Japan 2018 Autumn Itinerary This itinerary is designed to give you an even deeper insight into the cultural and photographic learning experiences/activities you will encounter whilst exploring the country of Japan with us. The schedule for our 9-day, 10-night experience is comprised of two types of daily activities, one is our core-activities, the other is optional extras. Everything on the tour is optional but we consider the core activities to be the primary travel, cultural and photography learning experiences of the tour. The optional extras will be sprinkled in-between core-activities as a way to offer those who want to really pack as much photography into their time in Japan as possible.
The Schedule Tokyo - Street Photography, Cityscape and Night Photography. Thursday 22nd: Evening - Shinagawa JR Train Pass collection from Shinagawa station Group Meeting and welcome circle at the hotel Friday 23rd: Morning - Meiji Shrine & Harajuku Meiji Shrine is located in a forest that covers an area of 70 hectares with 120,000 trees of 365 different species, many of which will be in full autumnal colours. After taking in the cultural significance of Meiji Shrine and its beautiful surroundings, we will use this area to host our first workshop An introduction to Travel & Street Photography. Upon exiting the grounds of Meiji Shrine we will find ourselves in the Harajuku area of Tokyo. A busy, bustling series of streets with plenty of opportunities to practise newly acquired knowledge on how to capture candid imagery of street life and city environments. Midday - Tokyo Photographic Art Museum Opened in 1995 as Japan s only public photography and moving images museum, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum remains to date one of the largest, most prestigious museums of its kind. Boasting an impressive permanent collection of 33,000 works, three large exhibition galleries displaying the oeuvre of Japanese and international artists, plus a giant library, this museum is the real Tokyo hub for everything photography-related. It also has an amazing cafe for lunch. Afternoon/Evening - Skytree (Optional) With a top viewing deck situated at 450m, the Tokyo Skytree offers the most amazing views of Tokyo. This will be a late afternoon to early evening sunset experience as we watch the sun disappear over the horizon and the lights of this enormous sprawling city come to life.
Tokyo Saturday 24th Morning - Tsukiji Fish Market Tsukiji fish market is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. In addition to the obvious abundance of delicious seafood, there are also streets upon streets filled with all kinds of amazing, fresh, Japanese cuisines and produce. In-between sampling some of Japan s best market food, we will once again use this opportunity to workshop the techniques and principles of capturing images and telling stories of everyday life through the medium of photography. PM The afternoon of the 24th will be an opportunity for people to have some free time, you may like to browse the shops of Ginza, visit a part of Tokyo you ve read about, or simply take a rest at the hotel. Whatever you choose to do, we ll regroup at approximately 4pm before beginning our night of city-scape photography in the streets of Shinjuku and Shibuya. Afternoon - Ginza & The Nikon Museum (optional afternoon) Ginza boasts some of the world s most expensive real-estate. Buildings and streets are as elegant and luxurious as the shops and department stores that fill them. Ginza also happens to have an amazing selection of coffee shops, restaurants and camera shops! A great place for lunch and a starting point for those who d like to join Thomas and Peter for camera shopping. Whether you are looking for a bargain deal on a brand new camera or something rare and vintage, Tokyo has it all. Evening - Capturing the City at Night - Shinjuku, Kabukicho and Shibuya Crossing At night, Tokyo becomes an entirely different world. Lights transform the city into a dazzling, mesmerising display of modern city life. With our tripods in hand, we will venture out into the city to discover the art of painting with light at night. Long exposures, creative slow shutter techniques and learning to embrace the low light environments of the streets at night.
Hiroshima & Miyajima Hiroshima & Miyajima Island - Peace Memorial Park and the Island of Shrines & Colour. Sunday 25th Morning - Travel (Tokyo - Hiroshima) Sunday morning will be a travel morning from Tokyo to Hiroshima via Shinkansen (bullet train). This will be our first opportunity to sit with guests, have a look at some of the images you have captured in Tokyo and begin one of several small feedback/one-on-one tutorial sessions. Afternoon - Group Lunch, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (optional but highly recommended) After arriving at Hiroshima we will check-in at the Hotel Granvia (very close to the station). For those who are interested in visiting the Peace Memorial Museum or simply strolling around the memorial park, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Both serve as a powerful reminder of why article 9 of the Japanese constitution was put in place after World War II. The constitution outlaws war as a means to settling international disputes involving Japan. Close to the memorial park are several fantastic restaurants that you may choose from. Thomas, Tokiko and Peter will be having lunch at one particular Hiroshima Yaki restaurant, you are all welcome to join. Evening - Lightroom editing session at Hotel Granvia After returning to the hotel from the peace memorial park there will be time to relax. The hotel is surrounded by fantastic restaurants so no need to go far for dinner. After dinner there will be a 2-hour editing session with Thomas and Peter at Hotel Granvia. Monday 26th All Day - Miyajima Island Despite this being one of the main features of the tour Iwe ll keep the description very brief so as not to spoil the awesome surprises that this little island has to offer. We will leave for the ferry after breakfast and spend the whole day on the island, finishing with sunset at Itsukushima Shrine (part of which is pictured above), before ferrying back to Hiroshima.
