Join this magical 9-day photography tour of Japan, the land of the rising sun, to best capture its vibrant nature and fascinating culture.
Japan is an enigma layered with contradictions. Vast cities ride waves of innovation and offer the rest of the world a glimpse of the future, yet much of rural Japan has mainly remained untouched. The countryside is another world, one dominated by pillars of ancient tradition, spiritual temples, and nature in full bloom.
This photography tour focuses on a combination of the two, and although we will spend time in the big cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, you can expect to witness and shoot some of Japan’s most exquisite landscapes and cultural scenes firsthand.
On top of that, we’re heading over in the best season possible: Autumn. In the fall, the Japanese maple tree, Momiji, is in full bloom and its colourful leaves will decorate many of our photoshoots.
We will dedicate much of our time to the tapestry of colours to be found in the stunning city of Kyoto, and, of course, we’ll visit Kawaguchiko Lake and the legendary Mount Fuji.
So don't delay any longer! Hurry now, and you too can discover and photograph the wonders of Japan with this fabulous 10-day photography tour. Check availability by choosing a date.
Available: Nov. - Dec.
Duration: 9 days
Activities: Sight Seeing, Cultural Activity, Photo Tours, Photo Workshop
Difficulty: Easy
Minimum age: 18 years.
Languages: English
Departure time : Flexible.
Professional Photo Guide
Accommodation in a hotel based on twin sharing
Transportation
All museum, parks entrance fees and tour tickets
JR pass valid for one week
Alcoholic beverages
Flight tickets
Visas if needed
Meals
Medical insurance
After you signup, we’ll send you a recommended camera gear and packing list. Please pay special attention to things that we say are absolutely required.
Our Japan photography adventure will begin in Tokyo, and we advise that you schedule your arrival in the capital for one day before the tour starts.
We’ll meet at noon at the Lobby of Mitsui garden hotel Kyobashi, which is located 10 minutes walk from Tokyo Central Station.
Day one of the trip will be spent strolling around the stunning Lake Kawaguchiko. Overlooking the lake is the magnificent Mt Fuji, and the group will take all the time we need to capture the stunning volcano with autumnal foregrounds of colourful maple trees.
We will spend the day around the lake and take an excursion around the volcano, drinking in the views and capturing the landscape with the help of our expert photography guides. Don't worry if you haven't got all the pictures you'd like by the end of the day, for we'll be returning to this gorgeous lakeside for two more days of epic photography!
In the evening, you will retire to accommodation in the nearby area.
It is the second day of your photography adventure in Japan, and so we will be returning to Lake Kawaguchiko to capture its glistening water and autumnal leaves under different lighting conditions. Once again, the domineering Mount Fuji will be our major subject of the day.
Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, standing tall at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). It is designated one of Japan's holy mountains alongside Mount Tate and Mount Haku.
Thanks to its impressive, cone-like shape, Mount Fuji has inspired artists and poets for centuries, as well as been a centre for pilgrimage. Standing by the lakeside with your camera in hand, you will quickly realise that you are the latest generation of people to attempt to capture the mountain's majesty.
When your time at the lake is over, you will once again return to your accommodation for the evening.
It is your final day to capture the exquisite beauty of Japan's Lake Kawaguchiko.
Your group will find new areas and angles from which to capture the mountain, and with luck, the lighting conditions will create new effects and compositions.
With three days under your belt at Lake Kawaguchiko, your album is sure to bursting with incredible new landscape photographs, both of Mount Fuji and the surrounding area.
On your final night, you will return to your accommodation in the nearby area.
On your fourth day, you will move on to the sacred Koyasan Mountain. Asides from being immensely beautiful, Mount Kōya, is the centre for Shingon Buddhism and thus is an incredibly special location to many Japanese people.
You will also pay a visit to the beautiful, yet haunting Ancient Okunoin cemetery—the largest cemetery in Japan—as well as the vast temple complex and old shrines that can be found nearby.
