Japan Autumn Leaves Off the Beaten Path

Once Japanese autumn arrives, Mt. Fuji and the entire Honshu Island up to Hokkaido are dressed in red maple leaves and an assortment of various vibrant autumn colors.  Of course I spend as much time as I can forest bathing (shinrin yoku) as I commune with nature.  And where better to commune with nature but at ancient Zen sanctuaries throughout Japan, but let’s not forget the ancient pilgrimage routes leading to Shinto shrines, and the most fabulous autumn leaves landscapes deep off the beaten path.  The route I follow is the same ancient pilgrimage route that samurai, lords, geisha, and artisans such as the Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, Katsushika Hokusai, who is best known for his woodblock print series (Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji,) which includes the iconic print The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

In fall, the colored leaves from the forests and glades surrounding Japan’s iconic peak on Mt. Fuji Autumn Photo Tours as well as in Kyoto and Osaka, are famous all over the world due to those locations being able to handle the influx of English speaking guests.  Let’s also not forget Japan is over 3,000 km long with 6,852 islands, and I assure you there are bountiful photo ops off the beaten path where trees transform into their fall incarnations and showcase the rich reds, vibrant oranges, sparkling golds, and the rare and sought after purple Japanese maple leaves that signify the arrival of autumn.  The interplay of light, especially during golden hour seems to magnify the beauty of the autumn colored leaves.  And just as the blue hour changes to golden hour, you can photograph the same scene and have remarkably different results.  The unpredictable element of nature is part of what makes expedition adventure photography an art form. I like to help my friends harness the power of those potentially unpredictable moments in nature into once in a lifetime photos.  They have a lot of questions while we’re in the field, but I am always available to help them so we all capture gallery worthy prints.  Most of the time all it takes is one small rethink to your approach to make a photo extraordinary.