Photographing Japan: How Culture and Family Shape My Lens
I just got back from my annual trip to Japan.
While editing my new work, my mind wandered to the questions I get asked most often:
What inspires you there? What keeps you going back?
Japan is a place where the old and new flow together. Temples rise quietly against modern skylines. Bamboo forests whisper with history. Mount Fuji watches over it all.
For me, photographing Japan isn’t about documenting a scene; it’s about capturing a feeling. Serenity. Wonder. A timeless spirit that keeps calling me back.
Why do I keep returning to Japan?
I’ve got a family connection to Japan: my wife grew up in the Mount Fuji area. That makes every trip back feel special on a personal level.
But… it’s more than that.
There’s just something about Japan that keeps pulling me in. The mix of culture, history, and landscapes hits me both emotionally and creatively.
It’s one of those places where I feel most inspired behind the camera. I usually make it back once or twice a year.
The beauty is always changing, different seasons, different light, different moods. No two trips are ever the same.
That said, this time around it was much more family focused. Things were a little chaotic and so my shooting schedule was reduced - so it had to really count.
My plan? I picked one area and made the most of it, and honestly, that felt just right for where I was at the time.
Fall colors at the beautiful Daigo-ji temple in Kyoto, Japan
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What Makes Photographing Japan Different From Hawaii?
Japan is just on the other side of the Pacific, but it feels completely different.
The vegetation alone makes it stand apart. Everything is incredibly lush and green, with thick forests everywhere.
The bamboo, especially, is nothing like Hawaii. It’s really big in diameter, and it just looks exotic compared to the tropical jungle I’m used to photographing.
I discovered this bamboo path with ascending stairs in Kyoto and just loved how this panoramic composition takes you through the scene. This forest was pristine, quiet and a true moment of zen was captured.
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As far as framing up a shot, there are similarities in terms of composition.
One key difference about Japanese photography is the inclusion of architecture.
In Hawaii, it’s full-on nature, while there, the architecture becomes part of the scene: torii gates, temples, little shrines, support the landscape instead of competing with it.
The design is totally different from anywhere else in the world, and it’s pretty unmistakable. You see a photo like that and right away you know, that’s Japan.
How Has Your Wife’s Japanese Heritage Influenced Your Photography?
The first time I went to Japan with my wife, she had this whole stack of papers printed out with information on different places. I couldn’t believe she put it all together! That kind of detailed planning shaped a lot of my early photography in Japan.
Her cultural insight has also helped me figure out what's iconic, what’s unique, and what’s worth exploring beyond the usual tourist spots.
I’ve been introduced to places around Mount Fuji that I’d never have found on my own. On a recent trip, I discovered tea fields cut in a way that creates perfect leading lines straight to Fuji in the background.
I’d never seen anyone photograph it before; it felt like uncovering a hidden gem.
Tokyo: The First Glimpse
I remember on my very first trip to Tokyo, my wife’s brother showed us around. He thought the Rainbow Bridge area was impressive, so we went.
That’s where I saw the water taxis and party boats, and suddenly I had the perfect way to frame the shot. What really elevated the image was the colorful boat sliding across the water beneath the bridge. I caught it just right with the reflections, and suddenly the whole scene came alive.
The beautiful Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo
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How Do You Scout, Plan, and Capture Images in Japan
When I plan a trip to Japan, the process starts long before I get on the plane. I spend hours researching online, often stumbling across someone’s random photo that sparks the thought: what would this place feel like if I were actually there?
That curiosity drives me to scout locations I couldn’t reach on past visits.
Travel itself has its challenges, as I don’t have an international driver’s license. So, I rely on my wife to help me get around. That means I have to be strategic about where we stay and how we move. In busy spots like Kyoto, I’ll book places right by the train station so I can catch the first train and get there before the crowds.
Even with all that planning and timing, the conditions don’t always cooperate.
I once visited tea fields I was excited about, only to find they’d just been harvested. On top of that, the day was cloudy, so Mount Fuji was hidden.
Those moments remind me that photography in Japan isn’t just about preparation; it’s about patience, adapting, and returning at the right time… and a little bit of luck.
A perfect autumn day at Lake Kawaguchiko, where fiery maple leaves frame the timeless majesty of Mount Fuji beneath a sky brushed with clouds.
