You could walk right by and miss it.

Ōmori - sweet camera candy.

Last fall, two friends and I stumbled upon an area of Tokyo that seemed to be holding on for dear life. It was daytime, and I shot a roll of black and white film there, knowing I could capture the kinds of details that look epic in monochrome. Mission accomplished. Since then, I’ve known I needed to head back at night to capture those cinematic scenes.

It might not look like much, but Sanno 山王 Izakaya Street is off the chain when it comes to urban photography. Leica M6 • Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm v02 • Kentmere Pan 200

This type of location is what I live for as a photographer. Stories abound in an area with this much history, and I only wish I knew more of them. But, as you may know, I like to create my own stories from behind the lens. Let’s dive in.

Those black and white images were shot with a 40mm lens, my go-to focal length. But after that initial visit to Sanno (山王) Izakaya Street, I knew 28mm was the way to go for my return. As you can see, I’m standing in the same general area for these two shots and I had no idea I’d find myself back in this exact spot five months later.

The night shots really hit the mark for me; I captured exactly what I set out to create. In my work, composition is king. I’ve always maintained that it’s the most vital element of a photograph. I can work around horrible lighting, but as long as the composition is there, I’m golden.

As I strolled, it was apparent that most of these joints had people singing in them. Karaoke definitely lights up the area.

I decided to stroll down a different street toward another part of the neighborhood. Honestly, I had no idea what I was in store for; I was expecting more old buildings with a dusting of lackluster new towers. Oh, was I wrong.

To the left: izakayas with karaoke. Up the stairs: izakayas with Karaoke.

And there it was, a long two-story building with at least forty joints where the patrons were singing their lungs out and downing cheap booze to lift their spirits even more.

The hallways were empty, but nobody was hanging outside the establishments. They knew where the action was: inside.

Here’s my latest video on the area. It shows this building in more detail. Such a cool spot.

It was time venture around the neighborhood. Not seeing anyone like me (foreigner not from Asia) is always a good indicator if I’m in an area that’s ripe for the photography pickin’.

Let’s walk.

As I cruised around, I found hallways, stairs, and interesting lighting. The mood was on point.

As you can tell, I like these hallway scenes.

I’m going to leave you with the image below. I found this spot truly incredible. It’s just so Tokyo. You have kids’ bikes, cardboard boxes, and a storage locker tucked into a side alley between buildings, all leading to a brilliantly lit bar entrance featuring some 'booty' on the door. Was the red light a signal? I’ll never know. It is, however, the end.