2014 Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan | Tokyo and Kyoto

Apr 16 | Evan | No Comments |

I love visiting and sharing Japan during anytime of the year, but there is nothing like Japan during cherry blossom season! What started out as me helping the family plan by consulting on their trip, turned into a 8 day tour with them in Tokyo and Kyoto during cherry blossom season. We were perhaps a few days early for the sakura to be in full bloom, but towards the middle and end of the trip, we got to see some beautiful cherry blossom trees. Besides the cherry blossoms, we had plenty to do!

Tokyo and Kyoto-15-japanphotoguide

This tour of Japan was one of my hybrid general + photo tours where the father had a strong passion for photography and while the rest of the family enjoys taking photos, the tour couldn’t be just a photography tour. There were still some early morning photography sessions just the rest of the family was sleeping in and eating breakfast while we were out taking photos. The father’s main focus is actually wildlife photography but aside from crows in Tokyo, there really aren’t any wildlife photography opportunities in Tokyo! Instead, we were mainly focusing on cityscape and HDR images in Tokyo. I also arranged a portrait session in Tokyo. In Kyoto, I arranged two portrait sessions with a real maiko (Geiko in training, Geiko is what Geisha are called in Kyoto) and of course some of the amazing temples and shrines were our focus, along with the ever popular bamboo groves in Arashiyama.

Ninja Experience-10-japanphotoguide

Like I said though, this wasn’t just a photography tour of Japan! There was lot’s of sightseeing and experiences for the rest of the family as well! Of course we went to the usual suspects in Tokyo and Kyoto, like in Tokyo, Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Asakusa, Ueno, Akihabara and in Kyoto, Golden Pavilion, Ryoanji, Path of Philosophy, Kiyomizudera and so on… but also, were able to arrange some very special experiences as well. Some of those experiences were a private demonstration with a Japanese sword smith, tea ceremony, already mentioned the maiko portrait session, private meeting with a monk for learning about Buddhism and to take some photos, a ninja experience and more! Check out a few of my favorite photos of the family and cherry blossoms from the trip. More photos from our tour of Japan coming soon!

Photo Tour of Japan | Shirogane Falls

Mar 01 | Evan | No Comments |

There are not too many hotel choices close to the Blue Pond and in the Shirogane Onsen area, but the hotel we stayed at, Shirogane Park Hills, is just a minutes walk away from a bridge overlooking Shirogane Falls. This is great for rolling out of bed early in the morning and seeing if the weather/light is worth it to take some photos, otherwise you can just go back to bed! If the weather is clear, and you have a wide enough lens, you can get the waterfall and the mountains of Daisetsuzan National Park in the background.

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While our timing was pretty good with autumn leaves, I wish the mountains had some snow on them but we were a little too early for the first snow of the season for Daisetsuzan National Park. I’m not sure if I would drive all the way from Asahikawa or even Biei just for Shirogane Falls, but since it is so close to Blue Pond, maybe 5 – 10 minutes by car, it is certainly worth it!

More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon! Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

Shiretoko Five Lakes
Shiretoko Pass
Utoro Sunsets
Furepe Waterfall
Oshinkoshin Waterfall
Lake Akan
Lake Mashu
Lake Onneto
Sounkyo Onsen
Kamikawa Angus Farm
Ginga Waterfall
Lake Daisetsuko
Sounkyo Ropeway
Oobako
Blue Pond (Aoi Ikke)
Shirogane Falls – You are here!
Moss Garden Temple (Kokedera)
Bamboo Forrest in Arashiyama
Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji)
Nanzenji
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Portrait session with models in kimonos

Interested in your own custom photo tour and experiences in Japan? Contact Japan Photo Guide today to start your adventure!

Photo Tour of Japan | Lake Daisetsu

Feb 21 | Evan | No Comments |

Lake Daisetsu is about 10 minutes from the Sounkyo Onsen area and there are a couple of different places to take photos. Our group traveling around Japan drove around one part of the lake looking for the angle we liked best and then found parking as close to where we wanted to photograph the lake as possible. I can’t say it was the safest place as we ended up on the bridge, but I can say that nobody got hurt… although a filter was lost over the edge.

lake-daisetsu-006

On a clear day you can see the mountains of Daisetsuzan National Park. Like most landscape opportunities, weather and light play a huge role in the images you can make here. Like our says in Shiretoko, we had rain for quite some time at Lake Daisetsu but since it was just a 10 minute drive from our hotel in Sounkyo, we were able to come back again for slightly better weather.

More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon! Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

Shiretoko Five Lakes
Shiretoko Pass
Utoro Sunsets
Furepe Waterfall
Oshinkoshin Waterfall
Lake Akan
Lake Mashu
Lake Onneto
Sounkyo Onsen
Kamikawa Angus Farm
Ginga Waterfall
Lake Daisetsuko – You are here!
Sounkyo Ropeway
Oobako
Blue Pond (Aoi Ikke)
Shirogane Falls
Moss Garden Temple (Kokedera)
Bamboo Forrest in Arashiyama
Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji)
Nanzenji
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Portrait session with models in kimonos

Interested in your own custom photo tour and experiences in Japan? Contact Japan Photo Guide today to start your adventure!

Photo Tour of Japan | Kamikawa Angus Farm

Feb 15 | Evan | No Comments |

About 40 minutes by car from Sounkyo Onsen, and minutes away from Kamikawa Town, is an area famous for landscapes of hills and plains along with The Daisetsuzan Mountain Range in the background. The sun rises on the far side of the mountains and if you come here in the afternoon, the sun will set so that the light is hitting the mountains. As the title implies, there are also lot’s of angus cows grazing on the grounds but when we went, most of them were in other areas (it’s a big big space). On the Sounkyo Tourism page, they don’t have anything about the farmland but they do mention a new garden, “forest”/tourist attraction called the Garden of the Taisetsu Forest and a restaurant called Fratella di Mikuni which are literarily across the street from this landscape area. If you take a look at their website, not only can you see the menu/food but there is also information about staying in one of their villas. On their Facebook page, even if you can’t read Japanese, you can see lot’s of photos of the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range during various times of the year.

kamikawa-angus-farm-001

When we were there, it was the restaurant’s day off and the garden/forest wasn’t finished yet, but the whole area is very pleasant and relaxing! As you can see, weather permitting, it also could offer some spectacular views!