Entrepreneur, photographer and hacker based in Japan.

 

For more Kyoto awesomeness have a look at my website.

 

Quick Q&A:

 

Q: "Your pictures are beautiful!"

A: Thank you! ( ^-^)v Glad I could bring a tiny little ray of sunshine in your day.

 

Q: "Your pictures suck!"

A: Thanks! I love constructive criticism, please elaborate in a comment or two! And pro tip: don't spend too much time on stuff you don't like...

 

Q: "I've been to XXX and it wasn't like that at all. How come you were able to capture YYY there?"

A: Seasons, weather, light, people... All these things change with time, especially for Japanese gardens: a few days of difference and the place can be unrecognizable. If you're interested in a specific place try visiting it multiple times! There are irreversible changes too, like a tree being cut or a thatched roof being redone, and over the years these can change a garden. Change is good. Think wabisabi!

 

Q: "Photography is prohibited in location XXX, stop taking pictures there! Boo!"

A: I always follow the location's photography rules. There's probably 50+ Kyoto gardens I could not photograph for this reason, and that's OK. But these rules can change over time. For example, Daisen-in temple started to allow photography in November 2024. It had been forbidden for 20+ years. For other places it's the other way around. That's just how things are. I have been taking pictures in Kyoto for over 15 years so you can imagine that over time rules have changed here and there.

 

Q: "How did you take a picture from this angle? It's prohibited to go there!"

A: If you know the right people and as you build relationships some things become possible. See also the previous answer: rules change over time...

 

Q: "I went to temple XXX and it was closed. WTF?"

A: Many temples are only open during the seasons where their gardens are the most beautiful. Some temples are also only open during special openings, for just a few weeks, and never open again (as in, they are visitable once every 20 years). You may also have to book to visit some places. If you spend enough time in Kyoto or if you're just lucky you will be able to seize those opportunities!

 

Q: "When I visited XXX, it was full of people! How come there's no one in your picture?"

A: It's not bad to have some people in your pictures. But yeah it's also not very pleasant when you're part of a human traffic jam. You have three solutions here. 1) Invent a time machine, either to go far in the future or back a few years, pre-2010. Bonus: I'm sure you'll get a free Nobel prize for it! 2) Be patient. If there's a few people in your shot, just wait. Yes I know it's hard, but it can be rewarding. And it slows you down, improving your photography 3) Visit at another time/season. Wake up very early. Brave the summer heat. Good luck.

 

Q: "How do you know the perfect day/time to visit temple XXX?"

A: I don't. I just visit multiple times, often randomly. For autumn and spring seasons you can find online information about what temple is at the peak of momiji or sakura, updated daily for your optimization pleasure. But be warned that this is not always very accurate.

 

Q: "I want to see garden XXX but it's not open to the public. What a shame! I'm missing out!"

A: You're probably not missing anything. Temples are businesses, and they will more often than not be very glad to open their doors and make more money if they have something to show. Especially true if they need renovations, which can be very expensive (I once heard $6M to redo a temple's roof...) If a temple/garden is not open to the public, it's probably that there is nothing special to see.

 

Q: "I went to see XXX and they were using petrol leaf blowers all the time. WTF? Not very zen! Plus the fallen autumn leave were so beautiful!"

A: Yeah, I know, I feel your pain :-( Not much we can do about it. One thing: leaves rotting on moss is not good for the moss, so that's one case where I can give them a tiny little pass if they rake them out. But leaf blowers, yeah, 'nuf said... ( -_-)

 

Q: "What is the best season to visit Kyoto?"

A: Overall, the two last weeks of November are the best. That's the peak of autumn colours. Spring time is also great, but peak cherry blossoms is very variable so you have to try your luck. Both of these are quite crowded though. For a more relaxed and zen time try late May or early June (With the low yen and the hordes of tourists as of 2025 "more relaxed" is definitely a relative term.) Avoid July and August: it's just too hot. Snow days are rare in Kyoto (3-5 per year), so my advise is to not come during the winter from aboard if you're looking for snow. Winter is the quietest though.

 

Q: "I want to take the same pic as you! Where/when did you take it?"

A: I see you come from Instagram... The photographer "competition/copycat" spirit that comes from that platform is quite toxic. Don't try to take the same images, you'll never get real satisfaction. Instead, be inspired to go see a place by checking Flickr (yeah!) and then forget about what you saw and shoot what inspires *you* when you're there.

 

A: "What gear, lens or exposure settings did you use to shoot picture XXX?"

Q: As a beginner you shouldn't think too much about gear. Develop your own style and instinct with what you have. But if you must know you'll find that on my website :-)