Photo Tour of Japan | Portrait Session in Kyoto

I am going a little out of order from my recent photography tour in Japan with this post here, but this portrait session was such a huge hit with the group, I wanted to go ahead and share it.  After Tokyo and Hokkaido our group travelled to Kyoto.  While the main purpose of this photo tour of Japan was focused around landscapes and nature photography in Japan, I had arranged for two models to wear Kimono clothes and spend some time with us in Kyoto.  The girls rented the clothes from one shop I had used before called Yume Kyoto.  From my past experience, I knew the staff at Yume Kyoto was super friendly and helpful, so it was an easy decision to return to their shop.  Also, I should mention that their shop is conveniently located on the edge of Gion, across the street from Yasaka Shrine.  Yume Kyoto also can do hair and have other options to return the clothes the next day or to your hotel.

For the portrait session, we started out in Maruyama Park then went to Yasaka Shrine before crossing the street over to Gion.  We had a little time left, and with the idea to avoid the crowds that had been joining in on the photos and following us, we went to a small shrine off the Path of Philosophy in Kyoto called Honen-in.  Everyone had a great time and I’m sure next time I plan a group trip to Japan or maybe even for a private custom tour of Japan, I will try to arrange something like this again!

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
• Moss Garden Temple (Kokedera)
• Bamboo Forrest in Arashiyama
• Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji)
• Nanzenji
• Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Portrait session with models in kimonos –  You are here!

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

Interview on Live w/ Katie Adler

Another exciting event that happened in February was that I was asked to be on Live w/ Katie Adler, a voice over artist in Tokyo, Japan, that works for NHK and many other clients.  I was really excited about talking with Katie about how I ended up in Japan, going from North Carolina, then Miami then to Tokyo and how I was able to turn some of my passions, photography, meeting new people and Japan, into what is basically my dream job:  guiding visitors around Japan to help them really experience and always remember Japan.

If you want to listen to the interview, you can click the link below to stream it or right click the link and choose “save link as” to download and listen at your convenience.  The entire interview about Japan and how I started giving private tours of Japan is about an hour long:

Evan Pike Live w/ Katie Adler

And just because it doesn’t feel right to write a post about Japan without showing a photo from Japan, here is a photo from Roppongi Hills Tower in Tokyo.

Special Deals on 2012 Summer Tours of Japan

Going to Japan in the summer of 2012?  Me too!  I will be traveling to Japan this summer in July to visit friends before they leave Japan and also to see family in Tokyo.  If you were to hire me for a custom tour of Japan, normally you would be charged my travel fees to fly to Japan, but I have racked up quite a bit of air miles, and since I am going to Japan anyway, this is a great chance to get a significant discount on custom tour of Japan.  Since  I will be in Japan anyway for personal reasons, I thought I would make myself available for some custom photography tours of Tokyo or Kyoto (or possibly other places) and also I will be available for portrait sessions in Tokyo or Kyoto. Tentative dates are the last two weeks of July of 2012, but I have a little flexibility on either side if contacted early enough.  Here are a few of the services I can provide this summer for you during your travels to Japan.

• Photography Tours of Japan —  Helping to navigate to around Tokyo, Kyoto or possibly other areas of Japan with photography in mind. 2 day minimum of guidance around Japan.
• Tokyo Food Tour  —  Some of the best (and worst) experiences of my life have been eating around Tokyo.  Everything from hole in the wall, to restaurants with Iron Chefs, I’ve done my fair share of eating around Tokyo.   With so many food choices in Tokyo, to say it is overwhelming is an understatement!  I will help create the ultimate foodie tour with you around Tokyo and of course helping to navigate Tokyo.  Whether you are in search of sweet, spicy, sushi, fried, vegetarian, upscale or food-carts, I can make it happen!  Minium of 6 hours.
• Tokyo or Kyoto Portrait Session —  Don’t really need a guide but want to get some photos to document your wonderful trip in Japan?  I will be available for portrait or family portrait sessions in Tokyo or Kyoto.
• Need help with something else while in Japan?  Chances are I can help you make the most of your trip to Japan!

Since I am going for some vacation as well, I am accepting a very limited number of bookings for Japan this summer, so contact me ASAP to get your Japan experience started!

13 Day Photo Tour of Japan | My Lovely Couple from Turkey

One of the best parts about leading photo tours in Japan is meeting and developing relationships with my fellow travelers in Japan. Part of the experience that I offer with Japan Photo Guide is to help document your trip to Japan. Of course you will be taking lot’s of photos of Japan, but I think it is important that I take photos of you as you are experiencing Japan. Look through your previous travel photos and I’m sure you will notice the amount of photos of the entire group together is few and far between. The times when you do have travel photos of everyone, you are usually asking the waiter or some random stranger to take a photo, which might not come out so great! As a professional photographer, while traveling around Japan as a guide, it is always a pleasure to take photos of everyone with me… Especially when I get comments like this:

“All of them are great! Thank you very very much Evan! :) We visited Japan with you again :) You made our day thank you. Those are wonderfull memories.”

Check out the rest of my favorite photos of this lovely couple experiencing Japan for the first time and from my most recent Japan Photo Guide trip to Japan:

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