Tokyo from the Sky – Flying Aerials for the 2020 Olympics

Tokyo Aerials – Some projects stay with you long after the rotor wash fades, and my time photographing Tokyo in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympic Games is one of those.

Months of planning went into making this possible. Finding the right helicopter and pilot was its own marathon, with emails and calls bouncing back and forth across language barriers. In the end, the effort was more than worth it. The Japanese crews I worked with couldn’t have been more professional, or more welcoming. That week in Tokyo, walking the streets to orient myself with the scale of the city, was as much about connecting with people as it was about preparing for the shoot. It cemented Japan as one of my favourite places in the world.

Navigating the logistics came with its challenges. The language barrier meant some details were lost in translation, but aviation itself provided a universal language: altitudes, airspace, coordinates, timings, all spoken and understood the same way. Sharing my extensive portfolio of helicopter work also helped bridge the gap, providing proof of concept that reassured both operators and crews about the scale and style of what I was aiming to achieve. Those conversations, sometimes slow and deliberate, ultimately built trust and laid the foundation for the flight that followed.

The primary flight began at Tokyo Heliport, doors off, with the city spread out before us. We swept low over the harbour, where container ships, ferries, and fishing vessels crowded the water full of purpose and activity. Then, climbing out over the city, we transitioned into higher altitudes. Anywhere from 2,000 to 7,000ft, circling the Imperial Palace and its gardens of green, a pocket of stillness in the middle of the world’s largest metropolis.

I had planned the flight around the optimal forecast: clear skies to the west, clean air, and the possibility of a sight few get to witness. Sure enough, Mt Fuji stood perfectly visible on the horizon, capped in snow, as if placed there by design. The sun slid down behind its peak, casting the city into gold and shadow. From there, we continued with precise, pre-planned passes over the new Olympic Stadium and across the grid of Tokyo, until finally lining up the moment I had been waiting for: a perfectly timed shot above the Imperial Palace just as the ambient light faded and the city’s lights began to sparkle in every direction.

Tokyo’s airspace is still partially managed by the U.S. military, and throughout the flight, their familiar accent came over the radio, guiding our changes in altitude and position. It was a surreal detail, an American voice helping us choreograph our flight paths above Japan’s capital.

When the aerial photo shoot was finally complete, we descended over a harbour now completely black, the water reflecting only faint traces of moonlight, until the heliport itself came into view: a brightly lit island welcoming us back. Touchdown, pack up, and a quiet taxi ride back through the neon city to the hotel.

Looking back, it remains one of the most spectacular days of flying I’ve ever experienced. A combination of preparation, precision, and perfect conditions, elevated by the warmth of the people I met along the way. Tokyo gave me its best, and I’ll always carry that memory with me.