I am currently leading my annual cross-country cherry blossom photography workshop tour extension.   For close to thirty years, I have adventured on ancient pilgrimage routes off the beaten path to experience authentic Japan.  These ancient pilgrimage routes are especially engaging for those who wish to experience authentic Japanese society, culture and Japanese aesthetics.  During my annual Essence of Autumn Leaves Photograph tour and my Essence of Spring Cherry Blossom photo tour, these ancient Japanese pilgrimage routes are essential, and only a handful know of them.  A good example is that for the past two weeks we have not run into other westerners and avoided tourist pollution.   A few days ago we flew from Aomori to Tokyo and drove to Hakone, spent a couple of days, then we moved onto Mt. Fuji and the fuji five lakes.   Hakone is one of Tokyoites favorite onsen getaways dating back to the Edo period.   In the region, there are several different varieties of cherry blossoms, the most common variety is the mamezakura (Prunus incisa), also known as the ‘Fuji cherry blossom’ because of how they flourish in the Hakone region.  These cherry blossoms are slightly smaller than their cherry blossom cousins the Somei yoshino (Prunus yedoensis), and the leaves of the tree are just as delicate, and we are celebrating spring Hakone style.  In the morning, we visited a vantage point in the Hakone highlands to photograph Mt. Fuji with picturesque Lake Ashinoko in the frame.  For sunset, we visited an old friend of mine, the concierge of the Zen meditation forest.  The concierge inhabits an ancient Buddhist Sanctuary, where there are countless master stone mason sculptures, done on site.  These masterpieces of stone sculpture are all of Zen Buddhist monks and nuns expressing every possible human facial expression and body pose, and all are placed with the natural environment of their interactions in mind.  I have photographed at this ancient site for over 20 years, and each time I visit, the light is always different, and I find new angles to capture these amazing works of art.  On a side note, Hakone is experiencing heavy tourist pollution, but as a local I can time the movement of the tourists and avoid them.  Plus, there are countless other spots we visit that are off the beaten path, and even a few that are on the beaten path, but it’s all about timing and how to avoid the rush.