⭐ Tokyo 13 - CineStill 800T

A roll full of bangers! Street photography, subway shots (my favorite theme), and glowy neon glow powered by halation.

This roll was taken partially during the afternoon, and partially at night. I am now in love with subway shots and CineStill 800T. It transforms every single mundane scene into a still where commuters glide past each other with practiced indifference, each carrying a story, a direction, a rhythm.

Shibuya under rain becomes a mass of moving shapes and muted reflections. Umbrellas fill the frame, forming a translucent canopy that filters the city’s noise into something visual. Faces are mostly hidden, but posture and direction speak volumes about the collective urgency of urban life.

Rain slows Tokyo just enough to notice the rhythm. From under the umbrellas, people gather in silence, facing the crosswalk like a theater audience waiting for the curtain to rise. In the previous frame, we stood among part of the crowd. Here, we step back and see it as a whole :)

⭐ What are you thinking so far? Share it if you liked it!

Night was beginning to fall in Udagawacho 宇田川町. The light was dropping, but this small ramen shop glowed like a beacon. I saw the old man through the doorway, alone with his bowl, and dialed in my light meter to match the dim, mixed lighting. I focused and waited until he raised his chopsticks. That was the moment. The hostess wasn’t pleased with my presence, but I had already taken the shot. In that instant, the warmth of food and solitude met the coolness of the Tokyo evening.

I had butterflies in my stomach. I knew this would be the roll’s banger. Film has that instinctive tension. You commit, then you wait. I shot this frame and sat on it for a month before developing. When I finally saw the scan, the entire chain of decisions paid off: the timing, the light, the meter, the patience. Everything held. That’s the reward film gives when you trust the process.

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Ichiran’s Secrets

Ichiran is a Japanese ramen chain known for its unique solo dining experience. Customers eat in individual booths, separated by dividers, focusing entirely on the flavor without distraction. Orders are placed through a form and delivered via a small window by unseen staff, minimizing interaction, that’s when I got there :)

Its inner corridor isn’t meant to be seen. It’s the engine behind the solitary dining experience, hidden behind curtains and soundproof dividers. I peeked through just long enough to gauge distance, set the aperture to f/1.5, trusted the camera’s metering in Av mode, and fired blind over the divider. This shot wasn’t planned, and I had no idea what would come out.

That’s the risk in film, and also the reward. The blur, the motion, the confined geometry, all captured a glimpse of the choreography that keeps the illusion of isolation running. I am really happy with this shot! ⭐

Makotoya’s sign glows like a beacon in Shibuya’s night, pulling the eye with saturated reds and nagain, warm halation. For this one, I stood across the street, waited for a moment without foot traffic, and framed the shot as a car pulled in, doubling the neon through the hood and windshield.

CineStill 800T handles this kind of scene with confidence, letting artificial light bloom just enough without losing detail. It doesn’t lookl just like a ramen shop, but rather, a cinematic frame waiting to happen.

Shibuya or Blade Runner?

This karaoke shop bathes the sidewalk in synthetic blue and neon red, casting silhouettes that feel lifted from a dystopian set. The businessman walks through the frame like a replicant on break, briefcase in hand, face hidden. CineStill 800T and I in our perfect habitat, where tungsten and fluorescence clash, where shadows deepen and artificial tones take over. It’s Tokyo at night, but it could be a scene from a game called Cyberpunk 2077.

That’s it. I hope you enjoyed this film roll. So far, it’s my favorite roll of the trip. I believe that’s where my photographer’s spirit was actually kicking in.