Tokyo Lantern Alley at Night

Red lanterns hang beneath the wooden eaves, their light spilling onto the wet street. The nearest shop has dark blue curtains across its entrance and a small floor lantern beside the step. Farther down, warm doorways alternate with shaded walls. Overhead wires cut across the last blue light of evening.

A bicycle leans beside a planter on each side of the alley. The one on the right is close enough to see the basket, rear rack and thin wheel spokes. Reflections run between the paving stones, broken by drain covers and little uneven patches of water. This imagined Tokyo street gives you plenty of small corners to work on before tackling the darker roofs.