Japan Photography Tours & Workshops Blog and Newsletter

Hokkaido Birding Photo Tours

Sep 21, 2019

Black Kites are a Hokkaido resident, and they inhabit the same land and air space with the Steller’s Sea Eagle and the White-tailed Eagles that frequent the pack ice in Hokkaido during Winter Photo Tours. They are opportunist hunters, some say scavengers, and to survive, they take birds, bats, insects, rodents, and roadkill. They become more aggressive and honed hunters during January and February because food is scarce in Hokkaido's sub-arctic weather conditions. Even though ...

All-Inclusive Photo Tour Japan - Myoko & Refreshing Milky-White Hot Springs

Sep 14, 2019

Mt. Myoko and its surrounding area create the foundation for an all-inclusive Niigata, Japan Photo Tour. Niigata prefecture, one of the largest in Japan is home to Mt. Myoko. The mountain is an active strato-volcano, but during the winter, most hints of the magma roiling underneath the surface disappear as the snow coats and caps it, transforming into its winter incarnation. However, care must always be given when dealing with forces of nature. Winter is an amazing season ...

Spring Photo Tour - Photographing Unpredictable Snow Monkeys

Aug 27, 2019

When people imagine snow monkeys, they think of them on Winter Photo Tours more than Spring Photo Tours, but snow monkeys are active at the hot spring during the springtime, they are just not drawn to soak for a long time in the replenishing baths of the hot spring. The snow monkeys are by nature social animals, so they tend to take quick swims in the warm waters or play around the pools with other young snow monkeys.At their core, the snow monkeys are wild animals, and when photographing them, ...

Hokkaido Photo Tours - Wildlife Photography, More Than Birding

Aug 23, 2019

Many photographers and enthusiasts join Hokkaido Photo Tour are birders and join for the birding photo ops that exist all over Japan’s northern island. And when considering birds such as the snow ballerina the Red-crowned crane or The Steller’s Sea Eagle, it is clear that you could spend days even months taking photos of our winged friends. However, my experience as the lead Japan Photography Workshop Leader means that I know there is much more to the island than avian ...

Japan Private Photography Tour - Sado Island, On These Paths Walk Giants

Aug 21, 2019

Interest in Niigata Private Photography Tours spikes due to the transformation that occurs every August on Sado Island. The sunny, pastoral island situated in the Sea of Japan, a few precious kilometers from Niigata’s capital city comes alive with music, celebrations, and visitors from all over the world. It is a paradise for those seeking something beyond the standard Tokyo Photo Tour focused exclusively on cityscape photos. A Niigata Private Photo Tour based on Sado has possibilities ...

Blain - Niigata Private Photo Tour - An Off The Beaten Path Shrine Experience

Aug 17, 2019

Being able to host Niigata Private Photo Tours is one of the pleasures I and our photo workshop leaders at Blain Harasymiw Photography enjoy because of our proximity to the prefecture’s capital city. With so many amazing photogenic sites in regions such as Tokyo and Yamanashi, my staff members and I are often asked by our clients why we moved one of the main offices to Niigata prefecture. The answer is simple. Niigata prefecture is an off the beaten path location ...

Hokkaido Wildlife Photo Tour - A Birders Paradise!

Aug 07, 2019

Hokkaido is a beautiful, breathtaking place to visit, especially when the snowfalls. It becomes the ultimate paradise for wildlife and winter landscapes photography. Since 1998, I have led photography adventures throughout Japan. In the winters of, 2015, 2016, and 2017, I photographed a herd of a 1000 Sika Deer. This is a rare event, timing and weather are everything to capture this moment; I and my colleagues at Blain Harasymiw Photography wish for you also to be graced with such a spectacular ...

Tokyo Photo Tour and Volcanic Activity!

Aug 03, 2019

Temperatures have been too high to enjoy a Tokyo Photo Tour and our most popular tourist spots on the beaten path. At the moment, a heatwave has Japan in its clutches, and there is no immediate relief in sight. However, when I think of my experiences as an explorer and a photography workshop leader and think of the heat, my thoughts are fueled by the boiling-hot magma bubbling below the surface of Japan’s many active volcanoes. I know that true heat lies in locations difficult to see.I ...

WAY OF THE GODS - JAPAN

Jul 07, 2019

Shinto ("Way of the Gods") is the indigenous faith for the people's of Japan, and it does not have a founder or sacred scriptures such as the bible or sutras. Evangelism is not common either because Shinto is deeply rooted in the people's daily life and folklore. "Shinto gods" are named Kami. These gods take the form of sacred spirits, which affect daily life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers, and such conceptions and spiritual manifestations as fertility. For ...

Nagano Photo Tour - Ueda Castle Ruin Park - A Haven For Samurai

Jun 13, 2019

Nagano Photo Tours revolve around Snow Monkeys in their natural habitats, but the region is also steeped in rich samurai history and supplies several photo ops that can only be enjoyed by exploring with the Blain Harasymiw Photography team and me.The castle has the rare claim to fame of having been laid siege to not once by twice during the Sengoku, or countrywide conflict part of Japan’s history. The defenders of the castle became famous for the massive casualties they would ...

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