2015 Rice Terrace Tour of Japan | Oura Tanada

Jun 12 | Evan | No Comments |

Another day with the group touring Japan and another rice terrace to take photographs of! In the morning we went to Hamanoura Tanada and for sunset, we went to Oura Tanada. It should be noted that you cannot actually see the sun setting at Oura Rice Terrace, but the plan was that since the weather was suppose to be cloudy, it wouldn’t matter as much. It turned out to be one of the nicer sunsets of our trip and in hindsight I wished we had switched Hamanoura and Oura Rice Terraces, but we still made some nice photos at Oura as the sky did get some nice color and clouds, even the with sun not being there.

Earlier that day, before taking photos at Oura Rice Terrace, we had a fantastic lunch at Caravan Steakhouse in Karatsu City. Not only was the food very delicious but Chef Kawakami was incredibly kind and accommodating to the eating restrictions and allergies that some of the members of our group have. We all loved it so much that after we finished our meal, we made a reservation for the next day’s dinner! Take a look at the delicious food below and our group with the chef afterwards.

For the 2015 Rice Terrace Photo Tour of Japan, we also visited Doya Tanada, Hamanoura Tanada, Warabino Tanada and Mikaeri Falls, Nijinomatsubara, Jufukuji, Ishidake Observatory for Kujukushima and Yumiharidake Observatory for Kujukushima. Interested in joining a future Tanada Tour of Japan? Contact me today to start your experience for Japan!

2015 Rice Terrace Tour of Japan | Hamanoura Tanada

Jun 11 | Evan | No Comments |

After a good start at Doya Rice Terrace in Nagasaki, the next morning I escorted our group of photographers to Hamanoura Tanada. The best time to go to Hamanoura is really for sunset, but the weather was looking gloomy later in Saga Prefecture, and sometimes there can be some nice light and colors opposite the sunrise, so we went here in the morning. There were some interesting clouds for part of the morning and also there wasn’t much rice growing from the rice terraces yet so we were able to make some good photos.

I’m still trying to work on my HDR technique for landscapes and I think comparing with last year’s attempt with rice terrace photos of Japan, I am improving, but still want to learn more. I love my work as a portrait photographer, but the group tours to Japan are so much fun for the obvious reasons of enjoying Japan and making new friends, but also gives me a chance to work on some photography techniques that I normally don’t have a chance to use. Next time, instead of HDR, I think I will try the graduated neutral density filters for landscapes of Japan!

For the 2015 Rice Terrace Photo Tour of Japan, we also visited Doya Tanada, Oura Tanada, Warabino Tanada, Nijinomatsubara, Jufukuji, Ishidake Observatory for Kujukushima and Yumiharidake Observatory for Kujukushima. Interested in joining a future Tanada Tour of Japan? Contact me today to start your experience for Japan!

2015 Rice Terrace Tour of Japan | Doya Tanada

Jun 10 | Evan | No Comments |

Back in 2013 I escorted a large group of photographers around Hokkaido, Tokyo and Kyoto. It was a great trip as we explored and photographed Japan for just about 2 weeks. I was delighted when Dmitry from Photosafari contacted me again about creating a short extension trip for him and other photographers after they spent some time in New Zealand. Due to the timing of their trip, we decided to focus on Rice Terraces (Tanada in Japanese) of Kyushu as the timing would be close to when the rice terraces are filled with water making for some beautiful landscape photographs. We would have liked to arrive a little bit earlier, but due to the group’s other commitments we arrived just after peak season for taking photos of some of the rice terraces in Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture.

After flying into Tokyo, we had a short break before flying to Fukuoka and then we chartered a bus to take us to our hotel in Karatsu. Karatsu is in Saga Prefecture and a great base for exploring rice terraces in the area. After Kamikochi and Kyoto, Saga Prefecture, especially Karatsu is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Japan. Our first rice terrace would be Doya Tanada, which is actually in neighboring Nagasaki Prefecture. Photos of Doya were the original inspiration for creating the rice terrace tour of Japan as I’m sure you can see why!

For the 2015 Rice Terrace Photo Tour of Japan, we also visited Oura Tanada, Hamanoura Tanada, Warabino Tanada, Nijinomatsubara, Jufukuji, Ishidake Observatory for Kujukushima and Yumiharidake Observatory for Kujukushima. Interested in joining a future Tanada Tour of Japan? Contact me today to start your experience for Japan!

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!