Going Japan - books needed

Hi all,

<p>I am going to Japan for a month. Beside the other things, one of

trip's goal is to photograph landscapes using medium size B&W film.

<p>Now I have been searching and searching information about nature of

Japan. Animals and landscapes. Places that are good for taking photos.

<p>The results has been weak... The Lonely Planet Book: Hiking in

Japan has some usable information and The National Parks of Japan too.

I have both of them - and lot of tourist guides.

<p>Still, I haven't found any decent photograph book illustrating

landscapes of japan. The only one I have found is Seeing Japan, which

has really poor image quality.

<p>And where are all books about nature of japan? I wan't to know what

kind of animals there are, flowers, insects etc. I am such a nature freak.

<p><b>Any tips of books?</b> (Ofcourse I have some places where I will

surely go: Hiroshima, Kyôto, Nara, Tôkyô, Nikkô and Hakone (and

Fuji-san ofcourse).

Jukka,

 

You may want to get a copy of Eyewitness Travel Guide for japan. It has lots of photographs

that should give you ideas of where to go.

If you visit the Golden Temple, be prepared to look and "no photographs" with your medium format rig. Take a 35mm body if you want to shoot there. (Ditto for tripods at the place: no can use.)

 

 

 

Without knowing which month you are going to Japan, it is safe to say some mountain areas will have 'frozen' bugs and such until May. Japan has four seasons, and the more north you go, the shorter the warm season gets.

 

 

 

 

The autumn colors are only to be enjoyed in the October-November months, so a one month visit will not get you into that area of landscapes.

 

 

 

 

Cherry blossom season is soon-to-start and that is it for the year.

 

 

 

 

 

Landscapes with Mt. Fuji can be done throughout the year. It can be traveled around in one day, with stops to shoot at as many places as you wish __ if the mountain is without clouds or with a few clouds. If a weather front hits and the mountain is cloud-locked, you will have to do the sightseeing another day. Later in the summer months, the mountain can be climbed, if you want to take the hike.

"Any tips of books? (Ofcourse I have some places where I will surely go: Hiroshima, Kyôto, Nara, Tôkyô, Nikkô and Hakone (and Fuji-san ofcourse)"

 

Are you going there to do the tourist things, or is the primary purpose to photograph landscapes? If it's landscape photography then you need to break out of the big three mode (Tokyo, Kyoto/Nara, Hiroshima). I lived in Japan for 6 years and never went to Tokyo and don't regret it. If you're really serious about the landscape, then you need to get out of the cities and into the countryside.

 

Hiroshima is nice place and you'll probably go to the Peace Park and Miyajima. If you go to Miyajima, don't just stick to the tourist paths around the shrine -- get a map of the island and start walking! There are plenty of interesting things that the locals know but that the day-trippers never see. I've been there many, many times and can tell you that I started enjoying the island much more once I discovered other paths and beaches to explore. Also-- try to get out of Hiroshima city and go inland -- Taishaku-kyo and Sandankyo Gorges are well worth the trip (although best in the fall).

 

Travelling along the Sea of Japan Coast (between Kanazawa and Hagi) is well worth it -- it's probably the best coastline you'll see in Japan with beautiful blue-green water (if the weather's right) and gorgeous scenery along the way. The cities along that coast are small but it's the drive that's spectacular -- most of photographs come from that area. If you can look through some back issues of National Geographic as they have a good article about that route (go back 10-15 years).

