Japan photo tour: Sakura - spring cherry blossoms

We saw so much in such a short amount of time... it was well worth it. The photo opportunities were amazing and I learned a lot about how to take better photos. When I tell people about the trip and everything we saw and did, they can't believe it."
-- CAROLINE M., Japan, April 2023

I really enjoyed the trip to Japan with its many locations and unique activities such as visiting a samurai swordsmith, sumo training, meeting a maiko and a geisha; extraordinary experiences!! All in all, it was a wonderful, memorable trip." 
-- MARY B., Japan, April 2023

Christopher has used his knowledge of Japan based on his recent magazine assignments and commission to update the National Geographic Traveler Japan guidebook to create a sensational 13-day itinerary that incorporates a dream-list of destinations and festivals, while unveiling secretive, enigmatic Japan. The trip is timed for Japan’s famous sakura—when the cherry blossoms explode in riotous color. This is the best time of year, when the weather is crisp and the skies crystal clear.

As the cherry blossoms burst open across the country, the Japanese delight in picnicking and hanami (flower viewing) parties to appreciate the transient beauty of the flowers, announcing the arrival of spring. The entire culture becomes besotted, with cherry blossoms appearing on all manner of commercial products. Timing varies every year, depending on the weather, with more southerly regions blooming first (typically in mid-March) and the far northern islands last. And different varieties bloom at different times, so even if one or two of our destinations are not at their best, others will be.

Of course, we’ll also thrill to photographing Tokyo’s highlights, such as the Imperial Palace… as well as visits to magnificent temples and Buddhist shrines… stunning Mt. Fuji…the Japanese Alps, where you’ll photograph the world-famous “snow monkeys” soaking in steaming hot tubs… plus Kyoto, the ancient Japanese capital, with its geishas strolling the lantern-lit streets in kimonos. Plus, we’ll have our own private portrait sessions with maikos (trainee geishas), as well as a chance to photograph traditional weavers and a master katana swordsmith at work.

Along the way, you’ll be immersed in traditional, ancient Japan as we explore its tooi inaka (deep country), dress in yukatas (casual kimonos), feast on fresh seafoods, soak in communal onsen (hot springs), sleep on comfy futons atop tatami mats… and return home with your memories (and memory cards) chock-full of indelible memories.

PLEASE NOTE: Japan's world-renowned sakuro is extremely popular; expect hordes of people at many venues! This tour includes a significant amount of walking and stair-climbs in Tokyo and Kyoto, including in expansive subway stations.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Friday, March 28 / Tokyo 
Participants arrive and settle into our hotel, in the heart of Ginza, Tokyo’s foremost shopping district. Meet with Christopher in the evening for orientation, followed by a traditional Japanese welcome dinner.
Overnight: DAIWA ROYNET GINZA, TOKYO, or similar

Day 2: Saturday, March 29 / Tokyo
We begin with an early morning walk to Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace East Garden (including nearby Chidorigafuchi Lake), renowned for their Japanese landscaping and spectacular cherry blossom sakura. We’ll also visit Sumida Park—in springtime awash in cherry blossoms—and nearby Senso-Ji Shrine before heading to the Meguro River, illuminated for the sakura with pink lanterns. Dinner at leisure.
Overnight: DAIWA ROYNET GINZA, TOKYO, or similar

Day 3: Sunday, March 30 / Five Lakes & Mount Fuji
Today we head west from Tokyo to the Five Lakes district, offering stupendous views of Mount Fuji across the azure lake waters. We’ll base ourselves here for two days of photography amid one of Japan’s premier sakura experiences. Arriving the 'Five Lakes' region, we'll begin by photographing the lovely Kitaguchi Hongu shrine. After lunch, if there is an early spring bloom we'll head to Hananomiyako Park to photograph the magnificent floral displays, with Mt. Fuji as a backdrop. Then, we’ll head to Lake Yamanaka, known as “Swan Lake” for its resident trumpeter swans. Today’s highlight will be photographing sunset from the  Arakuren Sengren Shrine, with its five-storied Churieto Pagoda overlooking the town of Fujiyoshida and, beyond, snow-capped Mt. Fuji.
Overnight: KUMONOUE FUJI HOTEL, LAKE KAWAGUCHIKO, or similar

Day 4: Monday, March 31 / Five Lakes & Mount Fuji
We’ll spend the morning photographing Mount Fuji from the north shore of Lake Kawaguchiko. We'll visit Kogamasao Memorial Park, with its lovely mountain views framed by cherry blossoms; and the nearby Kubota Itchiku Art Museum, dedicated to the revived art of centuries-old Tsujigahana silk dyeing, used to decorate elaborate kimonos. Then on to Oishi Park--a landscaped lakefront foreground for more images of Mount Fuji, and offering some excellent lunch venues. In late afternoon, we'll head to Saiko Iyashi no Santo, a traditional thatched village with traditional craft workshops and where we'll photograph a model dressed in kimono. (If the shibazakura—moss phlox—have already burst into bloom, we may continue to Fujigane to witness the spectacular display—entire fields of pink, white and purple flowers spread like a carpet in front of the sacred volcano.)
Overnight: KUMONOUE FUJI HOTEL, LAKE KAWAGUCHIKO, or similar

