahhh different season different lighting that was on a Monday!!!! 👍🏻 cool to see change!!!! Called Tokyo tower light up!!
That was a real treat! Thank you for sharing your exploring experiences with us! I guess the change of the lights' colour on Tokyo Tower was probably for maintenance reasons but we might never know for sure. Keep up the good work and looking forward to the next video!
when i went to Tokyo with my family we stayed in an Airbnb in the backstreets of Skytree Tower, they were similar to these so this video brings a lot of good memories to me!!
Tokyo Tower is my absolute favourite tower. This video is so wonderful and has really made me want to get back to Tokyo as soon as safely possible. Just going to sit and sob for a lil bit. Thank you for sharing! 💖💖💖
@@TokyoLens I don’t mind the Eiffel Tower too, though I went with a friend and he wouldn’t buy me a rose from some guy offering sooooo it also holds bitter memories too. This time next year... I will hopefully have my second Tokyo Tower tattoo 👌🏻
Magical as always! Thanks for another amazing video! The modest embassy you discovered is my favorite moment in this video 😆 I really wish I can visit Japan again soon.🥲
2 years ago almost to the day I was doing the same thing. I love that I can wonder around Tokyo aimlessly at night on my own. That's not something I would do in many cities, even my home city of London.
That camera. It's capturing the dim lights in such high definition. drool And I miss Tamachi now. My wife and I stayed there when we went to Japan couple years ago.
I visited Tokyo and Kyoto back in 2015, staying at the Tokyo Dome Hotel. I don't sleep much, so I'm up all hours of the day and night. Quite a few of the nights were spent looking at how empty and quiet the streets were from my hotel room. It's a peaceful time to be awake and is amazing to think a city that large can be that quiet and serene. :)
@@TokyoLens So do you think they were testing something or the person working was like "ah, no one will be up at this time so I can play around a little"?
Love how your video work translates the calmness of the atmosphere to this vid, I just felt like flying lol. I think I can safely say that walking Tokyo's back streets would be one of the things I NEED to do. Anyway keep doing what you do mans love the video work and the continuous vids of back street walking :)
