Mt. Fuji beckons amazing amounts of visiting photographers every year for a Mt. Fuji photo tour experience, but one thing that sets Japan Dreamscapes apart from other Japan Photo Tour organizers is perspective.
20 plus years exploring in the Mt. Fuji region compels our lead photo workshop leader to introduce the iconic symbol of Japan to visiting photographers even when the focus of the tour is wildlife, commercial, or in the opposite direction on Honshu. Mt. Fuji has been worshipped over for thousands of years even before Japan was called Japan, beginning with the First Nation’s People, the Ainu. In the year 863, it became a sacred volcanic peak because of the magnitude of the lava that poured out. That phenomenon created the Sea of Trees. Aokigahara is a fantastic mystical forest that spans 24 square kilometers across the Northwest base of Mt. Fuji. Recommendations always come rooted in the form of personal experience, and Mt. Fuji and its surrounding area are no different.
20 years later, our photo tour guides are still using the same trail when entering the forest while leading a Mount Fuji Japan Photo Tour. The biggest difference now is the trail is busy with Japanese school children, on fields trips, being educated on the forests natural beauty, and facts, not folklore. The Aokigahara forest spans over 3000 hectares, and the forest is comprised primarily of Hemlock Fir, Japanese Cypress, other evergreens, and broadleafs such as the Longstalk Holly, Japanese Andromeda, Oak, Fuji Cherry, and Maple. There is no accurate count of the number caves some with ice throughout the forest and area. The forests popularity is growing among nature photographers, fine art photographer with its incalculable mythological forms appearing from tree roots and moss growing in around and over volcanic lava.
Most professionals feel ‘ready’ to share a location after one week of scouting, but for JDS tour leaders, this phenomenon takes a month, sometimes longer. Some workshop leaders or commercial photographers visiting from outside Japan depend on Google and social media to create their itinerary, but this technology simply cannot be depended on for planning photography workshop itineraries. The years of experience the JDS team has in the field perfecting our craft allows us to share with our friends, clients, and commercial contacts to have the perfect scene based on our experience in the region, and on that odd chance, capture that once in a lifetime photo.
It is precisely this preparedness that led to the photographs attached to this blog entry. After checking his weather charts, our lead photo tour leader knew that rain was coming and that nature and landscape photography were going to be a better course for the day’s photography. His planning led to once in a lifetime photos and many happy clients.
This year’s tour has ended, but it’s the perfect time to reserve your spot for the 2020 Mt. Fuji exploration.