I've been in Tokyo this week to lead some training for the Associated Press, and arrived a day early to make sure I got here in time. I also wanted to have some time to adjust to the jet lag (14-hrs worth!), and was hoping to see some of Tokyo and shoot photos. Unfortunately, the day was overcast and dreary.

I always say you can shoot photos in any conditions, but it's certainly easier with the sun shining. Bright light means you can work with the shadows it creates. Without that, everything has a flat look, and there's little contrast. Still, I knew that spending time outside, and having a good walk, would help me adjust to the time difference. So I grabbed the guidebook to see what was nearby.

My hotel is in Shidome, which is great because it puts me close to the Ginza shopping district, the Tsukiji Fish Market (unfortunately closed that day) and Hama Riyku park. I spent six hours walking, covered a lot of ground, and the sun stubbornly stayed behind clouds the entire time. So I waited (impatiently). And eventually it got dark, and things got interesting.

You see, while the lack of sun during the day can make photography more difficult, once the sun goes down, all the little man-made suns (lights) come on and create new opportunities. And Tokyo's a great place to explore those. Ginza is lit up with neon lights and crowded with people. Shidodome has many levels of streets, walkways and elevated trains, which lets you work with different angles and unusual framing. Add to that the Japanese sense of style in design and building and you've got a winning combination.

So the sun may not have cooperated, but that turned out okay. Turns out that all I needed was for it to go away.