Japan Photo Guide

There are some things that everyone knows Japan is famous for. For example, cars, sushi, robots and of course video games. Once a year Tokyo hold the Tokyo Game Show, a convetion for companies to show off their latest games and things related to the video game industry. This was the 10th year of the TGS and it drew a record crowd of over 190,000 people.

Above is the crowd outside Sony’s Play Station 3 booth and Capcom’s booth where it was like a Tokyo subway during rush hour. It was so crowded you couldn’t really decide which way you were walking you just had to go with the flow of the crowd as if you were a leaf in the water.

This year the big things were Sony and Nintendo’s next generation consoles, the Play Station 3 (ps3) and the Wii. I admit that I have enjoyed my fair share of video games in the past and still do from time to time, but I will don’t see myself going back to the Tokyo Game Show again. The PS3 looks amazing and Wii looks like it would be great to play with a group of friends and especially if it could somehow be used as drinking game. Above these girls are paying the Wii, making their characters run on a track by shaking their arms.  Booth babes and maid cafe after the jump. See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

Omoshiroyama is the in Yamagata Prefecture and one stop before Yamadera on the Senzan Line and about 50 minutes from Sendai. Omoshiroyama Kogen has a nice hiking trail that runs next to a river. If you want to go to Yamadera but want to do some hiking as well, Omishiroyama Kogen is a good place to get off.

The hiking trail is about a 45 minute to an hour walk (assuming you are not stopping to take photographs–it took me about an hour and half taking photographs), but then after the trail runs out you have to walk another 45 minutes or an hour to get to Yamadera. Also there is not much as far as signs pointing where to go, so don’t go by yourself or don’t go if you are short on time and want to make it to Yamadera.

The hiking trail is really quite beautiful, especially during fall, as you pass by waterfalls, through a gorge and over bridges; however at some points the route can be a little slippery and very narrow. Once you get to the end of the trail you will go up some steps which will take you to a pathway which leads to a road. Once you get to the road, turn right (downhill) and there shoot be signs coming up soon to verify you are going towards Yamadera. Again I do not recommend going by yourself.

The above photo was taken after the hiking trail and walking along the road towards Yamadera.

Shibuya is one of the larger shopping, entertainment and nightlife districs in Tokyo. Shibuya is close to Shinjuku and Harajuku on the Yamanote Train Line but each place has it’s own personality. Shibuya is kind of for younger crowds but really you will find all sorts in Shibuya. Everything from young school girls to yamambas (literally means girl from the mountains but these are the really really fake tan girls with elaborate make up) to old men to Yakuza to college kids to the average person and of course your fair share of gaijin (foreigners). Most of the shopping is for girls and women and for clothes but you can find almost anything in Shibuya, and I really mean almost anything. Below is one of the famous shopping buildings (tall 109 building) with 10 floors and over 100 shops, where about 99% of the stores are for girls.

No matter time you go, Shibuya is busy and it is a good palce to check out the trends of fashion in Japan, as Japan is typically a boom society, the trends come and go with the wind. The crossing in the photo below is one of the most famous and most photographed in Japan.

Below is the famous statue of a dog called Hachiko. I have heard many stories about this dog and I am not sure which parts are true, but the (bitter sweet) story I like to believe goes as following. Hachiko and the owner of the dog had a very special relationship. Everyday this dog met his owner at the Shibuya Station when he would come home from work; however, the man got old and one day he died while he was at work. The dog waited all night for his owner to come but of course he never did. Eventually Hachiko left Shibuya Station, but everyday, for the rest of the dog’s life, Hachiko would come back to Shibuya Station to wait for his owner. A statue was built to honor the dog and now it is a popular place to meet and wait for people; however, there are so many people waiting there it is not always easy to find your friends!

The nightlife scene is very happening in Shibuya with lot’s of clubs, restaurants, bars, adult entertainment and love hotels. Like I said earlier, whatever you are looking for can be found here.

Fore more more information check out the Japan-Guide.com.

Shibuya – article about the Shibuya area of Tokyo.

Akihabara, aka Akiba aka “Electric Town,” is the electronic district of Tokyo. If you are looking for some new camera gear, video games, video camera, mp3 player, media player or whatever gadget you are looking for, you can find it in Akihabara. You can find duty free shopping (don’t forget you passport if you plan to buy duty free) and while you use to be able to find really good deals here but they are starting to become harder to find. If you look around, you can still find some good deals but I highly recommend going to a few different places before you buy something.

Akihabara is also undergoing some changes. While it use to be just “Electric Town,” it has morphed into that and also a place associated with manga (Japanese Comics), cosplay (shot for costume play) and maid cafes (cafes where you are served by a girl wearing a french maid outfit).

