Japan Photo Guide

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.