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What’s Special About the Light and Shooting Conditions in Japan?
In Japan, the golden hour lasts longer.
Back home in Hawaii, I sometimes get just 60 seconds of good light. That means I can only focus on one composition. In Japan, I often get 20 to 30 minutes, enough time to experiment, move locations, and create multiple images in a single session.
Stillness matters too. Calm days with no wind mean perfect reflections, like in my Temple of Gold shot. Overcast skies can add mood and depth. When those conditions align, the results feel timeless.
The amazing Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto is absolutely surreal
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Then there’s seasonality. Sakura blooms, fog rolling through temples, rain on crowded streets, every season opens up new opportunities.
Sometimes I feel like planning an entire trip around one fleeting moment, like cherry blossoms at their peak. I’ve thought about organizing a trip photography tour - please reach out if you’re interested
What Do Collectors Say About My Japan Collection?
Recently, a company opening a new office in Tokyo selected several of my Japan images to display. It was an incredibly meaningful honor, especially to have my work showcased in the very country that has inspired so much of it.
Another moment that stands out is a Japanese collector who was drawn to Enlightened, my photograph created while walking through Enryaku-ji Temple. He told me he had to see it and that it stood apart from the other maple images he’d seen, like the one I took in Portland, Oregon.
He sent me a picture of him and his whole family with the print. It was printed at 72 inches so it was almost lifesize!
Walking through Enryaku-ji temple, I looked up and found this scene and got the placement of the sun just right. The structure actually houses a UN peace bell and the site is over 1200 years old! Walking through places with so much history and beauty can result in you being "elightened"
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Photo Journal: Stories Behind My Japan Prints
Kyoto Dreams
Kyoto Dreams is probably the most iconic one from Japan that I’ve captured. It’s that famous path through the bamboo forest that everyone knows. What really makes it work is the composition. The leading lines just carry you straight through the image, pulling you into that surreal.
After photographing this bamboo forest years ago, I dreamed of returning with better conditions and to refine my composition. I tried several focal lengths and this frame really stood out to me with a long exposure to properly expose the scene and no wind in order to keep everything sharp. The dream came together!
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Dawn of Yamanaka
Dawn of Yamanaka is one of those moments you can’t plan. It’s a beautiful lake with Mount Fuji in the background. What made it unique was this swan. Right after sunrise, it just glided perfectly into the scene. I haven’t seen another photo like it anywhere. Pure serendipity!
As I spent the moments before sunrise looking for just the right angle of Mount Fuji from the lake, I came across these friendly swans and I thought, what could make a better foreground than the swans which are iconic to Lake Yamanaka.
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Ascend
While editing back in the studio, I kept coming back to this image. It felt like a turning point in my Japanese photography collection. The photograph captures the quiet strength and upward flow of the scene, reminding me of how Japan constantly draws my eye to balance and movement in nature.
Beneath the towering bamboo of Kyoto’s Arashiyama Grove, a single tree reaches upward through a sea of green. A quiet reminder that even in stillness, we rise.
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Closing Thoughts: Lessons That Stay with Me from Japan
Every time I return to Japan, I come back with more than just photographs; I come back with perspective.
The country continues to teach me patience, stillness, and the value of waiting for the right moment.
What started as a single trip has become an evolving relationship between artist and place. Each visit reminds me that I’ve only begun to scratch the surface.
There are seasons I haven’t walked through, temples I haven’t seen in the right light, and scenes that only reveal themselves when you’re willing to slow down and stay present. My Japan collection keeps growing with these lessons, and I know future visits will bring new stories, new images, and new ways of seeing this other side of the Pacific.
Explore the Japan Collection
As I’ve been editing my latest photography, I realize just how much my Japan collection has already expanded. Each photograph feels like a chapter in this ongoing story, and I’m only at the beginning.
With so many new works taking shape, this feels like the right time to share my personal journey behind the high-quality prints from the Japan series.
There's something quite captivating about a floating Torii gate in Japan. I found spending time here photographing this scene to be incredibly peaceful and rewarding. I hope that the same feeling translates through this special image.
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This scene at the Rurikoin temple in Kyoto just blew me away with how the trees contrast with the temple. Pure Zen
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