IN SEARCH OF THE HIDDEN | May 12 - 28, 2025 | 17 Days
Description
Ever stayed at a temple, or wondered how a city settled in the 7th century survives to the present with most of its history intact? Have you washed away the day’s fatigue in a soothing onsen in the midst of the Japanese alps? Have you smelled Kimchi in the air of a Korean market, or witnessed the lights of nightlife of downtown Osaka? Have you visited an old Buddhist temple whose inauspicious structure hides a covert fortress filled with traps and secret doors? Have you seen a moss garden, or waited for a Geisha to quietly rush from one establishment in Gion to the next? If you ever wanted to venture further with your photography than what meets the eye, if you are curious and interested in cultural experiences different from your own, then join us for our spring 2025 photographic journey through Japan.
Japan is vibrant and colorful. It is a country where the traditional and the modern collide. Where age-old customs, hidden shrines and rituals survive, while the brash thrust of modernity continues to hurtle forward, as evidenced in its neon-lit and concrete city-scapes. Time-honored Japanese traditions, including sumo wrestling, tea ceremony and meditation, are still prevalent practices, but Japan is also a breeding ground for cutting edge subcultures and bold, bright street fashions. With such a multifaceted culture encompassing so many different aspects, Japanese culture resists easy definition; it has to be experienced from the inside.
On this photographic journey, not only will you get to observe the uniqueness and the contradictions of Japan, but you will also photograph life close-up. Photographers will find interesting backdrops, events and subjects around every corner. The locations visited during the photography journey, which range from ancient mountain sites to the steel and the concrete metropolis of Osaka and Tokyo, will be an abundant source of inspiration and will provide photographic challenges to help participants hone their skills.
You will receive lots of personal attention by your guide and photography expert Magdalena Solé in a small group of 8 participants. Magdalena has photographed extensively in Japan since 1989, also covering the 2011 Tsunami and the ensuing nuclear fallout.
PRICE: $8,800
Price includes 4 nights lodging (double occupancy) with breakfast and dinner. You will be guided by Magdalena Solé and also have local guides who will accompany the group. You will need to budget separately for airfare, ground transportation (including rail-pass and airport transfers) and other admission fees, 12 nights for hotels and meals.
PAYMENTS DUE:
Your deposit of $800 is due upon sign up. The payment in the amount $4000 of is due January 31, 2025. The remaining balance of $4000 (plus single occupancy fees, if applicable) is due March 31, 2025.
Please refer to the cancellation policy and make sure you get travel insurance to cover cancellation costs in case of unforeseeable events.
Your spot is reserved upon receipt of your sign-up form together with your deposit of $800.
The sign-up form includes payment instructions.
NOT INCLUDED:
International Airfare. Ground transportation (including rail-pass and airport transfers), admission fees, and 12 nights for hotels and meals. In Japan there are inexpensive luggage forwarding services available. This is not included in the workshop fee.
Single accommodation supplement (if available) = US$150 / night
Most lodging, flights, train tickets, rail passes, and airport transfers are to be booked directly. You will receive a list with all the information you need for making your bookings. When you sign up, you will receive a list of hotels where the workshop will be based. There are always other options, but it is recommended to stay within walking distance from the “base hotel”.
You will also receive instructions on how to book airport transfers, rail passes, etc.
A NOTE ABOUT MEALS:
Please note that dietary restrictions can be tricky in Japan. So please come prepared with a little card in Japanese that specifies what you can and cannot eat.
Whenever possible we will find a place that can accommodate the group for meals. Please note that you will have to sign up in advance for those meals as reservations have to be made ahead of time.
If you don’t like Japanese food, you are responsible to find your own restaurants.
SCHEDULE 2025
May 12 - 28 | 17 Days
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: TOKYO
DAY 1 - 4 Tokyo
Day 4 - 6 Kanazawa
Day 6 - 7 Takayama
Day 7 - 8 Kiso Valley and post town Tsumago
Day 8 - 11 Osaka
Day 11 - 12 Mount Koya
Day 12 - 15 Kyoto
Day 15 - 16 Mount Fuji and Aokigahara Forest
Day 16 - 17 Tokyo
Past Workshops
May 31 — Nov. 14, 2017
Oct. 17 — Nov. 30, 2019 (Private Tour)
17 Days