The almost unimaginable size of Tokyo ensures that any 3 day itinerary is going to be a compromise, however by basing ourselves in the district of Shinjuku at the perfectly comfortable Citadines apartment hotel meant that we were able to walk to many of the destinations on our ‘must see’ list. Approaching the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park we noticed that there were several wedding ceremonies being conducted on this gloomy November day.

These beautiful sake barrels wrapped in straw are offered every year as gifts to the enshrined souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort Shoken by the Meiji Jingu Nationwide Sake Association; Emperor Meiji led the industrial growth and modernization of Japan by encouraging a variety of industries and supporting technological development.

For me, to travel is to eat (when not photographing!), and so after the morning at the Meiji Shrine we wandered down towards the famous Shibuya crossing and stopped en route at a fabulous little Ramen bar for lunch. As is common with most Ramen bars in Tokyo, upon entering the tiny bar the diner selects a meal from the vending machine (carrying cash is essential in Tokyo) and then presents the ticket at the bar, whereupon the chef begins preparation. Being very cosy and dark, I increased the ISO of the 5DSR to 3200 and applied a little noise reduction in post production. I am still learning the high ISO characteristics of the 5DSR, but so far have been pleasantly surprised at how well it copes considering the incredible pixel density.

After lunch a short stroll to the famous Shibuya crossing…

And then as the skies grew evermore overcast and flat, we decided to head to the Shinjuku Gyoen gardens, located conveniently near to our apartment hotel.