5 Photogenic Buildings and Townscapes in Tokyo

Tokyo isn't just modern high-rise buildings! Turn down an alley and beautiful retro architecture and historic townscapes, as if time-slipped, await. This time we carefully select and introduce 5 photogenic spots that "make you do a double take"!

01 | Former Iwasaki Family Garden (Taito Ward)

Built as the main residence of the Iwasaki family (the founding family of Mitsubishi) during the Meiji era, this Western-style mansion is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. Its atmosphere is reminiscent of a European palace. The contrast between white and brown on the exterior walls is beautiful, and the decorative details on the windows and columns make every angle worth framing.

• Photo highlights: The perfectly symmetrical composition at the main entrance is flawless. Adding greenery through the continuous arches of the veranda creates a sense of depth.
• Best time of day: Morning to midday. Light from the south softly illuminates the exterior walls.
• Best season: May (fresh greenery) or November (autumn foliage)
• Access: 3 minutes on foot from Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line "Yushima Station"
• Admission and hours: General ¥400, ages 65 and over ¥200 (free for elementary school children and under, and for middle school students who live or attend school in Tokyo). Open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30); closed December 29 – January 1.

02 | Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum (Koganei City)

An entirely photogenic open-air museum where a Showa-retro shopping arcade and Meiji-era Western-style buildings are gathered in one place. The museum includes buildings said to have inspired the animated film *Spirited Away*, lending the whole experience a wonderfully nostalgic atmosphere.

• Photo highlights: Shooting the retro-signage shopping street with a wide-angle lens maximizes the time-travel effect. Including an old telephone box or mailbox in the foreground is also great.
• Best time of day: Right at opening in the morning. Fewer people and softer light.
• Best season: April (cherry blossoms) or autumn (fall foliage)
• Access: Take a Seibu Bus from stop No. 2 or 3 at the north exit of JR Musashi-Koganei Station; about 5 minutes to "Koganei Koen Nishi-guchi" stop, then 5 minutes on foot.
• Admission and closed days: Adults ¥400, university students ¥320, ages 65 and over ¥200, middle school and under free. Open April–September 9:30–17:30, October–March 9:30–16:30. Closed every Monday (or the following day if Monday is a holiday or substitute holiday), and over the New Year period.

03 | Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building (Chiyoda Ward)

The imposing red-brick exterior is one of Tokyo's most iconic historic structures. The nighttime illumination is especially magical — the sight of the brick's red and golden light merging together is breathtaking.

• Photo highlights: A vertical composition shot from the station plaza facing front beautifully frames the domed roof. On rainy days when puddles form, a water-mirror reflection shot is worth going for!
• Best time of day: After sunset, during the illumination period (lighting-up and switch-off times vary by season and schedule).
• Best season: Autumn and winter, when the air is clear.
• Access: Directly accessible from JR/Tokyo Metro Tokyo Station.

04 | Imperial Palace East Gardens and Edo Castle Ruins (Chiyoda Ward)

The stone walls of the castle keep platform convey the legacy of Edo Castle with an overwhelming presence. The contrast between the moss-covered stone and the blue sky evokes the aesthetic beauty of Japanese history.

• Photo highlights: Shooting from a low angle looking up at the keep platform accentuates the scale of the stone walls. Framing the surrounding greenery as a natural border around the structure is also popular.
• Best time of day: Morning, when the light is soft.
• Best season: During cherry blossom season, you can enjoy a spectacular view of stone walls combined with cherry blossoms.
• Access: About 5 minutes on foot from Tokyo Metro Otemachi Station (Ote-mon gate). From subway Takebashi Station, about 5 minutes on foot to Hirakawa-mon or Kitahane-bashi-mon gates.
• Closed days and admission: Closed Mondays and Fridays (also closed December 28 – January 3 and on days with events). No admission fee.

05 | Yanaka Ginza to the Yanaka Townscape (Taito Ward / Arakawa Ward)

Yanaka, with its shopping arcade that retains strong traces of the Showa era and its winding narrow alleyways, has a nostalgic atmosphere that feels nothing like Tokyo. The stone steps of "Yuyake Dandan" (Sunset Steps), glowing in the evening light, are a particularly popular shooting spot.

• Photo highlights: A vertical composition looking down from the top of the steps toward the shopping arcade direction is a social-media classic. Bonus points if you can get a cat in the shot
• Best time of day: 16:00–18:00 in the afternoon. Orange light warmly colors the whole street.
• Best season: Enjoyable year-round, but summer evenings are especially recommended.
• Access: 5 minutes on foot from JR Nippori Station.

Tokyo has many more hidden Instagram-worthy spots waiting to be discovered. Take a camera out for a stroll on your next day off and explore the city's historic buildings and streetscapes

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Best season and time of day: for the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens, the light from the south between morning and midday, and the fresh greenery of May or the autumn leaves of November. For the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, just after opening; for the Marunouchi station building of Tokyo Station, after sunset in autumn and winter when the air is clear; and for Yanaka, the slanting light of late afternoon.
• Opening hours and seasons: the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens are open 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30). The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is open 9:30-17:30 from April to September and 9:30-16:30 from October to March. The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace vary with the season: 9:00-17:00 from 1 March to 14 April and in September, 9:00-18:00 from 15 April to the end of August, 9:00-16:30 in October, and 9:00-16:00 from November to the end of February (in every case last entry is 30 minutes before closing).
• Prices: the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens cost 400 yen for adults and 200 yen for those aged 65 and over (free of charge for elementary school children and younger and for junior high school students who live or study in Tokyo). The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum costs 400 yen for adults, 320 yen for university students and 200 yen for those aged 65 and over, and is free of charge for junior high school students and younger. Admission to the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace is free of charge. Photographing the exterior of the Marunouchi station building and walking around Yanaka cost nothing.
• Access: the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens are 3 minutes on foot from Yushima Station on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line. For the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, take a bus from stops 2 and 3 for Seibu Bus at the North Exit of JR Musashi-Koganei Station for about 5 minutes, get off at "Koganei Koen Nishiguchi" and walk 5 minutes. The Otemon gate of the East Gardens is about 5 minutes on foot from Otemachi subway station, and the Hirakawamon and Kitahanebashimon gates are about 5 minutes on foot from Takebashi Station. Yanaka Ginza is about 5 minutes on foot from JR Nippori Station.
• Parking: all of these places assume you will come by public transport. The area around Yanaka has many narrow residential streets and is not suited to visiting by car.
• Photography rules: there are rules laid down by the Imperial Household Agency for taking photographs and video in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, and commercial photography and the like require prior application. At the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum and the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens, flash photography and the use of tripods indoors may be restricted. Follow the notices on site and the instructions of the staff. The plaza in front of the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station is busy with pedestrians, so take care not to block the walkways with a tripod. Yanaka is a residential district: do not photograph residents, their homes or the inside of shops without permission.
• Safety notes: the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are closed on Mondays and Fridays (also closed from 28 December to 3 January and on days when events are held), and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is closed every Monday. Go without checking the day of the week and you will find the doors shut. The "Yuyake Dandan" steps in Yanaka are a staircase used by many people, so if you stop at the top to take photographs, watch out for falls and for blocking the way.

* Opening hours, prices and closing days are subject to change. Please always check the official websites for the latest information before you set out.

(Sources: official website of the Imperial Household Agency, "East Gardens of the Imperial Palace"; Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association, "Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens"; official website of the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum)