2015 Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan | Maiko Portrait Session

May 07 | Evan | Comments Off |

Before evening returning from the the 2015 Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan, I received a few inquiries about the 2016 Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan! If you are looking for that information, the details of the 2016 Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan can be found here.

I already shared with you about Kyoto and some of the special experiences we had there, but one other special experience in Kyoto that I saved a post for itself was our portrait session with a maiko in Kyoto. If you have been to Japan Photo Guide before, perhaps you have seen the portrait session with the two maiko from the 2014 cherry blossom tour of Japan, also in Kyoto! If so, you might recognize this maiko as she is in those portraits as well. Can you spot what has changed about her appearance since last yet?

Of course she is a year older but now she has lipstick on both the bottom and top lips, not just a style thing, but as they advance in their training, different things like hair style and make up changes as well! This time we first met at her tea house in Gion Kyoto, had a short tea ceremony and played a game before heading out to Kyoto Botanical Gardens to take portraits of her.

Taking portraits of a real maiko is always a unique and special experience itself, but also, just having sometime to talk with her was very interesting for the group visiting Japan as talking with a maiko is so rare, especially for foreign visitors. Catching a glimpse into the world of geiko (geisha is actually geiko in Kyoto and maiko in Kyoto is a geiko in training) is a special experience that everyone enjoyed, including a couple that was taking their wedding portraits that really wanted to take a portrait with her!

Want to see more photos from the 2015 Cherry Blossom Photography Tour of Japan? The group tour also went to Tokyo, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Himeji Castle and some of us to The Fuji Five Lakes close to Mt. Fuji. Stay tuned for more photos from the escorted tour of Japan!

2015 Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan | Kyoto

Apr 29 | Evan | Comments Off |

I’ve said it many times before, Kyoto is my favorite city in Japan and possibly the world! The mix of modern and traditional influences is combine for a spectacular place to visit, explore and take photos in Japan. There is never enough time to fit in all the places I want to share in Kyoto, but with this group tour of Japan, we certainly tried!

In addition to visiting places like Nanzenji, the Path of Philosophy, Silver Pavilion, Gion, Higashiyama, Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Golden Pavilion, Ninnaji and Arashiyama, I had also arranged for some special experiences and cultural lessons. The group got to spend time with a maiko in a tea house, as well as have a portrait session with her around Gion and the Kyoto Botanical Gardens. Also, Some members of the group tour of Japan participated in an ikebana lesson (flower arrangement) and others in a Japanese calligraphy class. Everyone also learned about and participated in a tea ceremony. There will be more on all these experiences in Kyoto coming soon!

Even though the weather and cherry blossoms weren’t fully cooperating with us, Kyoto has many great photo opportunities during all times of the year! Also, there are many varieties of cherry blossoms, so while some were too early, we had great timing for later blooming species like those at Ninnaji and Heian Shrine.

2014 Summer and Fall Tours of Japan

May 09 | Evan | No Comments |

Kyoto-36-japanphotoguide Japan Photo Guide is excited to announce 2 opportunities to experience Japan in 2014! In June and July of 2014 there is limited availability of short day tours or photography/portrait sessions in Japan. Whether in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido, Miyajima or someplace else, please contact me about what you want to do in Japan this summer!
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The next option is a small group tour to Japan in Autumn of 2014! This will be an small group (maximum of 9 plus me) tour of Japan including Tokyo, Miyajima, Takeda Castle Ruins and Kyoto and the surrounding areas like Nara and Arashiyama. The tour will have a photography focus, but there will also be plenty of cultural and other experiences that you don’t have to be a photographer to enjoy, so partners/friends are welcome (and will get to sleep in while we up early for good light)! Even though it is a group tour, the trip to Japan will still be customized for participants to get the most out of it! Hope to see you in Japan!
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Cherry Blossom Tour of Japan | Maiko Portrait Session

Apr 20 | Evan | No Comments |

Maiko Portrait Session-13-japanphotoguide

The 2014 cherry blossom tour of Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan had been going great and filled with special experiences so far. When planning this trip to Japan, one of the experiences I was most excited about was this portrait session with a real maiko! A maiko is an apprentice geisha or geiko as they are referred to in Kyoto. Many westerners think that these women are prostitutes, but this is not the case (and has not been for quite some time). Maiko, geisha or geiko are really entertainers that not only must know how to perform songs and dance, but also how to social interact and talk with high ranking politicians and members of elite society. For more information about maiko, geisha, geiko and their history, the wikipedia page is a good place to start.

Maiko Portrait Session-20-japanphotoguide

To schedule time with a maiko is not so easy. First, you have to know somebody with a connection. I had a few interactions with maiko and geiko, and because of my experience with some geisha houses and my Japanese, I could have scheduled something by myself, but like many things in Japanese culture, the most direct way is not always the best. So even for me, the best way for me to arrange time with one is to go through one of my connections in Kyoto. Even if you have a connection or two like myself, availability can be a problem as there are not so many maiko around! Thanks to my connections, we were able to arrange 2 different portrait sessions with 2 different maiko. Now that we had the time scheduled, the difficult part was finding a beautiful place, where we wouldn’t be overrun by tourist rushing to take photos! So all the popular places were out of the questions, but we were able to find some more isolated areas that allowed us to make beautiful portraits in Kyoto. Here are just a few of my favorite portraits of the two maiko in Kyoto during cherry blossom season: