Photo Tour of Japan | Golden Pavilion

In the Northwest of Kyoto you can find quite a few interesting temples and shrines, including a few that are designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites like Ryoanji, Ninnanji and this one Kinkakuji.   Or in English, The Golden Pavilion.  Perhaps one of the most iconic symbols of Kyoto, and maybe Japan, The Golden Pavilion is beautiful and certainly worth visiting.  I’ve always found the light a little better in the morning and the pond always seems to be stiller as we well in the morning hours.  That being said, you cannot enter the grounds until 9am, so depending on the time of year you are in Kyoto, it already may be too late for nice light.  I’ve also found that if you go right when it opens, there will usually be a school tour bus or two waiting there with you.  Once they leave you could have some time to yourself, but depending on the time of year, it could be nonstop crowds.  The Golden Pavilion does have a non tripod policy and is very strict about it.  When you see the crowds, you will understand why!

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
• 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) – You are here!
• 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 | Kokedera, The Moss Garden Temple in Kyoto

Kokedera is one of my favorite places in Kyoto.  The Moss Garden Temple, aka Kokedera or Saiho-ji, is on the outskirts of Kyoto and you not only do you have to make reservation far in advance by mail, the entry fee is 3,000 yen per person.  Even though you do need a reservation for the Moss Garden Temple and that the entrance fee isn’t cheap, I can highly recommend Kokedera, especially during when the leaves are changing colors!  To make a reservation, you need to send a special kind of postcard available in Japan called “ofuku hagaki” and include how many are in your group, preferred date(s) of visiting as well as a self addressed and stamped return postcard.  You must make a reservation for Kokedera at least 7 days in advance but I recommend a month or more if you are going during peak season.  Saiho-ji starts to accept reservations two months before your intended date of visiting the temple.  If you want, I do provide the reservation service for Kokedera for $15 USD, please contact me for details.

Accessing Kokedera is not as easy as other sites in Kyoto, but again, it is worth making the extra effort to get there!  I recommend combining it with Arashiyama in the morning and having a early lunch at one of the many places close to Togetsukyo Bridge area before taking a short taxi ride to Kokedera.  The Moss Garden Temple only opens to the public once per day, so your session will start at 1pm but you should be there at least 15 minutes early.  When you arrive, you are invited to take place in a short service and sutra writing/chanting.  For non Japanese, a paper is offered with the characters on them already so you can trace the sutra.   You can do as much (or little as you like) of the writing, and after the service are free to explore the beautiful temple grounds.   Even though tripods are not allowed and the lighting during the middle of the day isn’t the best, you can still make some beautiful photos at Saiho-ji.  Below are a few more photos or you can also take a look here for more Kokedera Photos.

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
• 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)  – You are here!
• 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!

13 Day Photo Tour of Japan | Few of My Favorite Photos of Japan

You have probably already seen some photos from my most recent photo tour of Japan when I guided a lovely couple from Turkey from Tokyo to Hiroshima and back, but here are a few more of my favorites from the trip.  Actually to be more specific, our photography tour of Japan took us from Tokyo to Hakone to Kyoto to Nara to Hiroshima to Miyajima to Koyasan and then back to Tokyo!  Really was an amazing trip and even I got to see some new places in Japan.  I’m already looking forward to the next guided tour of Japan in the Summer or Fall, but space/time is limited, so go ahead and contact me if you are interested in traveling to Japan with a professional photographer!

Yes, It is safe to visit (most places in) Japan!

Northern Japan is still, and will still be, devastated for a long time, but now is as good as time as any to visit Japan!  From Tokyo down to Okinawa, life is back to normal and is safe to travel to.  There are two great reasons why now is the perfect time to plan a trip to Japan.  The first is that Japan’s economy needs our help.  Tourism, and just about every part of Japan’s economy, has already taken a huge hit this year, but the more visitors that travel to Japan, the better.  The second is really the same reason, the fact that tourism is down in Japan means that I can give you a guided tour of Japan, visit the best places in Japan and do so with the lowest crowds possible!  Why not take a guided tour of Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and/or Miyajima when Japan needs our help and at a time when crowds will be much lower than normal?  Interested in having me be your private tour guide of Japan?  Check out the general information about my tours of Japan or what to expect during a guided tour of Japan.  Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions!

Newer Entries