Japan Photo Guide

In Tokyo there is plenty of public transportation by way of train but if you want to go to Asakusa you can take a boat ride to/from Asakusa called the Sumida River Cruise. You do not need a reservation, and while sometimes in the summer it can get pretty crowded, there are usually a couple of boats per hour. There are different course you can take running from a short 5 minutes to 35-40 minutes. The Sumida River Cruise is a nice way to see some of Tokyo and a lot of interesting bridges. As you can see from the photos below there are a couple differnet kinds of boats you can choose from and they go on different routes.

The cooler looking one, that kind of looks like a spaceship, only runs a few times a day and takes you to Odaiba. The building with the golden building and the smaller building with the thing on it is the Asahi Beer Building. See more photos and read the rest of this entry »

Nikko (日光市), located in Tochigi Prefecture, is a relatively small city population wise, but after recently merging with a few other cities in March of 2006 it covers a vast area. Nikko is very famous for it’s beautiful nature– including waterfalls, lakes and especially fall leaves–and it’s temples and shrines. For the main part, these two famous features of Nikko, nature and temples, are divided into two different areas, so you need at least two days to see Nikko; however I recommend 3 days and 2 nights, staying one night close to Lake Chuzenji and one day in the actually city. The nature area, Nikko National Park, is about an hour drive away from the temple area and the drive is up a curvy mountain road. For more information about Nikko National park, including Lake Chuzenji, please see my post about Nikko National Park. For more information about the city of Nikko (often called Central Nikko), keep reading here.

If you are going to see the fall leaves know that the two areas of Nikko change colors at different times. The Nikko National park at a much higher elevation and tends to change color about 2 weeks before the central area. I was there just a little late for Nikko National Park area just a little early for Central Nikko.

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Odaiba is yet another shopping, eating and entertainment district in Tokyo. Odaiba has much to offer a photographer or visitor in Japan and is well known for the Rainbow Bridge, Fuji TV Building (below), a replica of the Statue of Liberty, shopping and crowds of people.

Odaiba actually has a lot of attractions but they are mainly geared more towards tourists (local or foreign in somecases) such as:

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  • Toyota Showroom (called Mega Web for some reason)
  • Ferris Wheel (where on a weekend the line gets as long as a two hour wait)
  • National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (bilingual)
  • National Museum of Maritime Science
  • Oedo Onsen Monogatari (the largest hot spring theme park in Japan, designed after the old Edo period)

I recommend getting there by taking the Yurikamome Line which is a fairly new (and slightly expensive) private train line that rides fairly high off the ground, over the Rainbow Bridge and between some really interesting and cool buildings. When the weather is nice, the train ride itself offers some great and unique views of Tokyo. You can transfer to the Yurikamome Line from Shimbashi. Below are photos of the Rainbow Bridge. The one taken during the day was taken while on the Yurikamome Line.

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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.

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.

Matsuhima is considered to be one of the 3 most scenic places of Japan. Matsushima is a bay with hundreds of islands, that have been carved away by the ocean, that are covered with pine trees. Matsushima is an amazing place but for a photographer the weather will drastically make or break your photos.

Of course this could be true for any place and seems like common sense, but Matsushima is a place that it’s true beauty can only be appreciated with good weather (and the right time of the day). During the day you can take a boat ride/tour throughout the bay. Also you can walk through some of the larger islands which can be nice.

Matsushima is close to Sendai and can be reached by train. For more detailed access information please see the Japan-guide.com.