And I am out in Ikebukuro exploring back streets and rooftops.

My buddy Lucas.

Uh Hey guys.

Mhm Yeah.

What do you think of this spot?

It's pretty good.

Yeah, I like, I like how you got in here.

You asked.

I was impressive.

Sometimes I gotta do is ask.

Mhm Probably just love the light to Ikebukuro.

Oh yeah.

It was like one of my first love's ever in Tokyo.

It was probably like the very first Tokyo area that I ever truly you live here.

I do live here.

I live here for almost 10 years now.

But the first time I came here also like I didn't really know what even it was friends were like Japanese friends.

They gotta go to Ikea because I was like what?

Oh you know like when I was that you just don't want to go to all the time.

I'm looking at this beautiful alleyway with sunshine there And then I look over at Lucas there's there's this giant demon behind him that looks like it's about to devour his head.

So that's the thing you literally step back as you like.

But I love the way this just cuts through right here to sunshine city up there.

Mhm.

This building sunshine city up here actually has one of the best viewpoints of Tokyo.

Mm mm hmm.

Pretty much every single time that Lucas and I get together.

It's just, it's just rooftops.

Yeah, it's like a tradition.

It just feels so good to be back out and I've been doing so much stuff in the countryside and out in nature that it's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to get into the city again, you know.

Yeah.

And it's the best time for its nighttime.

Yeah.

We were going to do it on a rainy night but my camera isn't the biggest fan of the rain so I guess I'll have to be.

Yeah, it's still pretty good though.

I think I think I can get a view of the highway over there.

That's right.

Mhm.

I am already losing track of how many stairs we've done today.

That's the key to this man.

You gotta you gotta find the stairs and climb them.

Tell me the story of this rooftop Lucas.

Well this is one of the oldest ones that I've ever been to and you can.

So when I started doing rooftops in 2014 I came to this one.

This is one of the ones I found because I because I did it started in my neighborhood here in Ikebukuro and this was one of those.

And so it's like there's nothing like there's no like fancy story but it's just got a special place in my heart.

I guess what I want.

I want to say because it's one of the first when I figure it out.

But there's some cool views.

So let's check those out ducts here and then we got sunshine back there which is kind of the star of the show tonight.

We've we've shot sunshine from like five different views.

You know how you got the, what's the guy's name?

The 35 views of Mount fuji or whatever.

We got like 10 views of Sunshine city but this view is really good right here Lucas has a special love for pipes and ducts.

Big time.

We actually had to climb something like 12 flights of stairs just to get up here this time.

Not not too bad but it all adds up at the end of the day to get some cardio workout.

Yes, so you got Tokyo tower out there and I have a special little love for all the air conditioner units on top, they're they're messy but they're beautiful in a weird way.

Mhm I'm just, I love the colors of Tokyo at night and Lucas makes a really good point of it with over time everything's changing, everything's disappearing.

And look at this, look at this view, I love this ok back on topic but especially over the past I'd say year, two years, even decades, Tokyo has seen so much change.

So many buildings disappear places that we've known and loved since coming to Japan are just forever gone and so we don't know how long spots like these rooftops that we've collected over the years are going to be around.

So we've kind of committed to hitting as many of them tonight and over the near future as possible.

One of the big tricks are gonna, we're gonna actually head back down one of the really good tricks that I actually picked up from Lucas, I'd say the better part of a decade ago is when you're shooting night photography, you're going for, you're trying to pick up light, your camera is essentially always just there to grab light.

And so if you have an area like this that's really lit up and beautiful in the background, you're likely to get really good photos.

But if it's just a dark alley, maybe a long exposure will yield some nice results.

But chances are you're not gonna get a great photos.

Just I say it every time and I'll continue to say it chase the light.

I'm leaving most of tonight up to Lucas because he's kind of the Ikebukuro expert if you will.

So all the pressure's on you Lucas.

Yeah, no pressure so chill.

One of the things I've always loved the Tokyo and Japan in general is just like if that's the shape of the land they have to work with that is the shape that the building will be and you can bet that there's gonna be some really strangely shaped building squeezed into there as well as well as just this one parking space for this single truck that's all that'll fit and that's all they need.

It's actually not even that late and I'd say maybe 11 30 at the absolute best.

But it's crazy how the city just just empties out at night every time I do one of these like nighttime in Tokyo videos.

People are surprised at how empty it gets like obviously the main road, there's gonna be cars and people driving around but you get 12 roads into the back street and it's just yeah.

Mhm Lucas has always for years for as long as I've known him has always found the most obscure spots or moments or points in Tokyo if I I've known Lucas here for well over a decade and I'd say at least half of that relationship has just been running into him on random street corners throughout Tokyo but talking about obscurity Lucas, check this out.

It's an entire then I love how it's like do not drink, this is a soup stock.

Never seen this machine, but there are more and more weird vending machines like this like there's like a blue bottle coffee vending machine.

Yeah, yeah, yeah that I saw.

Yeah Cat Street, there's this fancy soda like craft cola.

Craft holds actually getting kind of big in japan right now.