 

"Still, I haven't found any decent photograph book illustrating landscapes of japan. The only one I have found is Seeing Japan, which has really poor image quality"

 

The reason you haven't found any good books is because there are few really good landscapes. Japan is an industrial country -- travel along the coast between Hiroshima and Osaka (and probably all the way up to Tokyo) all you'll see is grey, grey, grey. Concrete buildings and factories and highways, concrete coastlines -- virtually the entire coast on this side has had concrete applied to it. 99% of all rivers have been concreted over -- you won't find any natural riverbeds. If you're looking for the landscapes of "The Last Samurai", forget it -- go to New Zealand where it was filmed because it's very hard to find those sorts of landscapes (in large form) in Japan. I'm not saying they don't exist, I've seen some beautiful places, but you have to go looking for them. Also, be warned about what you see in pictures. A LOT of stuff has been photoshopped out -- you may see a beautiful landscape in a tourist brochure but when you get there, you'll find it's a completely different story -- telephone and power lines everywhere, big highways next to scenic bridges, ugly buildings next to traditional ones -- they've all been "erased" to give a more pleasant image to tourists (Japanese and foreign alike) about popular places. Books produced in the west should be alright (travel guides and whatnot) but beware Japanese-produced tourist brochures -- what you see is not necessarily what you'll get.

 

I don't want to discourage you about what you'll find out there but I think you should be realistic about what's available, especially if you have limited time. I lived there for many years and was able to explore places through the seasons bit by bit, which allowed me to find some real beauty in Japan.

 

Good luck!<div></div>

Tried to post this a day or so ago but it clearly didn't work for some reason. Michael Kenna has a beautiful (and sadly, expensive) book on Japan where he has visited several times in recent years. There seems to be plenty of landscape opportunities for him, though a lot of the photographs are in winter, and of course we don't know how hard he had to work to find these locations or indeed how much help he had to do so. If you are interested in landscapes which typify the feel of Japan, either find a way of seeing this book, or at the very least look at his web-site www.michaelkenna.net

Thanks for all for answers!

<p>I'll check out "Eyewitness Travel Guide for japan" book.

<p>Good to know limitations of golden temple. I didn't know photography limitations, only that native people cannot enter the temple.

<p>

I am going at summer, July. Not the best season. Hot, hot...

<p>I am thinking to spend part of trip at countryside. I really do not like asphalt jungles like Tôkyô, but my friend lives there so it's one place where I just have to go. The friend is also reason for going there at summer.

<p>Rachelle, thanks for the coastline tip! I'll check how it fits to my plans. I think that it will be one of the high priority areas in my route.

<p>About going as tourist or landscape photographer. I think it's somewhere between. I have to make some compromises and leave dedicated landscape photography for some later trip. I have feeling that this won't be my last trip to Japan :)

<p>Again, thank you very much. Dômo arigatô :)

I'd say Fukushima. Take a look at this site!

 

www7.plala.or.jp/m-graphy

 

This guy is the man! Almost all his pictures are from Fukushima and they he gives you the city names as well so if you're feeling adventurous you could go exploring. I went up to Fukushima just this Christmas and I can quite happily say that it was a really natural place. Possibly one of the most remote areas in Japan. Then again almost all of northern Japan is rural. Unfortunately when I was there it was snowing big time and I couldn't see anything. Bad planning on my part, but I just wanted to get out of Gifu (where I am now). Also have a look at Rolfe Horn's work. He did a series on Japan too. I think his work is similar to Micheal Kenna's because he worked as an assistant or something like that for him.

Thank you for the link!

Awesome pictures there :)

"The National Geographic Traveler Japan" should give you a travel guide book with lots of photos and maps. ISBN 0-7922-7563-2

 

Since you are going to be in Tokyo, it might be worthwhile to browse books in large bookstores in Tokyo. Another source of photographs is mountain hiking magazines. I have some copies of those in my parents' house in Tokyo, but not here in Baltimore. If you write to me directly,

I can tell you more when I go to Tokyo this summer.

I think Lonely Planet makes some of the best guide books for Asia. The

Lonely Planet Japan book and the Kyoto city book are both great.

 

BTW, I agree with about hte M. Kenna book /website idea - if you want to see

some wonderful landscapes of Japan to get some ideas of what's over there

to photography check book/website out.

 

Cheers!

Hi,

there are some nice books for Japan. Personally i like the <i>The Rough Guide to Japan</i>, but the LP-books are also nice. There exists <a href="http://www.readandtravel.info/books/show/JP">some lists</a> on the internet for japan books.

 

Hope that helps.

 

cu.

Thanks!