Kyoto Kyoto - The most culturally significant city in Japan with the most spectacular display of Autumn colours in the world. Tuesday 27th Morning - Travel (Hiroshima - Kyoto) The morning of the 27th is a short 2-hour bullet-train ride from Hiroshima to Kyoto. Along the way we will have another feedback/one-on-one tuition session on the images you have captured at Miyajima Island. Fushimi Inari Afternoon - Fushimi Inari The shrine sits at the base of a mountain named Inari and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines. The highlight of the shrine is the rows of torii gates know as Senbon torii. There are as many as 10,000 of these bright orange gates leading you up the pathway to the top of the mountain. For those who are not wanting to walk all the way to the top, we will split into two groups for our time at Fushimi Inari, one group will stay lower down the mountain and one will hike to the top.
Wednesday 28th Early Morning - Ninenzaka & Kiyomizu Temple Ninenzaka is a preserved area of Kyoto. The streets look very much as they did in 807 with the exception of modern, but beautifully tasteful shops now inhabiting the buildings along the street. Capturing street scenes of ancient Japan is easily achieved in Ninenzaka, especially early in the morning. With people dressed in traditional Kimonos, wooden shop fronts and lanterns adding a warm glow to the early morning light, there is very little to give away the time period of images captured. The streets of Ninezaka lead straight to Kiyomizu Temple. The temple was founded in 778 and its present buildings were constructed in 1633. The area offers spectacular views of the city with temples and pagodas in the foreground. See the above image with Kyoto text for an example. Midday - Free-time As the crowds in the temple areas increase towards midday we will take this opportunity to have a break with some free time and a a selection of options for those who wish to continue sight seeing separate form the group. Afternoon/early evening - Daigo-ji Daigo-ji is a temple complex situated on the side of a mountain. It posses 18 specifically designated nation treasures (one of which is pictured at the very top of this document), and has been declared a World Heritage Site. The grounds and some of the structures in this temple area date back to the founding of the temple in 874. The temple is beautiful at all times of year but in autumn, the entire forest in which the temple is situated starts to glow with colour from the Japanese Maple trees. We will spend late afternoon through to sunset here, photographing the temples, structures and grounds of Daigo-ji. The temple may also be open at night with a spectacular light display. If Daigo-ji isn t hosting its evening light show (very short period dependant on Autumn colours), we will move to Kiyomizu Temple for the evening.
Arashiyama Thursday 29th Morning - Nishiki Market Rich with history and tradition, the market is renowned as the place to obtain many of Kyoto's famous foods and goods. We will spend a good 2-3 hours strolling the streets of the market tasting and photographing some of Kyoto s local delicacies and very traditional delicacies. Midday/Afternoon - Arashiyama Arashiyama is a nationally dedicated historic site and place of scenic beauty. It is the location of the famous bamboo forest. Within the forest you will find temples with some of the country s most beautiful Japanese gardens. The Moon Crossing Bridge connects the town to a mountainside covered in Autumn colours. This area will be the location of our sunset shoot. Evening - Group Dinner Our last night in Kyoto will be an opportunity to get together and enjoy a group dinner whilst reflecting on some of the wonders we have seen over the last couple of days. Friday 30th Morning & Afternoon - Travel The 28th will be a travel day as we catch two bullet trains from Kyoto - Tokyo - Nagano, from Nagano we will catch the official Snow Monkey Train to Yudanaka in the Alps of mainland Japan. Along the journey Thomas and Peter will once again be on hand to help with technical questions and feedback on images captured in Kyoto. Evening - Traditional Ryokan and Dinner The evening of the 30th will be a rest and relax experience as you unwind and enjoy this magical little Onsen town. We recommend venturing out to some of the local public baths before enjoying a traditional 23 course dinner back at our Ryoken (traditional Japanese Inn). After dinner you can choose to relax at the hotel or join Thomas for an evening photo-tour of the town.
Jigokudani Monkey Park Saturday 1st December Morning - Jigokudani Monkey Park After breakfast we will take a very short shuttle ride to the entrance of the monkey park. The park is a natural reserve home to a large population of wild Japanese Macaques. It is a short walk from the park entrance to the main area where the monkeys relax and enjoy the natural hot springs. Jingokuji translates as Hell s valley and is named so after the natural hot water springs that boil and bubble up out of the frozen ground during colder months. Midday - Onsen, lunch and a final Lightroom editing session. After our morning session photographing the Snow Monkeys we will return to Shibu for one last walk around the town and a last dip in the healing hot pools before lunch in Yudanaka. The cafe at which we are having lunch offers a semi-private space for us to enjoy lunch and sit down to one last lightroom editing session before our journey back to Tokyo. Evening - Last night in Tokyo This is an opportunity to join Thomas and Peter for one last night of street, cityscape and long-exposure adventures in the city that never sleeps. If you still have the energy, feel free to join us as we spend the evening capturing light trails and city-life by night. Sunday 2nd Morning - Breakfast and Goodbyes Our final morning will be a sad one but hopefully you will all be leaving us with some incredible memories and amazing new skills to apply to your photography. For those wanting to spend more time in Japan we offer unlimited help and support with booking other experiences and places to visit after (or before) our tour. Simply let us know how long you d like to spend in Japan and we ll be happy to help.