Travels in Japan - Night Time Coming

There's a scene in Hayao Miyazaki's anime "Spirited Away" where night descends on the ruins of an old, abandoned town. It is meant to mark a transition where the main character transitions from the living human world to that of spirits. The lighting of the lamps symbolizes the presence of spirits - something seen in spiritual or religious practice in Japan. Lanterns, candles, fires are lit at Obon, the celebration of the return of the dead to spend time among the living.
Two of my favorite instances of this involve creating small paper lanterns and either lighting them and sending them to drift down a river or into the ocean - or another where the lanterns are lit and thrown to rise into the sky. Its a beautiful, poetic image as the spirits of the departed set forth into the unknown, borne unto the darkness beyond on these fragile craft. Their lights slowly flicker out and away. So much like life. So fleeting, beautiful, and then it is over. The Japanese quality of light

The Japanese quality of light in small rural spaces is subtle, a simple post here or a lamp that hangs or stands there. In a vast city like Tokyo, its on a scale almost incomprehensible. While Tokyo is generally safe, it is good never to go alone as in any city. That said, I did wander one evening to see what I could find. To me, Tokyo was at its best at night. It has an almost Blade Runner quality, though from what I understand Blade Runner got that quality from Tokyo (Shinjuku Specifically). I have never been to that part of the city, but from the pictures I have seen - I can see where they got the idea from.
When you travel to Japan, take at least one night or an hour to wander. Perhaps you might be more inclined to nightlife than I, and you can certainly enjoy that. For me though its the sights and sounds of the city that were so enticing. One imagines who has been here, who runs it. The daily (nightly) stories that begin and conclude in such locations. Each a story unto their own.