Japan Photo Guide

Kyushu (九州 kyūshū) is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. It is considered the birthplace of the Japanese civilization. Its alternate ancient names include Kyūkoku (九国), Chinzei (鎮西), and Tsukushi-no-shima (筑紫島). The ancient region Saikaido consists of Kyushu and its surrounding islands.

The largest city on the island by population is Fukuoka, Fukuoka, populated approximately 1.4 million people – a major business center with a major international airport as well as one of five stock exchanges in Japan. Kitakyushu, Fukuoka is also a designated city and major center for heavy industries, populated slightly less than a million. Kumamoto and Kagoshima are 3rd and 4th biggest, populated more than a half million. Nagasaki has one of the oldest international ports, which had been the only gateway to the foreign countries during the Edo Period, from mid 16th to mid 18th centuries.

For more information, please see wikipedia or the Japan-Guide.com.

Shikoku (四国) is an oft-forgotten island in Japan. The smallest of Japan’s Big Four, it lies to the south of Honshu. The island is thought of as a rural backwater, with few must-see attractions, but a visit there can wash away those doubts; particularly the mountainous inner regions offer some good hiking and a glimpse of the elusive Real Japan. It is also the home of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage of the Shingon sect of Buddhism.

The Shikoku region — comprising Shikoku and its surrounding islets — covers about 18,800 km² and consists of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima.

The following are places worth photographing/traveling to:

–Cape Ashizuri — a scenic cape at the southernmost point of Shikoku
–Dogo Onsen — Japan’s oldest hot spring
–Iya Valley — a remote but beautiful mountain valley
–Kotohira — the site of the Kompira-san shrine
–Mount Ishizuchi — the tallest peak in Shikoku

For more information please see wikipedia or Japan-Guide.com.

The Chugoku region consists of the following prefectures: Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Shimane and Tottori. Okayama is commonly included, although only Bitchu Province was considered a Middle Country, Mimasaka Province and Bizen Province, the other two components of modern-day Okayama, were considered Near Countries. The Chugoku region is characterized by irregular rolling hills and limited plain areas and is divided into two distinct parts by mountains running east and west through its center. The city of Hiroshima, the “capital” of the Chugoku region, was rebuilt after being destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945, and is now an industrial metropolis of more than one million people.

Here are some places worth photographing/seeing.

–Hiroshima Prefecture: Hiroshima, Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima)
–Yamaguchi Prefecture: Iwakuni, Hofu, Shimonoseki, Hagi
–Shimane Prefecture: Tsuwano, Izumo, Matsue

For more information, please see wikipedia or the Japan-Guide.com.

The Kansai (Japanese: 関西) region of Japan, also known as the Kinki region (近畿地方, Kinki-chihō), lies in the Southern-Central region of Japan’s main island, Honshu.

The word ki (畿) in Kinki is also read in Japanese as miyako meaning capital. It stems from the fact that up until the Edo era Japan’s capital was located in this region.

The Kansai region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Mie, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Shiga. The Kansai region is often compared (yet more often contrasted) with the Kantō region, which lies to the east and is comprised primarily of Tokyo and the surrounding area.

The Kansai region is the mainstay of the counterculture to the Kanto region (Tokyo/Yokohama), and can be said to define the character of Western Japan.

For more information, please see wikipedia or the Japan-Guide.com.

Chūbu (中部地方 Chūbu-chihō) is the central region of Honshu, Japan’s main island. Chubu is most famouThe Chubu, or central, region encompasses nine prefectures in the midland of Japan, west of the Kanto region: Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi. The region is the widest part of Honshu and is characterized by high, rugged mountains. The Japanese Alps divide the country into the sunnier Pacific side, known as the front of Japan, or Omote-Nihon, and the colder Sea of Japan side, or Ura-Nihon, the back of Japan. The region comprises three distinct districts: Hokuriku, a coastal strip on the Sea of Japan that is a major wet-rice producing area; Tosan, or the Central Highlands; and Tokai, or the eastern seaboard, a narrow corridor along the Pacific Coast.

Of course, Chubu’s most famous landmark is Mt. Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain. For more information, please see wikipedia or The Japan-Guide.com.

The Kantō region (Japanese: 関東地方, Kantō-chihō) is a geographical area of Honshū, the largest island in Japan. The region encompasses seven prefectures around Tokyo: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Its boundaries are roughly the same as those of the Kantō plain. The plain itself, however, only makes up slightly more than 40 percent of the region. The rest consists of the hills and mountains that border it except on the seaward side.

The Kantō region is the most densely populated are of Japan with cities like Tokyo and Yokohama, but also has some nice nature with places like Kamakura and Nikko.

For more information please see wikipedia or The Japan-Guide.com.

The Tōhoku region (東北地方, Tōhoku-chihō) which means “northeast,” is most northern region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures.

Tōhoku retains a reputation as a remote region, offering breathtaking scenery but a harsh climate. Tōhoku, like most of Japan, is hilly or mountainous, with the Ou Mountains forming running north-south. Also public transportation is not as abundant as other regions but more so than Hokkaido. In Japan, Tohoku receives the fewest foreign visitors a year, but that does not mean it is not worth traveling to. Actually this area is really beautiful , especially in the Fall. Also if you like nature or want to escape the city, but can’t or don’t want to make the trip to Hokkaido, Tohoku is a very nice place to visit/photograph. Be prepared though, a lot of the good places are spread out. If you like hot springs, Tohoku has many famous ones and in the winter there are many good places to ski/snowboard. Here are a few places that are worth considering going to as a photographer/traveler:

–Matsuhisma–one of the “3 most scenic views” of Japan.
–Zao Mountain–
–Hachimantai–
For more information about the Tohoku Region, see Japan-Guide.com or the Official Tohoku Travel Guide.

Hokkaido is Japan’s most northern island, largest prefecture and has the harshest winters (often below freezing temperatures and a lot of snow) in Japan. Hokkaido is much less developed than the rest of Japan and has ample wilderness and beautiful scenery. This makes Hokkaido great for hikers, campers and bicyclers in the summer and skiers, snowboarders and snow lovers in the winter.

If you are going to visit any other areas other than Sapporo, I HIGHLY recommend considering renting a car. Not only are a lot of places in Hokkaido spread out, once you get to your destination, public transportation and getting around can start to become very infrequent and inconvenient.

Some places worth considering going to in Hokkaido are:

• Sapporo–Japan’s 5th largest city.
• Hakodate–Famous for it’s spectacular night view.
• Onuma Koen–Quasi National Park close to Hakodate.
• Lake Toya–Famous hotsprings and Japan’s most recent active volcano.
• Furano and Biei–Famous for rolling hills, fields and flowers.
• Rebun and Rishiri–Japan’s northern most islands, both national parks.
• Daisetsuzan–Large national park.
• Shiretoko–Considering to be the last unspoiled are of Japan.
• Akan–Large national park.

Access

From Tokyo it is about 1.5 hour flight (and is one of the world’s busiest flight routes) and one way ticket can cost anywhere from about $150-300.