Akita Photo Tours are a representation of Japan Dreamscapes (JDS) Photo Tour Leaders’ dedication to making every part of Japan a potential photo tour location.  Hokkaido Photo Tours and Tokyo Photography Workshops are very popular among visiting photographers to Japan, so they are well-represented among options for photo adventures, but with JDS, our photography workshop leaders are frequently venturing off the beaten path to provide once in a lifetime photo ops for our clients.

Akita is a region of Japan experiencing a renaissance.  The revival of interest surrounding the area is coming from two separate locations.  The first is the appeal of Akita’s abundant natural landscapes.  Among the amazing landscapes that are part of Akita prefecture, the Kujukushima Islands.  The islands were created approximately 2500 years ago from the nearby Mt. Chokai.  An enormous landslide barreled down the mountain’s face and filled in a formidable area along the Sea of Japan.  In doing so, it created the phenomenon known at the Kujukushima Islands.  The landscape is commonly referred to as a miracle of nature, and is protected even today by the local residents.  It is a one of a kind photo op on the Sea of Japan side of the nation.  The local residents tend to the grass and weeding as well as a general tidiness about the islands.  The local foliage is also a priority for local residents.  All of the tender loving care the residents supply means amazing photos for you.

The second revival is coupled with a revival of classic Japanese Literature, and the renewal of interest is made all the more poignant due to the recent change of eras from Heisei to Reiwa.  It is times like these when Japanese and people worldwide take a survey of Japan and its rich history.  Basho is considered to be one of the if not the foremost Japanese poet, and one of his seminal works, Oku no Hosomichi, translated into English as “The Narrow Road to the North,” focuses on Akita as one of the destinations Basho visited while on his 1,500 mile tour of the northern regions of Japan, looking to refine his own prose and to mimic pilgrimages of the writers who inspired him.  The beauty of nature is one of his inspirations to craft amazing poetry.  And we at JDS invite you to come to Japan and start your own photographic pilgrimage and find your own inspiration.