One store I need to specifically recommend is Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, you can see the entrance to the store on the right. Yodobashi Camera is a chain for electronic stores all over Japan and this is the largest. This place has 7 floors of electronic goodness from everything to cell phones, cameras, video games, heated toilet seats, washers, fridges, massage chairs and pretty much anything else you can think of. For those of you Americans out there, picture a Bust Buy store and then give that store 7 floors. This place is huge and if you are into electronics is a must see!

For more information about Akihabara see the officail Akihabara home page or the Japan-Guide.com.

Kanazawa is located on the west coast of Japan in the Ishikawa Prefecture and is often called “Little Kyoto,” and like Kyoto has a nice mix of old Japan with modern Japan. There many old districts such old samurai and geisha districts (photo below) that have been kept in good shape throughout the years and make for nice tourists spots and nice photographs with that “Japanese” feel to them. If you have a limited amount of time, then I recommend going to Kyoto rather than Kanazawa but if you have time Kanazawa is worth checking out. When I was there for 4 days, I was lucky enough to have it rain for 3 and I still enjoyed my trip there.

Of couse, the best time to go to Kanazawa is in the Spring (cherry blossom season) or Fall (koyo leaves); however, the most famous place in Kanazawa is a garden called Kenrokuen. Kenrokuen (below, left, is the most famous latern and symbol of Kenrokuen) might be the most famous garden in all of Japan and is widely believed to be the most beautiful in Japan.

For more information see the Japan-Guide.com or the official homepage of Kanazawa City. Below is a photo outside of Kanazawa Station. From Tokyo it takes about 3.5 to 4 hours by train to get to Kanazawa.

Just like in real life, it is not good to always have your subject in the center of your frame. Actually, it is almost always better not to have your subject in the center because it usually makes the photograph more dynamic. Of course there are some situations when you want the subject to be in the center, but in general you should avoid putting your subject in the center to make your photograph more interesting. Here is an example of Himeji Castle where one of the photographs has Himeji Castle pretty much in the center and one where Himeji Castle is not.

Basically imagine if you divide the the photo into 9 sections with 4 lines (2 horizontal and 2 vertical). Like the example below. A good rule of thumb is to put your subject at one of the four intersections 1/3 of the way from either side. Of course you don’t have to aim exactly for 1/3 of the way from the side but you get the idea. Check out another example below from cherry blossom tree in Kyoto.

I actually like both of these photographs for different reasons, but visually speaking the photo of the cherry blossom tree on the bottom is much more interesting and dynamic.

See the rest of the travel photography tips and tricks!

Pachinko is a gambling game that is played all over Japan from Tokyo to the many rural areas. In Japan it is illegal to gamble. That being said, gambling is legally one of Japan’s biggest industries because of a loophole. Basically what happens is you put in money and get a certain amount of small metal balls. You then shoot these balls into a machine with small pegs in it and hope they land in certain holes (think pinball meets “Plunko” from The Price is Right). Anyway, if the balls land in certain holes you get more balls and then a reel spins (like in slot machines) if you get lucky you get something called “fever,” which means the wholes that you want to get the balls in widen and you are pretty much guaranteed to win some money. Anyway, when you want to collect your winnings you get your balls counted and take them to the counter. At the counter you then get some colored ticket and your winnings, which is usually some type of food or drink. Then you take your ticket to another place, not in same pachinko parlor but often right around the corner or next to the place and then you can get your real prize, the money. So because you are not getting money from the pachinko parlors, this is legal even though gambling is illegal in Japan.

Pachinko Parlors (and slot machines) are extremely popular in Japan and I have had people tell me that there job is just a part time job and playing pachinko is their REAL job. If you can get away with taking photos in a pachinko parlor then you might be able to get some interesting photos, but often they frown upon that kind of thing. Also the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) runs a lot of these places so it is best to stop if somebody asks you to.

Arashiyama is a wonderful place to take photos and is located just west of Kyoto and next to Sagano. It can be crowded but usually not as crowded as Kyoto so if the crowds in Kyoto are bothering you, check out Arashiyama. A lot of times it is thrown on the map with Kyoto but actually it is it’s own place with it’s own wonderful spots. The best times to go to Arashiyama are of course during the fall or the cherry blossom season but there are enough places to go to that it is worth checking out at any time of the year.

Arashiyama is perhaps most famous for it’s bamboo groves (above), Togetsukyo Bridge (below), and Tenryuji; however, there are many smaller and off-the-beaten-path places that aren’t too far from the path which makes wondering around quite nice.Other activities that are nice are taking a rickshaw ride though Arashiyama, The Sagano Romantic Train (Sagano Torokko Ressha) and the Hozu River Boat Tour.

For access information for Arashiyama please see the Japan-Guide.com.