One of my clients recently sent me to Tokyo, London, and Mexico City on assignment. Between those shoots I had a just little time off to explore all three cities with my camera.

Having photographed in Japan on several occasions over the years I have to say that it's one of my favorite cities in the world. Its the most futuristic, civilized place there is, and its populated by extremely considerate, tidy, and polite people.

Tokyo is very quiet for such a teeming metropolis. People don’t honk their horns, yell, or talk loudly on their cell phones. Sirens from police, firetrucks and ambulances seem to be almost non-existent. An ambulance driver transporting a dying patient calmly encourage other cars to move out of the way using a relatively quiet and, of course, hi-fidelity speaker atop the ambulance. You don’t have to scream when you know how to manufacture some of the best speakers in the world.

You’ve probably seen those videos of Japanese commuters being shoved into rush hour subway cars by professional sardine packers. My assistant and I avoided the subway at that time of day and, instead found many serene and beautiful environments. See below..