Mostly in the countryside out in Chicago.

I didn't know that you can buy syrup and you put a little bit of syrup and then some soda water and you make your own basically craft cola.

I don't know how to describe it if cola, if there was like a pumpkin spice latte version of cola, that would be it.

It's got the cinnamon and the nutmeg and all those other flavors in it.

So I think that I haven't had it.

It just sounds like the appropriate and you know what?

Let's take a peek in school.

Let me, they've got like a makeshift version and convenience.

Let me grab one break.

There we go.

There we go.

Okay, you guys for you.

Nice.

Thank you.

So, I've seen this, but compared to the fancy ones that are like $5 a pop.

Yeah, I was like, yeah, but let's try it kind of like not sponsored.

It just tastes like cinnamon cola.

I mean just, it's good.

It's good.

It tastes like cinnamon cola.

Focus our board of Mhm.

You know what?

I'm breaking the rules.

I'm trying the elevator suggest that actually because I'm tired of taking things.

Yeah.

The risk is if it opens up right into a shop.

So, and then we pretend like we didn't park our car here.

Yeah.

Yeah, I know this isn't it?

Yeah.

Here we go Moment of truth stairs, right?

And whatever it is, It's closed.

Oh no.

Yeah.

Uh huh.

All right.

I'm the first one.

Yeah.

Outside of Ikebukuro.

Do you have a favorite area for rooftop views easily Ginza.

That's the place.

Which is where we went the last time we did this.

Yeah.

And that's why we went there because it's awesome.

It's great.

I kind of want to get down near the train tracks.

So yeah, let's do it.

I got a good spot for that.

We left the door open just in case it oh my bad.

Got stuff just in case it locks on us.

Thank you.

What's up?

Yeah, we are.

We've got a bit of a cat friend with us.

It's just staying one floor ahead the entire time.

Go to our, I don't care.

Mm bread little dude, I wouldn't be going on that ledge.

Oh watch your head.

It's almost took mine out, Lucas is freaking out over the cat saying like why doesn't he just go under?

Why does he go inside?

I'm scared for the cat, you know, I don't want him to hurt himself, you know, killing there now.

Yeah, I hope so.

I hope he's just chilling.

But he's like, I'm the precipice of death.

Yeah, I realized it's so late.

I don't even think they're technically very few are running.

Yeah, this one is just getting a part.

I think.

I also saw a little shrine there when we came around the corner.

I thought that this was gonna be a bridge over.

But it's just the, there's a bridge under right.

There's a bridge, a bridge under, it's called the tunnel.

There's a bridge and there is a ton of, there's a bridge under there's a bridge under.

Let's go with that.

There's a bridge under over there and then there's a, get this, get this, there's a tunnel over on the leaving.

I've dealt with trying this way all, mostly the city has no shortage of little stairwells that you can get access to take photos and whatnot.

But also this has got to be my favorite part of Tokyo.

That doesn't matter where you go, you're gonna come across some type of little shrine, he didn't within the back streets, you know, I did this entire walkthrough Osaka and there weren't nearly as many shrines and temples hidden in the back streets of Osaka as there are in Tokyo many times And now that you mention it, that is a very good observation.

There's not that many, not like here, this is always something cherry blossom trees, not maybe this one right here, but the ones back there that we passed trying, it's a good cherry blossom spot.

It's pretty good.

Yeah.

You see a lot of people doing to me, it's not huge but it's nice and you can get really close to the trees.

Watch your shins.

I figured the overhead tunnel will give us better views than the underground bridge because when you're underground, even though you're on a bridge, you don't see anything because you're underground, I'm never gonna live this down.

Am I technically there are underground bridges because let it go.

But you know this is this is going to be a bit of a digression but Poland, there's a salt mine That you can visit a historical place, it's 1200 years old and when you go into ground in the salt mine, there are bridges because you have to pass.

Give me feel any better.

Well, you know, it's not unheard of is what I'm saying.

Another thing that I love around here is that pink neon sign for hotel, bar, Crudo, the World Hotel.

But you know neon signs are going away.

That's another thing that's going away.

Yeah.

Yeah.

A lot of cool neon signs have been removed and she has a few that are gone and this one is awesome.

I love it.

Three colors.

Mhm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mhm.

Uh huh.

Okay.

We got caught up right here just watching the trains for far longer than I'm willing to admit.

Some stairways will be a little yeah, messier than others as you go up and some will apparently have plans.

It's actually my first time to see plan.

You go a little bit higher.

Oh, he doesn't change too much.

But you go up more like a chicken coop up there.

Yeah, this is weird.

Okay, pretty good.

Got a blank rooftop up here, couple buildings over here.

The best spot is definitely down over there, over the staircase we just came up and you've got a dead neon sign here with a clown for car.

Okay.

Yeah, I love that thing, but it's been there forever and I've never seen it on.

But the best spot on this rooftop and I'm sorry if you have vertigo is right here.

I've never been up on this one, though.

I would not have found it if you didn't bring me up here, so thank you.

And I also don't know how we got this far in the video that we mentioned that Lucas now actually has his own Youtube channel.