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Japan

Winter in Japan

I’d like to share these winter in Japan shots from various locations during our visit. We’ll be back in Tassie tomorrow, and it’s been a wonderful visit to Japan. Maybe I need to put the thinking cap on and come up with a Japanese photography tour – shoot me a message if this is something...Read More
nakijin castle okinawa cherry blossoms japan 2023

Japan Cherry Blossoms 2023

Japan’s first cherry blossoms of 2023 have bloomed! And no, it is not global warming gone wild, it is a specific type of cherry called the “kanhizakura” which blooms in January in Okinawa, Japan’s most southerly island. The rest of Japan will enjoy its cherry blossom season in the months ahead, typically in March, so...Read More
japanese snow monkey park nagano

Japanese Snow Monkey Park in Nagano

Our summer holiday continues with a trip to the Japanese snow monkey park at Jigokudani (literally translates to the Valley of Hell!!) in Nagano Prefecture.       Something, somewhere must have gone very wrong as hell really seemed to have frozen over on our arrival in Nagano. The forecast was for daytime temperatures of...Read More
akiu otaki waterfall japan winter

Waterfalls of Japan – Akiu Otaki

We are having a great summer holiday in wintery Japan and one of the first photo stops we enjoyed was a day trip to the beautiful Akiu Otaki (falls) in Miyagi Prefecture, Northern Japan. The falls are easily accessed by car from the nearby onsen (hot spring) town of Akiu. A short walk from the...Read More

Fireflies in Japan

Funnily enough, after many, many visits, I had never seen or photographed fireflies in Japan. This year, shortly after arriving, we spotted some articles in the newspaper saying they were out and about, so I made a couple of trips to nearby Koori to see for myself. The first visit basically coincided with a full...Read More

Omoi no taki

Omoi no taki is another great waterfall in Fukushima, Japan. It is located not far from the onsen (hot spring) town of Tsuchi-yu, meaning after a morning photographing waterfalls it was lunch and a visit to an “ashi-yu” – or hot spring for your feet. The walk is very pleasant (as long as you don’t...Read More

Yoshinodaira fudou taki (falls) in Fukushima, Japan

I have spent most of the last month in Japan, where monstrous flooding rain in the west and a nationwide heatwave dominated the news almost everyday of our stay. We were based in the north, in Fukushima (which of course has had its own fair share of trouble in the recent past) but this year...Read More

The Japanese Umbrella Pine “Kouyamaki”

The Japanese Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata – click here for Wiki description) is a very rare and unique tree, endemic to Japan. I had heard there was a stand growing in Fukushima, which is the northern limit of its range. It can be found in other parts of Japan such as the Japanese Alps and...Read More

Adatarayama

Adatarayama (Mt Adatara) is a 1700 metre high volcano west of Fukushima in Nihonmatsu. There is a lovely onsen (hot spring) town called Dake nearby. The mountain is popular for skiing in winter and hiking in the summer. We picked a hot and sunny day (maximum temperature of 35 degrees!) to make the climb. It...Read More

Oze National Park: Buna Daira

We visited the Oze National Park recently, and visited many parts of the park including Mt Taishaku which I have already posted about. The subject of todays post is the lush green forests in the area known as “Buna daira”. “Buna” is the Japanese beech tree (Fagus crenata), and a daira is a flatland. The...Read More

Waterfalls of Fukushima: Renge Falls

Renge Falls is found at the end of a very narrow and windy road in the mountains around Moniwa in northern Fukushima. There is a somewhat overgrown parking area and a rickety old temple, and the walk to the waterfalls is a short 10 minutes or so on a fairly flat track. As with almost...Read More
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