We recently visited an amazing Onsen at Lake Kawaguchiko. I had the most perfect view of Mt Fuji right from the outside bath so much so that I had to sneak my camera in to take some photos.
Landscape Photography Japan, Love of Fuji
Mt Fuji has an amazing beauty and it’s understandable why it has been featured in so many artworks over the History of Japan. When you see it in person you fall in love, your jaw drops open and you gaze with amazement. It is impressive in it’s enormity and its symmetrical simple beauty. It is the most photographed mountain in the world and it’s hard to be around it long without wanting to turn your camera towards it and take one more image. My love is ongoing and so is my pursuit of the prefect image.
Landscape Photographer Japan, Kamikura Shrine, Shingu, Wakayama.
I filmed a tourism commercial for the region on Wakayama and we shot at Kamikura shrine at sunrise having woke up at 3:45 to get up there. I managed between takes to capture a couple of stills which you see below. It is a beautiful shrine and the incredibly steep 500 steps leading up to it makes it a hard but rewarding climb especially when you are carrying up a lot of gear. The whole crew was sitting around exhausted catching their breathe at the top when an old lady with a bent back who looked to be in her eighties walked past and said good morning in the most genki (happy/spritely) way. I was honestly shocked that she could make it up and down the stairs but it appears that it was her morning ritual.
Japan Landscape Photography, Yamadera, The temple in the Sky, Yamagata.
Hōjusan Risshakuji—better known informally as Yamadera, literally “the mountain temple” clings to steep, rocky hillside in eastern Yamagata Prefecture. It was founded in 860 by Jikaku Daishi. It’s a great spot for photography and having just stopped off their quickly in the middle of the day I would love to go back to capture the sunrise.
Japan Landscape Photography, Mt, Haguro, Yamagata.
The hike up Mt Haguro is a magical experience that passes through beautiful forest, past waterfalls, Tori gates and to amazing temples. It’s definitely a photographers paradise with many sights along the way and an abundance of nature. There are 500 year old cedar trees through which a stone pathway with 2,250 stairs has been carved. I took these photos on a whirlwind tour of the mountain but I would love to go back and photograph at dawn to capture the mist in the forest that would add a magical touch.
Travel Photography, Ashinoko (Lake Ashi), Hakone, Japan.
Travel Photography, Owakudani, Hakone, Japan.
Owakudani is a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents and hot springs located inside Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture. You can really sense volcanic activity from a safe distance and the site has been a sulphur mine and a source for the Onsen water that feeds many of the local hotels. It is a popular tourist site and kuro-tamago (黒卵, lit. "black egg") is a local specialty of eggs hard-boiled in the hot springs. The eggs turn black and smell slightly sulphuric; eating one is said to add seven years to your life.
When we visited the alert level was lowest at 1 but this area can experience many earthquakes and is sometimes shut due to the volcanic activity. It’s a great place to visit with your camera and to photograph some other worlds scenes.
Cityscape Photography, Sunset behind Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo, Japan.
The Rainbow Bridge is an impressive suspension bridge that joins Odaiba to Shinagawa ward in Tokyo. It took 6 years to build and it opened in 1993. I photographed the bridge from Daiba park which is a great place to watch the sun set behind Tokyo with this impressive bridge in the foreground. It is also an old Fort built by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1853 to protect Tokyo from sea attack and well worth a visit.
Lifestyle Photography, Kids adventure, Shimoda, Izu, Japan.
We had a kids adventure around the coastline of Izu in Shimoda. I tagged along to keep an eye on them and managed to take a few photos which I love for the sense of freedom that they display. It’s great to see my kids explore nature and find their own path. This adventure in nature is one thing that doesn’t change from generation to generation and its great to see the fun and delight as the kids discover new places and push themselves further.
Travel Photography, Nokogiriyama in Chiba, Japan.
Nokogiriyama in Chiba is a beautiful day trip from Tokyo and features a thirty one metre high sitting statue of Buddha. However it also has many other beautiful attractions and it’s definitely worth climbing up and down this mini mountain to see all the amazing sights. I just did it with my family on a humid 35 degree day and it was a sweaty expedition but definitely a worthy day-trip.
The temple on this site was established over 1300 years ago and the main attraction, the Big Buddha that was carved in 1783 is relatively young in comparison. Scattered through the trails of Nokogiriyama, are more than 1500 statues depicting Arhat (mortals who have attained enlightenment). Each Arhat is said to have a unique facial expression, posture and attitude based on an actual person and photographers can spend hours photographing the amazing craftsmanship and history of the place.
The site has been used as a quarry and the deep cuttings into the stone add an interest to this location that set it apart from many of the other historic temple locations nearby.
Travel Photography, Togakushi shrine, Nagano, Japan.
Whilst on holiday in Hakuba we took a drive through the mountains to Togakushi Shrine. We did a walk through through the area and as always I took a few photos along the way. It’s a beautiful Forested area in the mountains with a series of Shinto shrines. dotted throughout the area. The area was originally Buddhist temples but the government made it Shinto in 1868 in what was called a Buddhist/Shinto separation initiative. Some people believe that the upper shrine was first constructed in 210 BC.
