Is night photography safe?

Hello all,

As my trip is getting closer(Sept 14th) I am trying to add some more details on where to take some night shoots. One thing that I am a bit worrying about is how safe is to go with pricey camera (my very first DSLR!)to take night photos while in Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka? Are there any areas that are best to avoid?

Would really appreciate any comments /suggestions.

I traipsed all around Tokyo late at night with my expensive DSLR. Didn't have one single issue. Though Tokyo is massive place, the majority of people are actually very nice, as opposed to scummy Westerners. So you don't need to worry. I would be more concerned about staying away from rowdy Gaijin than any locals whilst there.

I felt more safe in Tokyo than I ever have in my small Australian city (Hobart) which has a population of 220,000. You will be fine.

You will be fine with your camera taking photos at night. There are no areas in any of those cities that you would be at risk of losing it if you are holding it.

Japan is not crime-free (and it's definitely not only westerners who commit the crimes), but being mugged for a camera would be very unusual.

Thanks a lot for this information! This will definitely reduce all of my concerns.

I have done night photography in Tokyo with my SLRs and DSLRs and never felt threatened but I would recommend to keep the ISO settings as low as possible to avoid noise in the photo and therefore to use a tripod. The problem with tripods is that it can be very crowded at certain locations. To avoid being a hindrance for people and to avoid somebody knocking your camera over, I would recommend to pick your location carefully.

Yeah a tripod is a must for night photography, especially for any long exposure shots.

I'm looking forward to taking a few night shots in Tokyo next month. Just need to find some good locations that won't be too busy.

Here is an link to an old question I posed a few years ago about the best locations for night photography in Tokyo: http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+56157

Thank you for the tips Hoshiato! Your old post was full of very useful information which I will try to use. I have light travel tripod and a Gorillapod, so I hope that will be able to address the problem at places with limited access.

My husband accidentally left his backpack on the NEX a few days ago. It contained his digital SLR, Logitech iPod dock and all our travel documents. It was recovered the next night. We knew it would be fine because we were in Japan and theft isn't high, but as another poster said, in Australia it would be stolen. You don't need to worry :)

almost everywhere is safe but

don't take pictures of the africans hanging around in shibuya, harajuku, roppongi or kabukichou

they will get angry and cause problems with you if you take their picture. if you ask before hand they might be OK though.

besides that you'll be fine. you may be asked/stopped by police about what you're doing. police generally don't know photography law and many are under the impression that night photography of private property is not allowed but actually it's completely legal. don't know how you'll deal with this situation if you don't speak japanese. i have dealt with this more than a few times as i am a night photographer.

Just as has been said, I also felt safer during my whole trip in Japan than I do in my home city in the US. Me and my girlfriend both walked around with DSLRs, extra lenses, etc. all day and also late at night.

Enjoy your trip and take awesome photos!