Photo Tour of Japan | Furepe Waterfall

Jan 27 | Evan | No Comments |

Furepe Waterfall is part of Shiretoko National Park on the south west side of the Shiretoko Peninsula.  It is fairly easy to access as you park at the Shiretoko National Park Nature Center and then take a short 2km walk/hike to the waterfall.  The hike itself is actually quite pleasant and like with the Shiretoko Five Lakes, can offer spectacular views of the Shiretoko Mountain Range before arriving at the waterfall.  Like most of Hokkaido and especially the Shiretoko area, bears and other wildlife could be around.

I went to Furepe Falls twice, once in the summer and once in the fall.  The flow of water was much stronger in the summer but in the fall we got to see a family of deer that seemed to be quite comfortable as models for the camera!

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 – You are here!
• 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

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

First 2014 Cherry Blossom Forecast for Japan Released

Jan 26 | Evan | 1 Comment |

Cherry blossom season in Japan for 2014 is over… Too bad, but if you missed it, why not see the cherry blossoms in Japan with Japan Photo Guide in 2015! The first sakura (cherry blossom) forecast for 2015 will be released around January 2015

Cherry blossom season is a magical time in Japan when the different kinds of sakura start blooming in the southern parts of Japan and move their way up the country.   Like most forecasts related to the weather, the cherry blossom forecast is a best guess at best.  Cold weather before the sakura bloom can effect it and once they bloom, heavy rain can really shorten this already tight window to view and take photos of cherry blossoms in Japan.

If you have planned your 2014 Spring trip to Japan around the average cherry blossom blooming dates, I have some good news!  The Yomiuri Shimbun has published an article with a forecast for the southern parts of Japan saying that average or earlier blooming is forecasted for this year:

2014 Cherry Blossom opening/first bloom date forecast, best viewing date is typically 5 – 7 days after first bloom:

Fukuoka – March 20
Nagoya –  March 23
Tokyo – March 24
Osaka – March 25
Kyoto – March 25

 

Updated February 12th

Fukuoka – March 22
Matsuyama – March 24
Hiroshima – March 26
Nagoya –  March 27
Osaka – March 27
Kyoto – March 27
Tokyo – March 29

Updated February 28th

Fukuoka – March 22
Matsuyama – March 24
Hiroshima – March 25
Nagoya –  March 26
Osaka – March 28
Kyoto – March 28
Tokyo – March 29

Updated March 5th

Fukuoka – March 23
Matsuyama – March 25
Hiroshima – March 25
Nagoya –  March 26
Osaka – March 29
Kyoto – March 28
Tokyo – March 31
Sendai – April 13
Sapporo – May 5

Updated March 12th

Fukuoka – March 22
Matsuyama – March 24
Hiroshima – March 25
Nagoya –  March 26
Osaka – March 29
Kyoto – March 28
Tokyo – March 30
Sendai – April 12
Sapporo – May 5

Updated March 19th

Fukuoka – March 20
Matsuyama – March 24
Hiroshima – March 25
Nagoya –  March 25
Osaka – March 28
Kyoto – March 27
Tokyo – March 28
Sendai – April 12
Sapporo – May 4

Tenki.jp has released their 2014 cherry blossom forecast for Japan.  The link is in Japanese, but you can translate via google translate.   Although, JNTO has began updating their site in English, so you may as well start there for cherry blossom forecast details!

Photo Tour of Japan | Utoro Sunsets

Jan 24 | Evan | No Comments |

As the 2013 fall Japan Photo Guide tour was exploring the Shiretoko Peninsula and Shiretoko National Park, instead of camping in the wilderness, we were staying the the town of Utoro just outside of Shiretoko National Park.  The Shiretoko Peninsula has quite a few places that are great for viewing the sunset and taking photos of the sun setting in Hokkaido.  There are at least 4 good options, Cape Puyuni and Yuuhidai which both offer elevated views of the ocean and town below and or Oronkoiwa Rock area and pretty much any place you can find along the rocky shore that looks interesting to you.

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 – You are here!
• 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

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

Photo Tour of Japan | Shiretoko Pass

Jan 23 | Evan | No Comments |

After posting about the portrait session in Kyoto, I’ve gone back to the order of the trip to share with you Shiretoko Pass.  On the roads in Hokkaido that go up mountains, there are many passes that have some places to park and offer great views.  Shiretoko Pass is inbetween Utoro and Rausu and with good weather, offers great views of Mt. Rausu, the tallest mountain in the Shiretoko Mountain Range.  When I was here in the summer, I had a great view of Mount Rausu, but in the fall, like Mount Fuji often is, the mountain was a little shy and hiding behind the clouds.  To the east we could see the ocean and hills down to Rausu, but no mountain.  We were also a little early for fall foliage as this year the fall leaves were slower than normal.

There was also a cute fox along the way and I was told by another photographer from the area that he often can see bears in the area.  Oh yeah, forgot to mention so far that Shiretoko has a lot of bears, so read up on bear safety before going!  If the weather is good, coming here for sunrise would be nice.  Unfortunately, the first time we came here for sunrise it was raining, the second it was cloudy/misty until about 20-30 minutes after sunrise… Although I did get to see one great rainbow for about 5 seconds.  It’s only about a 25 or 30 minute drive from Utoro, but since it at a much higher elevation, more than 700 meters above sea level, the weather can be drastically different and change swiftly.

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 – You are here!
• 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

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

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