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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Travel Photography, Autumn in Seoul, Korea.
Travel Photography, Kyoto, Japan.
Travel photography. New years Temple visit
New Year Temple visit
