City of Taxis
As the sun dips below the skyline, Tokyo transforms. Neon lights blaze, and the hum of activity intensifies. One thing dominates the scene: taxis. Over 50,000 roam the streets. They’re an integral part of the Shinjuku nightscape. Their headlights form rivers of light. Have you ever wondered what it would look like without them? Let’s explore where they go, who they carry, and how they shape this city.
All the areas around Shinjuku Station have massive taxi ranks. Some extend hundreds of meters. Upon arrival, each driver takes their place in the line. They wait for those further ahead to pick up their passenger and move out. In some ways, it resembles a conveyor belt.
The process repeats itself countless times during the night. While the drivers wait during downtime, some pop out of their cabs for a quick smoke. Others catch up on their reading. More take a nap. They do various things to break the monotony or kill time.
And the passengers? They come from all walks of life. Tired office workers who just finished doing overtime are a common sight. Others are part-time workers, people out for a night, and students. Anyone can use a taxi.
Go to Kabukicho, hosts, hostesses, and hospitality workers take one to get home. Not everyone wants to take a train or a bus home at night after a long working day. Imagine living in Saitama Prefecture and having an hour or more commute. That’s exhausting. Many people want to go home in some comfort.
What would happen if the taxis disappeared? The Tokyo nightscape would change completely. Shinjuku might even disappear. Of course, that would never happen, but it would change. The streets would become traffic free. And if that happened, then we might as well be in a different galaxy.
That won’t happen. Nobody buys cars these days. They are too expensive. The last trains leave the station around midnight. Who would move the population, if there were no taxis?
Could you imagine that happening? Neither could I. At least not in our lifetimes. Taxis will be here forever. They’ll still be here long after the last human is gone.
When I walk around the station at night, on the road, all I see are taxis. Private vehicles, motorbikes, and buses, are in the minority. Taxis rule the night. Shinjuku is the city of taxis.
City of Taxis photo gear:
- Camera Body: Fujifilm X-T2
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
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