Location suggestions please

<p>I am off to Japan for a month in mid-April and would really appreciate any suggestions or ideas for places that might interest a photographer that are not touristic. I will spend time in Kyoto (ye olde culture) and Tokyo (21st century buzz) but am also interested in seeing/photographing one or some of the folowing:<br>

- peaceful/deserted seaside areas (that could be described as 'not interesting for the casual tourist')<br>

- mass housing estates/blocks of flats<br>

- industrial areas that may or may not be derelict but should be accessible to a 'tourist with a camera'<br>

- music/art scene or studios for portraiture<br>

- teenage/young adult fashion/trends<br>

Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions for any of these are really welcome - and thanks so much.<br>

David</p>

<p>I am particularly fond of the peace and serenity of Japanese tea gardens. I don't have a specific suggestion, but if you like them too, there ought to be some great ones there. I love the one in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.</p>

<p>Hi David,<br>

I wouldn't shy away from the touristy places. A lot of touristy places in Japan aren't as tacky as other places can be (but some still can be).<br>

'Touristy':<br>

Kiyomizudera in Kyoto in the evening: It's a temple high on a hill. Check to see if they have nighttime lighting... 'illumination' as they call it.<br>

Himeji Castle: If you can get here during the cherry blossom season (mid-late april), it will be packed with people, unavoidably... but it is simply stunning there.<br>

If you can take a train from Kyoto to Nara, it takes about 40 min. In Nara there's a a place called "Daibutsu-den" which is a giant bronze Buddha statue housed in a enormous wooden building. That itself is worth seeing, but in the parks outside there are lots of deer wandering around that aren't afraid of people. Ocassionally, there's school field trips to that temple, and you'll see lots of school children in uniforms feeding the deer. I think it's one of the idyllic images of Japan (but really hard to get a picture).<br>

Not-so Touristy:<br>

Teenage Fashion:<br>

Shibuya 109: Exit Shibuya Station and ask people for "Ichi Maru Kyu" (it means one zero nine in Japanese). Generally it's off to the left of Hachiko exit. It's basically a trendsetting mall where teenage girls get their clothes.<br>

Yoyogi Park near Harajuku. I think it was on Sunday (double check) where people dress up in lolita goth costumes and prance around in the park. The Harajuku area (Takeshita street right outside the station) also has lots of trendy shops for a more counter-culture feel than Shibuya.<br>

Mass Housing: really you can go anywhere outside of the Yamanote loop of Tokyo. Stations west of the loop on the Chuo line are usually residential. Try perhaps kichijouji station or ogikubo. You kind of have to get away from the train station a bit. This one I'm not too sure about but these places are where my friends usually lived.<br>

Tokyo isn't very industrial as far as I know, so you might have to go to neighboring Chiba. This one I'm not too sure about.</p>

<p>Great replies - thanks. Any more really welcome.<br>

David</p>

<p>An early morning visit to the Tokyo fish market is a photographer's feast.</p>

<p>The view from the Tokyo World Trade Centre<br>

Hama Rikyu Teien ( Detached Garden , Tokyo, Japan)<br>

Fish market, for sure</p>

 

<p>I like they way you think. Having a loose photo agenda is a great way to come home with significant photos. Having an approximate idea of what I want to shoot is the way I like to prepare for trips. Sometimes I am disappointed because circumstances (weather, etc.) prevent me from getting the imagery that I want while other times, I come home with many of the planned images. I have been researching for my trip to mainland China and Hong Kong which starts tomorrow and I have a multitude of shots I want to get and to make.<br>

When I mention "making" a shot, it goes like this. I want to find a very westernized street level billboard advertising some product or another and then wait until some appropriate Chinese walk by. I would love a sign advertising a rock star and to get a couple of females walking by and looking at the sign.<br>

By the way, the Tokyo subway system is a great place to shoot. It can get very hectic during rush hour but the images are worth the crush. At other than rush hours it can be very interesting also. I remember seeing two sumo wrestlers riding in an almost empty train car between Tokyo and Yokohama.<br>

I haven't been to Japan in years but, here is a good web site for information.<br>

<a href="http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=357&pID=315">http://www.japanvisitor.com/index.php?cID=357&pID=315</a></p>

 

<p>Hi David you're likely here by now but most smaller towns along the north sea will fit your seaside request. They have a ton of character and by your other requests sounds like something you would like.</p>

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