Shinjuku Night Streets [ Panasonic GX7 ]

This a view I've seen many times but have never really been able to get a good picture of, until now. It's the view along Yasukuni Street (靖国通り), that passes along Kabukicho when heading west past Shinjuku. It's one of the busiest and most varied streets in Tokyo, making it also probably one of the busiest and varied streets in the world.




Here's another view, this time looking towards the Kabukicho area, Japan's most notorious red light distric, though it's not really that dangerous, bad, or sleazy by the standards of many countries. I would rather walk through here than many normal streets in Chicago during the day. But that's Japan for you; even when it's dangerous it isn't that bad.




There isn't any particular theme for this set of images, besides that they were all taken in the same Shinjuku area, but if you look at them I think I got a decent collection of snapshots of the city and nightlife you can find there, and as usual I found some odd little curiosities tucked between the usual spots.




I'm pretty sure I've passed by here many times on the way from one of my favorite little camera stores in the area (SW Shinjuku is a goldmine for old lenses and camera stuff), but I never noticed this wonderful sign for the now long-closed Shinjuku International Theater.




There are a lot of different people around here, and a lot of different lights that give each street its own flavor.




Here is another shot of the Ishii Sports building, a new favorite of mine. I love how the windows seem to follow a line of stairs up the side on the right. I also like the choice of ICI as the logo of Ishii Sports. Odd but not in a bad way.

This little trip was mainly a roundabout way to check out a new camera store. I went to an excellent used lens shop in Nakano (just outside the station in a maze of little stores in the shopping arcade) the day before, but decided to try someplace new, and since I had some time decided to take out my new lens for a spin around my favorite photo spot.

I picked up the incredible Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 and I have to say that so far I love it. Yes, it is heavy - with lens on my little GX7 turns into a 600g (21oz.) beast - but the balance is great, and the zoom covers everything I usually need. It's a 24-70mm equivalent range, so you get a nice wide end and enough zoom to let you get in closer than just your legs would allow. It's also relatively small, and with it on I can in theory leave most of my other lenses at home. The 12-35 is IMO a great walking around lens, and it has glass that's good enough that you don't feel like your photo quality is suffering.

Anyway, I'll finish up my post here. If you'd like to see more images I've posted, especially with this new lens, check out my Flickr Photostream. Or check my other posts: Shades of Old Tokyo, Flowers From Tokyo or To the Abandoned - Ruins Hunting in Ueno.