Last October and November, Midori and I ran our first ever Japan photo tour, and we are getting ready to run it again in 2026 and 2027!

Our destination is the north east (Tohoku) region, and the timing is autumn ie late October and early November. We will visit beautiful scenic locations such as the Oirase River in Aomori and the Urabandai lakes region of Fukushima.

Why Japan – and why Tohoku?

Midori is from Fukushima City, in Fukushima Prefecture. I lived in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture many years ago and spent a lot of time traveling the region with my old Pentax SLR and many rolls of film. Since moving to Tasmania together in 2005 we have been regular visitors back to Fukushima and Tohoku, discovering more and more of the beauty in the region.

What is so special about autumn in Japan?

The autumn leaves in Japan make travel – and photography – at this time of year very memorable. This trip is all about getting off Japan’s well trodden tourist trail and exploring some beautiful, lesser known areas.

We will photograph autumn leaves, perhaps mixed with some mist in the cool air of the mountains in Aomori, Yamagata and Fukushima. We will visit historic sites with their immaculately manicured gardens. Japanese maple trees are a particular delight amongst rustic wooden temples and shrines. We may even experience the first frosts and snows of the Japanese winter as we cross the mountains of Tohoku.

What is so special about this tour?

I’m so glad you asked 🙂

• Midori and myself will take care of you as two bilingual guides (although only one of us is a photographer sorry!)
• Small group – strictly 6 maximum. Lots of time for personal camera tuition and talking about Japanese customs and language. And lots of time to soak up the atmosphere in our photo locations.
• Extremely comfortable and spacious accommodation for 9 nights. We have made an effort to find really high quality accommodation and wonderful Japanese cuisine for guests on this trip. We are sure you will love it 🙂
• Bullet trains and mini-bus transport while on the road.

Our journey begins in Tokyo where we meet for a welcome dinner and a night shoot at the historic Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. After that we will spend 8 nights traveling through Aomori (2 nights), Iwate (2 nights), Ginzan Onsen (1 night) and Fukushima (3 nights) before returning to Tokyo.

You can find all the details – including a link to the booking form – on the Japan tour page, please take a look.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions, as we would love to have you join us!