It is truly beautiful forest and setting for the temples and I can see why Buddhist monks would have gone there on pilgrimage.
I wasn’t there at the best time to photograph the areas but I hope to return some day at sunrise when I can capture a beautiful mist in the forest. Also I think wintertime when snow is covering the trees and forest floor will be a beautiful time to photograph the temples as well.
Hakuba Landscape Photography, Hiking in the clouds.
Whilst on holiday in Hakuba we went on a hike up to Happo Ike (Ike is pond in Japanese). I actually didn’t get a photo of the pond as there were too many tourists standing around it for my liking. I prefer not to stand shoulder to shoulder with tourists to take the same photo, also the light and time of day wasn’t really right for it. To make the journey a lot easier we caught the Gondola and 2 chair lifts a long way up the mountain before we started the hike. From there it is easy to access the upper Alps and reach the areas above the tree-line which made it a good hike to do with my kids. As with many places in Japan there are beautiful landscapes to photograph and one of the amazing aspects of this area is the huge amount of dragon flies buzzing around.
Landscape & Travel Photography, Musashi Mitake Shrine, Tokyo (prefecture).
Mt Mitake is a landscape and travel photographers paradise in the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. It is 1.5-2 hours from Tokyo and can be reached by car or train and bus. I caught the cable car up the mountain and from there did a hike around the mountain and to the Musashi Mitake Shrine. This day was what seemed to be the first day after the rainy season in Japan and the mountain was alive with life fuelled by the rain and the Sun. The vibrant greens and the bountiful insects ( butterflies, dragon flies and many many more ) show the beautiful life cycle that exists in Japan’s four seasons.
The Shinto Shrine has been a place of mountain worship for many centuries and a nearby village (also up the mountain) has served as a stop for pilgrims and nowadays for tourists as well.
It is a magnificently beautiful day trip (or stop over) from Tokyo and a great place to take some beautiful photos of traditional shrines and nature.
Landscape Photography. A quick hike to the The Rock Gardens at Mt Mitake, Ome, Tokyo.
On Mt Mitake in Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park on the edge of Tokyo prefecture there are some beautiful hiking trails and exquisite landscapes. I often find myself saying that Japan is a landscape photographers paradise but it truly is. The four seasons ensure that the landscape is constantly evolving and you often find a new and glorious aspect each time you return.
On this day I hiked with my family to the Rock gardens. The clear mountain stream, the surrounding forest, and the stunning, moss-covered rock formations make this a place of true beauty. Waterfalls are considered as sacred in Shintoism and the majestic beauty of these natural formations inspires awe. There are Shinto torii gates and shide paper streamers marking the entrance to a waterfall as sacred ground inhabited by a deity. A great hike and beautiful place to photograph the landscape.
Travel Photography, Koyasan Temples and Graveyards, Wakayama, Japan.
A short trip from Osaka Koyasan is beautiful mountainous area of Japan. It is the centre of Shingon Buddhism which is one of the most important Buddhist sects in Japan and has a surviving lineage that spread from it’s origin in India, through China and arrived in Japan in 805AD. It’s a beautiful area to photograph temples in serene landscapes. I was in Koyasan photographing hotels and landscapes for an advertising client when I took a few hours the morning to photograph these images for myself.
Cityscape Photography, Nishi Shimbashi, Tokyo.
Tokyo is a great city to roam and photograph the night. I love wandering the streets and capturing photos of the night landscapes. Its nice to discover the hidden temples in amongst all the big city buildings.
Full Moon over Tokyo
This photo was captured of the rising moon over Tokyo. This was photographed with my Sony G master 100-400mm lens on the Sony A7riii. The photo was blown up to 100% and cropped. It’s nice to see all the detail in the landscape of the moon. You can really get a sense of it’s craters and how meteors have sculpted it’s landscape over billions of years.
Travel Photography, The end of the Cherry Blossom
Due to the Corona virus and the state of emergency in Tokyo and Japan I wasn’t really free to hit all the the Cherry blossom landscape locations that I wanted to to photograph. However luckily for me I have a temple a few doors down from my house in Kamiosaki, Tokyo that has some really old and established Cherry blossom trees.
As a photographer I moved to Tokyo for some new inspiration and it’s nice to live around and photograph these beautiful temples and experience the rich culture and every day life of Japan.
Landscape Photography, Cherry Blossom tree, Ibaraki, Japan.
During Cherry Blossom time in Japan you see many beautiful sights. But sometimes you see a tree that really captures your attention. I love photographing landscapes and nature so when traveling around I always have my eyes open. We were on our way to an editorial portrait shoot fro a magazine when I saw this tree and had to stop to photograph it. The colours and flowers were amazing and the contrast against the deep blue sky made fro some beautiful photos.
Graveyard, Ibaraki, Japan.
I think it’s a fascinating thing to look at how people all around the world bury and pay tribute to the dead. I stopped and photographed this graveyard in The Japanese countryside just out of Tokyo. It caught my eye with its aesthetic as I drove by and I felt compelled to stop and explore. As a photographer I take many photos that I don’t necessarily understand at the time. But I feel that they are like historical documents that hold their importance in their aesthetic. Hopefully to be seen and admired a long time in the future.
