Japan Photo Guide

Jojakoji is one of my favorite places in Arashiyama. It is a fairly large temple that is built up into a mountain and is just brilliant during the fall. Seriously, this temple has some of the best autumn foliage in Japan. So of course, the best time to go is during the autumn season but anytime of the year is worth checking out Jojakoji. Jojakoji is about a 15 minute walk from JR Saga Arashiyama Station or Keifuku Arashiyama Station and about a 5 minute walk from the bamboo groves.

From around Keifuku Arashiyama or the Togetsukyo Bridge you can take a rickshaw ride that will take you through the bamboo groves and ends at Jojakoji. For a map of where it is located check out the Japan-Guide.

Asakusa, about one mile from Ueno in Tokyo, is most famous for the Buddhist temple Sensoji, inluding a huge lantern at the entrance (photo below), five story pagoda and a traditional Nakamise shopping arcade. At the shopping arcade you can find lots of souvenirs from fake swords and katanas to wall scrolls to funny tshirts (for example changing “Puma” to “Kuma,” which is bear in Japanese, along with a logo change) to photos of pop idols. You can also take a rickshaw ride and occasionally see geisha or maiko.

If you are spending time in Tokyo, Asakusa is worth checking out and a lot of interesting photos can be made here. Also there are a lot of festivals in Asakusa throughout the year, these festivals, or “matsuri” in Japanese, always make for good photographs. Here is some information with short descriptions of the festivals in Asakusa and here is another list with the 2007 dates of festivals in Asakusa. Note that some of the dates may change from year to year. Perhaps one of the more interesting festivals is the annual Samba Festival, which takes place in late August. It is interesting because it is obviously very different from the usual traditional festival in Japan. Here is more information on the history of the samba festival in Asakusa. Below is a photo of the shopping arcade.

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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.

Nara is in the Kansai Region of Japan and is about 30-40 minutes by train from Kyoto or Osaka. Nara, the old capital of Japan, is home to 8 of Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 64 of the 200 and some odd buildings that are considered national treasures in Japan. Nara is also home to about 1200 or so deer that roam freely around Nara Koen (Nara Park). I have been to Kyoto more than 5 times but just recently went to Nara for the first time because I thought it would feel similar to Kyoto; however, it has a very different feel from it. Partly because there are deer running around everywhere and partly because it is less crowded (although the famous spots like Todaiji, do get very crowded at times), but there is something about Nara, that is somewhat hard to pinpoint, that makes it a magical place.

I highly recommend checking Nara out, especially in the fall. If you want, you could probably see most of Nara without staying overnight, but I recommend staying one night there just to make sure you can see everythign you want to see. Below are a few places that you will not want to miss:

• • Todaiji–Huge temple that holds Japan’s largest Buddha (top photo)
  • Nara Koen–Nara Park is where a lot of temples, shrines and 1200+ deer are
  • Horyuji–Oldest wooden building and structures in the world
  • Kokufuji
  • Kasuga Taisha–Fabulous Shinto Shrine and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Toshodaiji
  • Yakushiji

For more information see the official site of Nara or the Japan Guide.

Where to start…Well, let’s just say if you are a photographer in Japan and you do not go to Kyoto, you should really consider giving up photography. Seriously, Kyoto and the surrounding areas like Arashiyama and Nara are so spectacular that there is no excuse not to find a way to get to Kyoto. As of Spring of 2006 I have been to Kyoto 5 times, going atleast once ever season of the year. The two best times to go are, cherry blossom season and during the fall.

Kyoto is the old capital of Japan is said to have more than 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. Also Kyoto’s district Gion, is the only place in Japan where you can regularly see real geisha or maiko (and no they are not prostitutes).

There are many famous places and most of which I will encourage you to go to, but sometimes it is a good idea to go off the beaten path and find your own little treasure in Kyoto.

Here are some of the famous places you should consider going:

• • Nanzenji (My personal favorite)
  • Kinkakuji (Golden Pavillion)
  • Ginkakuji (Silver Pavillion)
  • Ryoan-ji (Most famous rock garden of all of Japan)
  • Kiyomizudera (One of the most famous temples in Japan and a good view of Kyoto)
  • Tetsugaku no michi (Philosopher’s Path)
  • Kokedera (Moss Garden Temple–3000 yen and reservation required to enter!)
  • Ninnanji (A very diverse UNESCO World Heritage Site close to Ryoanji)
  • Fushimi Shrine (Shinto Shrine with thousands of tori gates)

Kyoto is about 2 hours by shinkansen from Tokyo and about 45 minutes by express train from Osaka. For more detailed access information please see Japan-Guide.com.

Here are some Links you may find useful about Kyoto:

• • Kyoto’s Visitor’s Guide–Online version of the monthly publication.
  • Kyoto Event Web Magazine–Provides information about festivals and events.
  • K’s Hostel–The best hostel in Kyoto.
  • Japan-Guide.com–A lot of really good information
  • Kyoto Prefecture Travel Guide–Official site of Kyoto Prefecture with travel information