After your arrival and hotel check-in, you can independently hit the streets of the world’s largest city, Tokyo. Not only is it one of the most fascinating cities in the world, but it’s also one of the safest. Tokyo has it all: tradition at the Meiji Shrine and Sensoji Temple, or youth ground zero in Harajuku or at Shibuya’s famous Scramble Crossing.

In the evening, Christian Nørgaard and James Whitlow Delano will host a welcome dinner. After dinner, they’ll introduce the workshop and give presentations of their work.

Bright and early, we’ll depart for Takayama in the heart of the Japanese Alps.

Arriving in Takayama in the afternoon, the Autumn Takayama Festival (also called the Hachiman Matsuri), rated as one of the three most beautiful festivals in Japan, will be in full swing in the old town. That evening the (“yomatsuri”/night festival) will feature a procession of large “yatai” floats, multi-tiered wheeled lacquered shrines, covered with washi paper lanterns pulled by men dressed in Edo Period (1603 – 1867) garb.

Rising early, we’ll be dedicating the entire day to photographing the Autumn Takayama Festival. In addition to the floats on massive carts, there will be “mikoshi” portable, palanquin-like shrines borne on the backs of chanting merrymakers wearing colorful traditional clothing and all manner of head gear.

Leaving Takayama early, the destination today will be the Kuon-ji Buddhist Temple in Minobu at the foot of the Southern Japan Alps. The 740-year-old O-Eshiki Festival will offer an opportunity to photograph cascading paper lanterns, brought out to commemorate the passing of the founder of the Nichiren sect in 1282, beneath weeping, centuries-old cherry trees and towering Japanese cedars.

Kakurinbo Buddhist Temple, which has welcomed guests for 550 years, will be our home for these two nights in Minobu.

Today, we will spend the whole day at Kuon-ji Buddhist Temple, established in 1274, as the festival continues but this will also give us an opportunity to more fully explore the Buddhist temple complex, trails through the lush forest, or stroll through the village itself.

Now, we descend to the Futo “Floating Island” Coast on the Izu Peninsula’s rugged west coast. We will explore forested cliffs, grottos, and stone pillars, confronting crystal-clear Pacific seawaters. On clear days, Mt. Fuji can be seen across the bay. This will be a loosely structured day where we go with the flow, and let the light determine how long we stay at each location.

In the evening, we stay in Shimoda, where US Commodore Perry sailed his menacing black ships in 1854, coercing Japan to open up several treaty ports to foreign ships by representatives of the shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa. Shimoda was the first such port on Japan’s main island of Honshu.

First up, today, Mt. Omuro, a perfect volcanic cone covered in lush grass. This gives us an opportunity to walk along the rim of the extinct volcano taking in dramatic 360-degree views of the Pacific, mountains and farmland.
In the afternoon, we visit the Enoura Gallery, a jaw-dropping art museum, designed by world-renown artist, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and featuring his work, housed in a stunning structure, employing traditional Japanese aesthetics, all set in a sloping citrus grove with ocean views.

Time permitting, we close the day at tip of the Manazuru Peninsula, descending what is actually an ancient lava flow to photograph, “Mitsuishi”, the Three Stones, topped by a Shinto torii gate and connected by a massive, hand-woven, straw rope, strung between the volcanic stones.

We rise early to take the Shinkansen, Japan’s famed bullet train, to Osaka, then connect with ground transportation that will climb up the winding roads to Mt. Koya, one of Japan’s most sacred mountaintop sites. Mt. Koya was founded by Japan’s truly Renaissance man, monk, Kūkai in 816 CE. After returning from China, Kūkai, gained the blessing of the Japanese emperor, who deeded this land to him so he could establish the Shingon sect of Buddhism.

Okunoin Cemetery at Mt. Koya is a feast for the eye, and lens. A centuries-old Japanese cryptomeria forest towers like redwoods, above moss-covered stone monuments creating a breathtaking open-air arboreal cathedral. At the far end of the sacred forest, Kūkai is entombed, though the faithful say he is engaged in “eternal meditation” awaiting the arrival of Miroku (Maitreya).

Tonight, we stay at a tradition “shukubo”, Buddhist temple stay. Mt. Koya sits at 1,000 m. So, it will be time to bundle up for a cool, fresh night – “good sleeping weather”.

The first half of the day will be spent in Mt. Koya, where we can visit Kongobuji, a massive all-wood Buddhist temple complex and a UNESCO World Heritage site, built in 1593, featuring Japan’s largest rock garden and dozens of satellite temples and pagodas to explore, all set in lush forest.

In the afternoon, we descend to the coast and the castle town of Wakayama, from where we will cross from the main island of Honshu to Shikoku, the following morning.

This morning the Nankai Ferry will take us from Wakayama to Shikoku.  If you felt that Mt. Koya was remote, today we will climb to arguably Japan’s most isolated mountain region.

In the 12th century, a massive civil war, the Genpei War, resulted in the expulsion of the ruling Heike clan. The surviving Heike samurai are believed to have escaped into the rugged mountain sanctuary of the Iya Valley.  The gorge, we follow up to the valley, speaks to the rugged fastness of the region.  Certain words and customs in the local community, hint at the Heike samurai connection to this day.

In the evening, we can take a well-earned hot spring bath at our hotel the Hikyo-No-Yu Onsen (Hot Spring Resort), our home for the next two nights.

As a form of defense, the samurai exiles spanned rivers with vine bridges called, “kazura-bashi”.  Legend says that the bridges could be cut, in case their enemies tried to pursue them in their mountain refuges.  We will visit to of the finest examples of these vine bridges but many hanging cable pedestrian bridges are still in active use throughout the valley.

Lunch will be a traditional “sansai’ (wild mountain vegetable) lunch prepared by Tsuzuki-san, an octogenarian resident who climbs through the mountain forests daily to collect mountain vegetables for our meal.

Villages in the Iya Valley were built high up the mountain slopes, above the shadows and rugged terrain below.  In the afternoon, we’ll enjoy savory roasted tea, a local speciality, from the high ground of Ochiai Village, looking out over the Edo Period (1603 – 1867) farmhouses, many with thatched roofs.

On the final day, to break up the journey to Osaka, we’ll stop at Furusho “Aizome” indigo dying workshop in Tokushima, often called, the heartland of “aizome”, where Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) is cultivated.  There will be the opportunity to document craftspeople hand-dying fabric the iconic deep indigo blue.

After arriving in Osaka, there will be free time to explore the city, including Osaka’s castle tower. On the final evening, Christian and James will host the farewell dinner.

Departure from the Osaka airport with a collection of images that reflect the cultural richness, landscapes, and living traditions of Japan – a journey that will remain with you for a lifetime.