The colossal fantasy fortress of Akihabara

The colossal fantasy fortress of Akihabara is one of my favorite photographs. Maids and costumed characters surround it. In arcades are an enormous assortment of games. Anime and manga fill the stores. Imagination is the only limit.

And that is where I found the perfect place for a photograph. There was a group of buildings packed together. At night, when they lit up, they resembled a bastion of light—a colossal fantasy fortress.

On its walls were signboards. Many of them advertised games. They used alluring females with dazzling figures. All of them were fantasy girls dressed provocatively. The images were the type associated with Akihabara. Walk the streets, and you’ll find similar ones everywhere.

I used them for my picture. The signboards became mighty ramparts. Light bathed those walls. Beautiful female heroes walk the battlements, ready to defend their land! Others attend their lord. That’s what I imagined. It was fascinating.

Is my imagination running away with me? Am I the only one who sees lovely ladies on a mighty castle brightening the night? Do you see it? If not, what do you see?

How to photograph the colossal fantasy fortress 

  • I wanted a long exposure because the light trails would look fabulous in such a location. After setting up my camera and taking pictures, I found a problem. The buildings in the frame put out a lot of light, more than I had anticipated. So, I added a neutral density filter, but I only had a 10-stop one in my bag. That gave me another problem! With the settings I had, the light trails were far too long. I took it off.
  • I decided to stop down to f/16. While not as good as the filter, it did reduce light a bit, but the light trails weren’t overly long. They still gave the feeling of movement.

How did I process it?

  • In Lightroom, the first thing I did was apply the Eterna color profile. After that, I made some minor adjustments to shadows and highlights. I also used the new color grading tool minimally to get the look I wanted. The adjustments, to this point, were minor. There was no need for Photoshop.
  • The billboards with the girls lost a lot of details due to the amount of light. Using the Lightroom brush, I manually darkened them. I also used it to change the temperature of the road as it was too warm. 

Where is the Akihabara fortress?

I took it on the corner of Bic Camera Akihabara. That is on Chuo-Dori. It’s only a five-minute walk from the station. Here it is on a Google map:

You’ll find a guardrail there, so put your camera behind it. A major pedestrian crossing will be next to you, so many people will pass you. Remember to keep your gear out of their way.  

This is where I took the pictures:

BIC Camera Akihabara
Akihabara BIC Camera.

That’s it for my colossal fantasy fortress of Akihabara. One day, I’ll go there again. Have you ever photographed it? Let me know if you have.

If you have questions or comments, leave them below. 

Picture of Rohan Gillett
Rohan Gillett

Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.

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