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This photography tour is not currently in the schedule, but can be added by request
Dates TBD
12 nights/13 days | Limited to 10 participants
$TBD USD per person, land only | Single room supplement is 14% of trip cost
See discounts for repeat clients, early enrollment, room sharing, and 2 trips in 12 months etcetera
 Indicates that we have sufficient enrollments and will run the trip
 Indicates that the trip will run pending one or more enrollments
 10 places are available at this time
Ask a question via email: Click here
Updated Thursday the 17th of May, 2012
Gateway airport: Narita [NRT]
Arrival window: By 4 p.m. on day one
Search Kayak or your preferred airline for a fare
For cost, enrollment link and other details go here. |
Also see the photography tour calendar for trips that precede or follow this one
PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR OVERVIEW: A rare opportunity to explore both ancient and modern Japan, and meet and photograph its people. Tokyo, Nikko, Takayama, Kyoto, Japanese Alps, Mt. Fuji, ancient temples and rural scenes.
INCREASING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS: There isn’t a straightforward way to describe everything you will learn on one of our photography tours in just a few words, but I'll give it a try . . . I instruct, encourage, nurture, coach, nudge, help and guide clients etcetera, all day and every day. This includes one-on-ones and 'collective instruction', i.e. advice given to the whole group at each photo stop. Subjects and techniques discussed and demonstrated are composition strength, shutter speeds, exposure compensation, how aperture choice influences depth of field, lens choice, filter use, long exposure effects, deliberate blur, macro and so on. I also encourage you to 'see' an image when the opportunity presents itself, i.e. to be on the lookout for those less obvious shots that are no less stunning. Lastly, I conduct image critiques both on location - digital camera screens are ideal for this - and via the use of laptops. PhotoShop sessions are also included as time permits. For more details regarding what you'll learn go here.
TRAVEL TO THE GATEWAY AIRPORT
o It is recommended that clients arrive a day early to be fresh for the trip, and to also counteract possible flight delays.
o Early arrival also enables you to explore the gateway city should you wish to do so.
o When booking flights, add a day for overnight travel or two days if also crossing the Pacific Ocean/International Dateline.
o The last day of the trip is the date you should arrange your flight home unless you plan to stay on. Thank you!
DAY 1 | Arrive JAPAN
Arrival into Tokyo's Narita Airport during the afternoon, and on to our hotel. After supper we will photograph the lights of the city in Ginza and the Tokyo Tower.
Day 2 will be spent in the bustling city of Tokyo photographing sights such as the Asakusa Kannon Temple, an early visit to Tsukiji Fish Market, and visit Yodabashi Camera Store, the largest in the world, etc..
A day 3 excursion by train to Kamakura will offer us images of the Great Budda and other unique temples, along with the intriguing sight of thousands of dolls decorated in honor of dead children.
TOKYO, 3 nights
DAYS 4 + 5 | TOKYO to NIKKO
This morning in our own transport, we'll head for Nikko. We will travel through city and country with a stop at Mashiko, a famous pottery town. Arriving at Nikko, and after checking in at our accommodations, we will visit the Toshogu Shrine, the most beautiful in all Japan. The Japanese maples will be brilliantly colored at this time.
Day 5 will find us driving the Iroha-zaka slope for outstanding views of fall color. We will visit Lake Chuzenji and the waterfalls there, the highest in Japan. Several other falls are in the area and if time permits, we'll take a boat ride on the lake.
NIKKO, 2 nights
DAYS 6, 7 + 8 | NIKKO to MATSUMOTO
These days will be spent traveling through the Japan Alps with frequent stops for outstanding picture opportunities. We will visit Karuizawa near Mt. Asama, a smoking volcano and tour the moon-like lava gardens. Stops at Shirato Falls are also included. At Matsumoto, we'll photograph the "Black Crow Castle" surrounded by brilliant fall colors and more. Many country craft shops abound here as well. Also on this segment will be Kamikochi, located in the center of the Japan Alps National Park - one of the most scenic areas in all of Japan. The mountain scenery is outstanding!
MATSUMOTO, 3 nights
DAYS 9 + 10 | MATSUMOTO to TAKAYAMA
We drive the short distance to Takayama in the morning and spend the rest of the day and day 10 in the area known as the roof of Japan. Many peaks exceed 10,000 feet here. We will visit the Hida-no-sato village, the Williamsburg of Japan. It is the most photogenic village of old houses - 3 to 4 stories high with thatched roofs made of rice straw. Also there are two, very colorful, open-air, morning markets here. This area was left unscathed during WWII, so many old structures are still standing and offer outstanding photography.
TAKAYAMA, 2 nights
DAYS 11 + 12 | TAKAYAMA to KYOTO
Today, we shoot on route to Kyoto, arriving in late afternoon, and check into our accommodations. We will spend day 12 and part of day 13 visiting the sights here which are numerous. Some highlights include: the Heian Shrine and garden, the Golden Pavilion, Ryoanji Temple, Kiyomizu Temple and as many others as time and energy permit! All these sites will have lots of fall color to add another dimension to our photographs. Many of the areas are filled with interesting shops, and Japanese people are very cooperative when asked to have their picture taken. An afternoon will be spent in Nara to photograph the famous Todaiji Temple and Nara-koen Park.
KYOTO, 2 nights
DAY 13 | KYOTO to HIMEJI
More photography of the Kyoto area to start our day, and later on we will take the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Himeji.
HIMEJI, 1 night
DAY 14 | HIMEJI to OSAKA
We will spend the morning photographing the most beautifully situated castle in all of Japan, the Shirasagijo, or the Castle of the White Heron. With extensive grounds, we will be kept busy here. In the evening, we depart, again by the Shinkansen for Osaka, Japan's cultural center.
OSAKA, 1 night
DAY 15 | Flights home
Flights home from Kansai International Airport. Overnight, east-bound flights put you back in the US on the same calendar day.
Photographer/Leader John Baker and local Japanese guides
The preceding itinerary is copyrighted by John T. Baker Photographer LLC, and Travel Images.com,
and authorization is NOT granted to business entities for professional use of said material.
PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR FEES, DETAILS + ENROLLMENT
TRIP COST: $TBD per person, double occupancy [land only]
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT: $TBD
SMALL GROUP SUPPLEMENT:
For groups of 6 only: Add 12% of the trip cost above.
For groups of 5 or less: Rate is negotiable.
INCLUDED IN THE TRIP COST: The following items are included in the trip cost: photography instruction throughout the trip by John; all accommodations with private facilities [ensuite]; all breakfasts; lunch on day one of the trip; dinner on the last night of the trip; on-vehicle snacks and bottled water; all ground transportation; airport transfers on the first and last days of the trip only; entrance fees for sites and activities listed below under ‘Admissions’; and following the trip, field notes describing the time, place and subject of each photo stop, and a disc containing images of clients 'in action' on the trip.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE TRIP COST: The costs for these items are the responsibility of each participant: airfare; travel costs between your home and the gateway airport and return; any transportation or travel costs incurred prior to or after the tour’s inclusive dates; pre-tour and/or post-tour accommodation; lunches and dinners except for lunch on day one of the trip, and dinner on the last night of the trip; alcoholic beverages; entrance fees or costs related to optional sites or activities not included in the itinerary or a part of the trip; excess baggage charges; medical costs; personal items; incidental charges incurred at our accommodations such as internet access, phone calls or laundry; baggage and/or travel insurance; passport or visa expenses; and airport departure taxes.
ADMISSIONS: TBD
ENROLLMENT
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