By the end of the day, you will not just have bagged yourself some new contributions to your portfolio, but also a deeper insight into the mysticism and spiritual practice that is still so prevalent in Japan today.
You will have accommodation for two nights at Ryokan Ekoin traditional temple.
Today will be your second day in the Koyasan Mountain area, a region of cedar trees and over two-thousand ancient tombstones. Mount Kōya has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.
There are a variety of different areas you can photograph today. These include the Kobo Daishi Mausoleum, Torodo Hall: The Hall of Lamps, The Daimon Gate and the Daito Bell at the Garan temple complex.
You can also spend some time during the day sampling traditional Japanese cuisine and learning more about the area's fascinating history and culture.
You will spend your final night in the Mount Kōya area.
It is the sixth day of your Japanese photo adventure. Today, you will be moving west to Japan's second city, Kyoto. Kyoto is a magical blend of old and new, and we'll spend the next four days exploring the city's most famous cultural sites, including gardens, palaces, shrines and temples.
Many sites in Kyoto have become popular attractions, hence why we will organise morning shoots. This not only allows us to skip the crowds, but also to maximise the morning's lighting conditions.
Though there is no set schedule for the attractions we will visit, each day will be filled with incredible sights and experiences.
Take Diago-ji, a Buddhist temple on the banks of a serene pond, surrounded by stunning maple trees and a picturesque bridge. We will also photograph Bishamon-Do, another temple with stone steps and pathways lined with colourful maple trees—a fantastic place for a photoshoot!
You will witness the Tofukuji Temple, a spectacular display of Japanese architecture embraced by some of Kyoto's most incredible autumn foliage.
Another temple, Kiyiomizudera, is a great spot for autumn photography, surrounded by grand trees that will be glowing with the bright red of the fall.
We will be spending the night in accommodation in Kyoto. Our accommodation, an authentic inn, is in the centre of the city that offers easy walking distance to many of Kyoto’s most photogenic sights.
It is your second day in Kyoto and, just as with yesterday, you will be spending the next twelve hours capturing the very best of the city's cultural landmarks.
You will witness the Tofukuji Temple, a spectacular display of Japanese architecture embraced by some of Kyoto's most incredible autumn foliage.
Another temple, Kiyiomizudera, is a great spot for autumn photography, surrounded by grand trees that will be glowing with the bright red of the fall.
You may also visit Enko-ji temple, another Buddhist building that is home to a classic example of a Japanese garden. Flowering greens, yellows, oranges and reds all mingle together in as tranquil a space as you can imagine.
You will also see other iconic Kyoto locations, including the head-shrine of the God Inari, Fushimi-Inari, the Ginkaku-ju silver pavilion, the Kinkakuji golden pavilion and the stone garden of Ryoan-ji.
Again, you will retire to accommodation in Kyoto for the evening.
On your final day in Kyoto, you will pay a visit to both the Shugakuin Imperial Villa and Katsura Imperial Villa. These outbuildings and gardens are considered Japanese cultural treasures and showcase a mastery of traditional gardening techniques.
The attractions covered over the last four days are by no means a definitive list of where we will be spending our time and organising our photo shoots, but it gives you a good idea of the sites we hope to cover.
There are plenty of other places well worth visiting and capturing with our cameras, from the Arashiyama Bamboo forest to the ancient blocs of Gion Higashiyama.
What's for sure, however, is that time your time in Kyoto will be invaluable, not just as a traveller, but as a photographer too. Your portfolio will be bursting at the seams with new contributions!
You will spend your final night at the inn in Kyoto.
On our final day of this 9-day photography tour, we will wave goodbye to ancient traditions and aesthetics of the countryside, instead moving on to the colourful urban landscapes of Osaka.
Once we arrive, we will say our goodbyes and you are free to arrange your flight home or onwards to your next destination. Please keep your tour guides abreast of your travel plans so that they may help to organise your transfers to the airport.
Until next time, we hope you've had a fantastic time photographing the nature and cultural treats of Japan.
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