I've lived in Japan for a couple of years now, and have a large pile of 'standard' photographs of Japan. You can probably imagine the kind of thing I'm talking about, 'Mount Fuji with bullet train', 'woman in Kimono', 'Temple festival', etc, etc. I'm only a beginner I'm afraid, but recently I've started shooting B&W pictures of things that tourists don't usually see, like craftsmen making tatami mats, backstreets in my local town, etc. However, what I really want to do is give a real impression of what it is to live here. I can't really explain the feeling in words, so I'm hoping that through my photography I can put people closer to that feeling. If anyone has any advice on the best way to capture the insubstantial 'atmosphere' of a country, I'd be grateful. The other thing to point out is that as a foreigner in Japan I stand out like a sore thumb. It's very difficult to get any kind of candid shot, and street photography would, I think, terrify people. It's probably just too intrusive. Any ideas would be very much appreciated. I think I'm in a very lucky position in being able to photograph Japan as something other than a tourist, so I'd like to make the most of it.

-- Gavin Walker (gwalker@n2k.com), March 02, 1999

Answers

Yes, you do stand out in Japan, but on the other hand, there seems to be practically nowhere outside of museums that photography is prohibited. People take pictures everywhere, so street photography may actually terrify fewer people than it does here in the states. People will pose if you ask. I've found Japan an easy country to photograph nearly anywhere I want.

Pick some aspect of Japan that interests you, and choose it as a theme. People and trains, unexpected shrines, schoolkids, all exist in enough numbers to be possible topics. The craftsmen and back streets can be a great start...

-- mike rosenlof (mike_rosenlof@yahoo.com), March 02, 1999.

While you're working on your theme assignments, don't forget to look for the small details that tell a story. After getting your overall shots, move in and check the little things. Eliminate the extraneous elements and isolate something people would not normally notice.

-- Darron Spohn (dspohn@clicknet.com), March 08, 1999.

A little late to this forum, perhaps, but having been in Japan for a year now, I thought I'd add my two yen. I don't find any of the Japanese cities at all inspiring - quite the opposite - and I find it necessary to retreat to the mountains at least once a month. From Tokyo, it takes about two hours to get to Yatsugatake, a superb area where I have seen wild deer and boar. Just about doable in one day. A little further takes you either south to Kiso in the Minami Alps, a most beautiful area, with Ontake-san and mountain streams, where I have encountered wild bear and snakes, or north to the northern alps, with Norikura Kogen, Hodaka and Hakuba. The mounatins and environment are truly inspiring, both in winter when the air is clear, and in summer when wild alpine flowers bloom.

I also managed to spend two weeks in June driving around Hokkaido - Shiretoko, Akan, up north to Rishiri, and then to Daisetsu - a truly superb holiday (expensive, though), where I put my 4x5 camera field camera to good use.

So - get out of the cities and explore the mountains - it's well worth it, and you have the added bonus of being able to relax in the evenings in a hot spring most of the time!

-- fw (finneganswake@altavista.net), July 22, 1999.