Day 5: Tuesday, April 1 / Shinkansen & Kyoto
This morning, we’ll journey to Shizuoka to catch the Shinkansen “bullet train” to Kyoto, the ancient Imperial capital, boasting more than 1,600 temples. After a minivan transfer to our hotel, we’ll lunch, then spend the balance of the afternoon walking the Philosopher’s Path and visiting the Silver Pagoda. We’ll then transfer to Maruyama Park to photograph the many ladies in kimonos or wedding gowns who gather under the cherry blossoms and/or stroll the cobbled lanes of the nearby historic Ninenzaka district. [NOTE: Today, your luggage will be transferred to Kyoto by bus, arriving the following day. You will need to bring a day pack for the train journey and overnight.]
Overnight: GENERAL HOTEL BIUKKOJI, KYOTO, or similar

Day 6: Wednesday, April 2 / Kyoto
Up bright and early this morning to visit the Arashiyama “bamboo forest,” a sublime setting for creative sunrise photography before the crowds arrive. Our photo session will be enhanced by a model in kimono, plus rickshaw. We'll then return to the hotel for breakfast before we return to the Ninenzaka area for a private tea ceremony in a temple garden. Following lunch, we transfer to the Nishijin district and the Orinakusan weaving house to photograph traditional silk costumes being made.
Overnight: GENERAL HOTEL BIUKKOJI, KYOTO, or similar

Day 7: Thursday, April 3 / Kyoto
Up very early again for a 6am departure to beat the crowds to Fushimi-Inari shrine, renowned for its 10,000 vermilion tori gates snaking up the mountainside. We’ll return to the hotel for breakfast and a short break before heading to the Ozanaki district for lunch, followed by a portrait session with a maiko (an apprentice geisha) in Heishan Shrine garden. The balance of the afternoon is free. This evening, we may head to the lantern-lit Gion district to photograph geishas scurrying to their club and restaurant appointments. We close the day with a traditional Japanese dinner attended by a maiko.
Overnight: GENERAL HOTEL BIUKKOJI, KYOTO, or similar

Day 8: Friday, April 4 / Seki & Matsumoto “Crow Castle”
Departing Kyoto early this morning, we’ll head northeast to Seki, Japan’s capital of samurai sword manufacture. Here, we 'll have a private photography session at the Kajita-Token swordsmith studio, in Tomika. We then head to Matsumoto, arriving in time for a sunset shoot of its famous “Crow Castle,” built in 1504 and set in a lake surrounded by the castle’s Honmaru Garden—the cherry blossoms in bloom provide perfect frames. 
Overnight: MATSUMOTO HOTEL KAGETSU, or similar

Day 9: Saturday, April 5 / Togakushi & Shibu Onsen
This morning we’ll journey into the Japanese Alps to visit the uppermost Togakushi Jinga shrine, approached by an avenue of massive 800-year-old cedar trees at the base of Mount Lizuna. We continue the short distance to Shibu Onsen, a charming and historic mountain hot-spring community where it is common to see visitors walking the streets dressed in yukatas (lightweight kimonos) en route to and from the spa town’s several public onsen (hot spring spas). The balance of the afternoon is at leisure to relax in the onsen.
Overnight: KOKUYA RIYOKAN, SHIBU ONSEN, or similar

Day 10: Sunday, April 6 / “Snow Monkey Park” & Nikko
This morning we get up early to visit the Jigokudaki “Snow Monkey Park” and photograph Japan’s famous “snow monkeys”—a species of onsen-loving macaque that loves to steep in the natural hot springs—before the hordes of tourists arrive! For our full-day drive to Nikko, we will take a southerly lowland route around the Japanese Alps, including a visit Oni-Oshidashi--a temple astride a lava flow on the flanks of Mount Asama. We will overnight in Nikko, a center of Shinto and Buddhist worship for centuries. 
Overniht: HOTEL NATURE GARDEN, NIKKO, or similar

Day 11: Monday, April 7 / Nikko
We spend the morning photographing the UNESCO World Heritage Site composed on more than 100 lavishly decorated temples and shrines. Our focus will be the Taiyu-in and Toshogu complexes. Prepare to be awed! After lunch, we will return to Tokyo, where the balance of the afternoon and evening are at leisure. Or join Chris as he leads an optional sunset photo walk of the famous Shibuya Crossing (the busiest pedestrian intersection on the planet) and Ometosando district, with several astonishing modern architectural gems… perhaps followed by the neon-lit Shinjuku district, with its Godzilla Road and Kabukicho red-light district.
Overnight: DAIWA ROYNET GINZA, TOKYO, or similar

Day 12:  Tuesday, April 8 / Tokyo
This morning we’ll attend an early morning training ritual at a sumo wrestling stable—a rare opportunity to witness and photograph the quintessential Japanese sport close up and personal. The rest of the day is free to explore a museum, temple, or district of your choice... perhaps the nearby Tsujiki Open Market (the narrow streets, teem with restaurants and shops selling market produce); or Akihabara, the glitzy, neon-lit capital of all things cosplay, anime, and manga-related. This evening, we’ll enjoy a slideshow of everyone’s favorite images, followed by our farewell dinner.
Overnight: DAIWA ROYNET GINZA, TOKYO, or similar

Day 13: Wednesday, April 9 / Depart 
Depart for home