Photo tours to Japan????

I am looking for a photo tour to Japan. Joe Englander has one, but I

have been to most of the places he is going to. There are also a

few winter tours but to be honest at my age I'm not enthusiastic

about shooting in cold weather any more. Anybody know about other

Japan photo trips that go to places besides Tokyo, Kyoto, Nikko,

Takayama? I'd prefer autumn.

Have you looked at the Japan Travel Bureau web site?

If it is still up and running, you should be able to request information (by e-mail) on any tours upcoming in the fall of 2006.

Yeah that website is great. I did my own JP tour planning with that, I travelled solo away from tours at my own pace.

For photo's I suggest away from tours but you can do the same stuff as tours but just at your more leisurely pace and more time for photography and maybe better food if you wish, depends where u wanna go vs sticking to the rigid tour plan. Maybe you can spend 5 days when they have put 3 days for that tour.

I went to a day tour for Kyoto, man it stinks. The lunch wasn't that good it was held at the Kyoto Souvenir Craft Store. Pricey as well. The pace was quite a rush, I had a SLR but I didnt take a tripod so handheld and taking the most easist thought of tourist snap shots, haha.

I don't see the benefit of a photo tour to Japan. Just get your own ticket and hotel/hostel and take the subway/train wherever you want. There's a great history of photography museum in Tokyo, and you can spend time in the countryside.

If anything, Japan is the one place in the world that people are not going to look at you weird for having three bodies slung around your neck, or putting up a tripod at the intersection of the city's busiest streets.

I'd say, watch your budget and your time as you are very likely going to end up buying and hunting down "STUFF" in Japan rather than spend the day taking photos!