Photo Tour of Japan | Shiretoko Five Lakes

Jan 22 | Evan | No Comments |

In September and October of 2013, Japan Photo Guide and PhotoSafari.ru worked together to prepare a tour for photographers from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and of course myself from USA.  Including myself, we had 15 photographers touring Japan from Tokyo to Hokkaido to Kyoto.  After spending a few days in Tokyo, our first stop on our trip to Japan was up to the northern island of Hokkaido, Shiretoko Five Lakes, which is part of Shiretoko National Park.  Our group took a flight from Tokyo to Memanbetsu and then bus to Utoro, a small town just outside of Shiretoko National Park on the Shiretoko Peninsula.  We spent a few days at the Shiretoko Grand Hotel in Utoro and overall I was very pleased with the hotel.   Staff was friendly and helpful, rooms were comfortable and convenient and food was good.  No complaints at all for the hotel we stayed in for our base for Shiretoko National Park…

The weather on the other hand, I had a few complaints!  During our first few days, it was mostly rainy and dreary or cloudy.  That being said, we still had a few nice moments of light to create some great landscapes of the Shiretoko area.  In this post I am sharing photos of Shiretoko Five lakes.  The first lake can always be accessed via a raised walkway no matter when you visit, but other lakes have some restrictions, depending mostly on bear sightings and the season.  That is why, before visiting Shiretoko Goko, it is important that you read their information site as depending on the season, there are different procedures for visiting.  For us, we had to attend a short information session before entering the walkway around most of the lakes.

Weather permitting, each lake provides views of Shiretoko Mountain Range.  I have been here twice, once in the summer when ground path was closed due to bear sighting and once in early October where the ground path around the lakes were open to walk.  Unfortunately, the weather was nicer when the ground path was closed, so I only got to visit the first lake that summer day.

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 – You are here!
• Shiretoko Pass
• 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!

Interview on Live w/ Katie Adler

Mar 03 | Evan | No Comments |

Another exciting event that happened in February was that I was asked to be on Live w/ Katie Adler, a voice over artist in Tokyo, Japan, that works for NHK and many other clients.  I was really excited about talking with Katie about how I ended up in Japan, going from North Carolina, then Miami then to Tokyo and how I was able to turn some of my passions, photography, meeting new people and Japan, into what is basically my dream job:  guiding visitors around Japan to help them really experience and always remember Japan.

If you want to listen to the interview, you can click the link below to stream it or right click the link and choose “save link as” to download and listen at your convenience.  The entire interview about Japan and how I started giving private tours of Japan is about an hour long:

Evan Pike Live w/ Katie Adler

And just because it doesn’t feel right to write a post about Japan without showing a photo from Japan, here is a photo from Roppongi Hills Tower in Tokyo.

Japan Photo Guide and PhotoSafari.ru Photography Tour of Japan

Feb 02 | Evan | No Comments |

I am excited to announce I will be working with Dmitry from PhotoSafari.ru for an upcoming guided photography tour of Japan in the Autumn of 2013!  Dmitry leads photography tours for Russians all over the world and I am honored that he asked me to accompany him to Japan as his Japan specialist.  If you can speak Russian, you are welcome to join us!  We will be traveling all over Japan, including Tokyo, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Kamikochi and more!  If not, while I am accepting requests for private custom tours to Japan in the Spring and Summer of 2013, my fall dates are mostly booked.  Please contact me to see if I am available for the dates you want to travel to Japan with Japan Photo Guide! 

Special Deals on 2012 Summer Tours of Japan

May 10 | Evan | 1 Comment |

Going to Japan in the summer of 2012?  Me too!  I will be traveling to Japan this summer in July to visit friends before they leave Japan and also to see family in Tokyo.  If you were to hire me for a custom tour of Japan, normally you would be charged my travel fees to fly to Japan, but I have racked up quite a bit of air miles, and since I am going to Japan anyway, this is a great chance to get a significant discount on custom tour of Japan.  Since  I will be in Japan anyway for personal reasons, I thought I would make myself available for some custom photography tours of Tokyo or Kyoto (or possibly other places) and also I will be available for portrait sessions in Tokyo or Kyoto. Tentative dates are the last two weeks of July of 2012, but I have a little flexibility on either side if contacted early enough.  Here are a few of the services I can provide this summer for you during your travels to Japan.

• Photography Tours of Japan —  Helping to navigate to around Tokyo, Kyoto or possibly other areas of Japan with photography in mind. 2 day minimum of guidance around Japan.
• Tokyo Food Tour  —  Some of the best (and worst) experiences of my life have been eating around Tokyo.  Everything from hole in the wall, to restaurants with Iron Chefs, I’ve done my fair share of eating around Tokyo.   With so many food choices in Tokyo, to say it is overwhelming is an understatement!  I will help create the ultimate foodie tour with you around Tokyo and of course helping to navigate Tokyo.  Whether you are in search of sweet, spicy, sushi, fried, vegetarian, upscale or food-carts, I can make it happen!  Minium of 6 hours.
• Tokyo or Kyoto Portrait Session —  Don’t really need a guide but want to get some photos to document your wonderful trip in Japan?  I will be available for portrait or family portrait sessions in Tokyo or Kyoto.
• Need help with something else while in Japan?  Chances are I can help you make the most of your trip to Japan!

Since I am going for some vacation as well, I am accepting a very limited number of bookings for Japan this summer, so contact me ASAP to get your Japan experience started!

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