Temperatures have been high for Tokyo Photo Tours, and, in fact for the entire country at the moment, as a heatwave has Japan in its clutches, and there is no immediate relief in sight. However, when our most experienced photo workshop leader thinks of heat, his thoughts are fueled by the white hot magma bubbling below the surface of Japan’s many active volcanoes. He knows that true heat lies in locations difficult to see.
He also believes that a Tokyo Photo Tour means every location around Tokyo can be part of the photo tour. Recently, areas only a hour from Tokyo have been a literal hot bed of volcanic activity. Earthquakes have been shaking Japan recently, and natural phenomenon tend not to be isolated to one type of event. Earthquakes agitate Japan’s volcanoes and recent activity indicates, the volcanoes are doing some agitation of their own.
Research indicates that Japan is responsible for approximately 10% of the entire world’s earthquakes, and Japan’s location is where several tectonic plates intersect. In fact, the Philippine Tectonic Plate runs almost directly up to Tokyo, and the Eurasian Plate essentially bisects the nation’s main island, Honshu. All of these facets combined make Japan a seismically and volcanically very active country.
On Japan Dreamscapes (JDS) latest photo tour, the Tokyo Photography Workshop Leader used his connections and years of experience to gain access to area that was under strict supervision by Japanese Meteorological Agency due to the latests volcanic warnings. Returning to the same location as he did last year, he remembered the freshly placed power lines that functioned as part of the means to measure local seismic and volcanic activity. As you can see in the picture attached to this blog post, the power lines used were bowed down to the point where they were essentially unusable. Mother Nature does not take kindly to unwanted supervision.
During the time spent in the limited access zone, two clients had the opportunity for an up close and personal experience with Japan’s volcanic activity. One client did not have the desire to indulge in such an adventure yet still took amazing photos around the perimeter of the area. However, once given protective gear such as masks and the correct clothing, a different client entered the volcanically active zone and has photographic record of the time spent which he will treasure forever. Our photo tour leader has over 20 years experience in all types of terrains and environments, so even near a grumbling volcano, clients can safely photograph some of Japan’s more dynamic natural landscapes.