5 Photogenic Buildings and Townscapes in Tokyo: Recommended Instagrammable Retro Architecture and Castles

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"!

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01 | Former Iwasaki Family Garden (Taito Ward)

The residence of the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, built in the Meiji era, is just like a European palace. The contrast of white and brown exterior walls is beautiful, and the window decorations and pillar details are picture-worthy no matter where you cut them out.

• Photogenic point: The symmetrical composition of the front entrance is perfect. Putting greenery in through the continuous arches of the veranda creates a sense of depth
• Best time of day: Morning to noon. Light from the south side softly illuminates the exterior walls
• Recommended season: Fresh greenery in May, autumn leaves in November
• Access: A 3-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Yushima Station

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

A wholly photogenic open-air museum where a Showa-retro shopping street and Meiji-era Western buildings gather all in one place. There's also a building said to be a model for the film "Spirited Away," letting you steep in a nostalgic atmosphere.

• Photogenic point: Shooting the shopping street lined with retro signboards in wide-angle gives MAX time-slip feeling. Putting an old phone booth or mailbox in the foreground is good too
• Best time of day: First thing in the morning right after opening. Few people and soft light
• Recommended season: Cherry blossoms in April, autumn leaves in fall
• Access: A 5-minute bus ride from the north exit of JR Musashi-Koganei Station

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03 | Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building (Chiyoda Ward)

The dignified red-brick exterior is a historic building representing Tokyo. The nighttime illumination is especially fantastical, and the scene where the red of the brick and the gold light melt together is overwhelming.

• Photogenic point: Shooting the front in vertical composition from the plaza in front of the station beautifully captures up to the dome roofs. On a day with puddles, the water-mirror reflection is also a target!
• Best time of day: The illumination time from after sunset to 9 p.m.
• Recommended season: Autumn and winter, when the air is clear
• Access: Right at JR and Tokyo Metro Tokyo Station

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

The stone walls of the keep base have an overwhelming presence that conveys the traces of the former Edo Castle to this day. The contrast of the moss-covered masonry and the blue sky lets you feel the beauty of Japan's history.

• Photogenic point: Shooting from a low angle looking up at the keep base makes the sense of scale of the stone walls stand out. The composition treating the surrounding greenery as a frame is also popular
• Best time of day: The morning time of soft light
• Recommended season: In the cherry-blossom season, you can enjoy the superb view of stone walls × cherry blossoms
• Access: A 5-minute walk from Tokyo Metro Otemachi Station

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

Yanaka, where a shopping street with strong traces of the Showa era and narrow alleys continue, has a nostalgic atmosphere you wouldn't think is Tokyo. The "Yuyake Dandan" stone steps dyed by the sunset are an especially popular shooting spot.

• Photogenic point: The vertical composition gazing toward the shopping street from atop the stone steps is outstandingly Instagrammable. If you can shoot it together with a cat, you're lucky
• Best time of day: Evening, 4 to 6 p.m. The orange light warmly dyes the town
• Recommended season: Enjoyable year-round, but a summer dusk is especially recommended
• Access: A 5-minute walk from JR Nippori Station

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Tokyo still has many unknown photogenic spots sleeping. On your day-off stroll, camera in hand, try searching for historic buildings and townscapes.

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(Camera) Hashtags for social media posts

`#TokyoRetroArchitecture` `#TokyoPhotogenicSpot` `#InstagrammableTokyo` `#TokyoTownscape` `#FormerIwasakiResidence` `#EdoTokyoOpenAirArchitecturalMuseum` `#TokyoStationMarunouchi` `#EdoCastleRuins` `#YanakaGinza` `#RetroArchitectureTour` `#WantToConnectWithBuildingLovers` `#TabitabiJAPAN`