4 COOL CUBE FACADES TO PHOTOGRAPH IN TOKYO

In a city like Tokyo where there a millions of buildings that all pretty much look the same, here are some unique buildings that you can use as a subject or as a background in your pictures. These locations work great on Instagram and were initially made famous by the Japanese urban photography enthusiasts on Instagram. Today we are solely focusing on cubes or cubicle facades in Tokyo. Depending on your style of photography and how you are going to use your photograph, there are a couple of ways to photograph these facades. You could include a model in your frame or just have the building. Here are some spots and sample pictures of cube facades in Tokyo.

THE DIAGONAL CUBES

This is a spot very famous for instagrammers who specialize their style in urban photography. The larger diagonal cubes are terraces between each apartment unit and are the unique point about this photo spot and building. We recommend going to this spot at night rather than the morning because the larger diagonal cubes stand out better at night. The dull concrete creates a stark contrast with the orange light from the larger cubes.

The building is located on the southern east side of Tokyo and is slightly away from the city center. The building is away from the nearest train station too so you will need to either walk or take a bus. Remember to check the bus timings before you go.

THE WOODEN TETRIS

This building is owned by a company that manufactures wooden building materials, hence this apt facade. The building itself has won many architectural awards in Japan and is famous amongst enthusiasts. The interior and exterior are both designed with various different types of wood. The tetris like facade, the wooden materials and the orange light all compliment each other making it a great building to shoot.

The picture below was taken on a summer evening. You can see how the lights accentuate the wood and how including humans into the picture gives the picture a sense of scale.

GREY CUBES

This spot is well known for the locals living in Tokyo, especially for the younger generation who love posting photogenic images on Instagram. It is located inside a building, the building has a huge courtyard from which you can view the other side. Standing in the middle of one side and aligning your camera with the verticals can result in a balanced image like above. The above picture was taken with a wide angle lens but you can also experiment with zoom lens and positioning your partner inside one of the cubes. On the top floors you can look down towards the courtyard and experiment taking pictures with the reflection like the image below.

Overall this building and especially the courtyard here is always fun to shoot. There are tons of ways to utilize your creativity here, according to your photography style, and create something worth sharing. While here, you should also check the rooftop garden on the top floor where the view is amazing.

SMALL OFFICE HOME OFFICE

This is a building where they rent out small rooms which can be used for offices. It is one of the most popular and famous spots on Instagram, in Japan and abroad, guarantied to get you a lot of likes. Shooting vibrant colors like these is actually easier when the lighting of the subject is indirect, less powerful, or even subdued. Because there is not a lot of direct sunlight in this building, and the light comes indirectly through a courtyard, this spot really makes the colors of the doors pop. Which is another reason, why pictures taken at night in this building is more popular. It is because during the day time, the colors of the doors do not pop out as much comparatively.

A popular way to take a picture of this location is by adjusting your exposure to the doors, so that everything other than the doors turn black, and making your model walk in one of the corridors like below picture. Adding a model like below breaks the continuity and rhythm of the picture making it more interesting. What other creative ways can you take a picture here?