2015 Fall Photo Tour of Japan | Kokedera Saihoji

Feb 20 | Evan | No Comments |

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Kokedera, The Moss Garden Temple also called Saihoji. Kokedera, which is located west of Kyoto in the Arashiyama area, does require advance reservations (I’d recommend at least a few weeks or a month and give multiple dates if you can) and an entrance fee of 3000 yen per person but is 100% worth visiting, especially in the Fall with Autumn’s leaves! Quick note for photographer’s tripods are not allowed.

When you visit Kokedera, first you will attend a short service and have the chance to practice your Japanese calligraphy by writing a sutra. Don’t worry though, you won’t get graded and the Japanese characters are lightly printed so you are basically tracing the sutra at Kokedera. Most of the seating will be on the floor though there are some tables outside the main hall with chairs. You should arrive 15 minutes ahead of your reservation time at Kokedea, especially if you or somebody in your group will want a chair. When you are finished with the sutra, you will be free to explore the beautiful temple grounds, the main garden of which is almost completely covered by moss. For more information about how to make a reservation at Kokedera, take a look at Japan-Guide’s website.

The 2015 Fall Photography Tour of Japan included Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawago, Okayama, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Kyoto! Interesting in joining your own escorted tour of Japan with Japan Photo Guide? Contact us to get the planning of your trip to Japan started or join one of the group tours of Japan!

2015 Fall Photo Tour of Japan | Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Feb 19 | Evan | No Comments |

Much like when I visit and make photographs at Fushimi Inari Taisha in Southern Kyoto, visiting the bamboo groves in Arashiyama allows me visit and photograph the same subject looking for some new angles. Or like the photo above and below, some random techniques with the bamboo. This time in the bamboo grove in Arashiyama I was making photographs with long exposures, all at least 20 seconds.

I was hoping to capture more movement at the top as the lighter tops of the bamboo move much more than the sturdier bases. I’m happy with the way the photos of the bamboo came out this time but I’m already trying to think about what I will try differently next time I visit the bamboo grove in Arashiyama with the 2016 cherry blossom tour of Japan! Any suggestions?

2015 Fall Photo Tour of Japan | Maiko Portrait Session

Feb 18 | Evan | No Comments |

The last few times I’ve escorted tours to Kyoto, I’ve been able to arrange portrait sessions with a real maiko (geiko apprentice, “geiko” is how geisha are referred to in Kyoto). It’s always a a lot of fun to take portraits of a real maiko though I have to admit, with how beautiful they are and amazing the colors in the kimono are, it’s almost too easy and hard to take a bad portrait of a maiko. I’m only half serious, but still, I think you know what I mean!

Actually the most difficult part about hiring a maiko as a model is really keep the other visitors (and sometime locals of Kyoto even) from crowding her. While it’s very exciting to see a real maiko or geiko in Kyoto, it’s very important to show good manners and not to chase, crowd or trap them. It can be quite scary to have many people aggressively following you and taking portraits of you, especially if there is a language barrier. Okay, small public service announcement is over, enjoy a few more portraits of the maiko!

Japan Photo Guide Maiko 002

2015 Fall Photo Tour of Japan | Kiyomizu Temple & Shinnyodo Temple

Feb 17 | Evan | No Comments |

At this point in our tour we had learned colder than normal weather, followed by drought, followed by warmer than normal weather, had split the vast majority of maples into three groups, turned color early, dried up and died early, or turning color late. Our tour of Japan must go on, though it meant now we were hunting for the best trees in each location, sometimes not having so many to choices! Even with the explanation of why the fall leaves weren’t out in full force in Kyoto, we were still able to make some great art and photographs in Kyoto. In this post I’m combining 2 places that are quite different but both are nice to visit in Kyoto in Autumn. First is Kiyomizu Temple and second is Shinnyodo Temple. Kiyomizu Temple is in South Eastern Kyoto in the area called Higashiyama.

Japan Photo Guide Kiyomizu 010

Kiyomizu dera is probably one of, if not the most famous temples in Japan. There are almost always crowds and thus if you are taking photos, I’d highly recommend going early in the morning as it opens at 6am. Hopefully, you will get a nice sunrise (which we didn’t get so much) or fantastic moon setting over Kyoto (which we did)!

Later in the day we would make our way over to Shinnyodo Temple, a much lessor known temple and often passed over by visiting tourists. Not because it isn’t great, but because there are so many other wonderful places to visit and experiences to do in Kyoto. Being slightly overlooked though is part of what makes Shinnyodo Temple great to visit as crowds tend to be much less but there are still some great fall leaves to be found here!