Photo Tour of Japan | Bamboo Grove in Arashiyama

Apr 15 | Evan | No Comments |

Arashiyama is on the outskirts of Western Kyoto and a beautiful place to visit.  I talked about Arashiyama already in my post in Kokedera (Moss Garden) and another popular place to visit, walk through and take photos is the bamboo grove.  I recommend going as early as possible, even arriving just before sunrise.  I recommend visiting the bamboo forest early not only for the beautiful light, but also to avoid the crowds.  If you are visiting just to see the bamboo in Arashiyama, then perhaps you don’t need to go as early, but for photos, getting there early makes a huge difference!  We arrived in Arashiyama about 20 minutes before sunrise and besides the occasional local on a walk or run, we were free to take photos without hoards of tourists!

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More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon!  Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

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

Photo Tour of Japan | Golden Pavilion

Apr 10 | Evan | No Comments |

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!

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More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon!  Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

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

Mar 16 | Evan | No Comments |

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.

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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.

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More from this photo tour of Japan is coming soon!  Here is the list of the places we visited and photographed in Japan.

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

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! photosafari

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