Asakusa

Asakusa had been Tokyo’s leading entertainment district for centuries. Largely destroyed after WWII, the area around Sensoji Temple has been rebuilt and caters to thousands of tourists daily.
 
ABOUT THE PHOTO
After checking crossing Kaminarimon (the Thunder Gate) I meandered my way down Nakamise street, which happens to be the oldest shopping street in Japan. This small road that leads up to Sensoji temple is lined with stalls on either side selling all the touristy things you could imagine. It is most definitely a “tourist trap” but I did buy some delicious pastries. The mood of the day: Happy. It was the tail end of the Cherry Blossom season, the weather was perfect, everyone was smiling and seemed happy. Even I was feeling particularly joyful and I tend to avoid crowds and busy areas like a plague. I wanted to capture the moment for myself, to remind me of how unusually happy I was that day. The moving mob of people was quite intimidating. If you wanted to stop, you pull off to either side. The center was dedicated to high speed traffic. If you slow down or pause you run the risk of being shoved, bumped and even worse impolite. Knowing I only had a second to get my photo I adjusted my camera settings on the side of the road, before going out into the turbulent river of people. I was nearly at the end of the 250 meter street when I turned around, raised my camera a high as I could, and clicked. This photo turned out better than I had ever imagined. It’s been submitted to National Geographic and used for Toyko Travel Guide -GO TOKYO. That feeling of happiness that I was wanting to capture is absolutely epitomized front and center by the gentleman on the phone.