Overview
This very special photo tour takes you in the footsteps of the great haiku poet Matsuo Basho and the poet Kenji Miyazawa, as you journey north through the Tohoku Region of Japan, following the cherry blossoms as they progressively bloom in order from south to north.
Exploring off-the-beaten-track Japan where relatively few tourists venture, it features boat rides in picture-perfect bays and in granite gorges straight out of scrolls… uncrowded World Heritage Site temples… and energy-packed cherry blossom festivals. The ancient ritual of Hanami (cherry-blossom-gazing) goes back to the Nara Period (700AD) in Japan, and in northern Honshu, due to the long winters, the intensity of the blossoms and their celebration is second to nowhere else.
You’ll travel with renowned travel writer and photographer Christopher P. Baker, update editor & photographer of the National Geographic Traveler Japan guidebook. Christopher—the Lowell Thomas Award ‘Travel Journalist of the Year’—brings many years’ experience of Japan based on his magazine and guidebook assignments, and as a photo tour leader. Plus, from 2027, we welcome George Nobechi of Nobechi Creative as a producer of this tour. George is a photographer born and raised in Japan whose work has been exhibited at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, the Canadian Embassy in Japan, Fujifilm Square, and in galleries and photo festivals throughout the world; he has produced over fifty workshops over the past decade for many of the world’s leading photographers. Nobechi Creative is a fully licensed travel agent, meaning they can directly book our travel, greatly enhancing our customization capabilities for our journeys in Japan. Moreover, George is sharing his network of contacts and locations curated over extensive travels within Japan over the past decade. As a working photographer, he understands the needs of our participants and has curated this trip with photographers’ needs in mind. Coupled with Christopher’s own knowledge of Japan, we expect to be able to provide an even more special experiences for our participants, whether a first-timer or someone considering a return to this beautiful and photogenic country.
Together, they share two distinct aesthetic visions: Chris’ born of his four decades as a visual storyteller for National Geographic and other leading publications; George’s sparse, quintessentially Japanese minimalist realism that awakens a deeper understanding of your potential as an artist.
Along the way, you’ll be immersed in traditional, ancient Japan as we explore its tooi inaka (deep country), dress in yukatas (casual kimonos), feast on fresh seafoods, soak in communal onsen (hot springs), sleep on comfy futons atop tatami mats… and return home stress free, serene, and with your memories (and memory cards) chock-full of indelibly wonderful memories.
Itinerary
Day 1: (Apr 7) Tokyo Participants arrive and check in at our centrally located hotel (option to add extra nights before the tour with additional option for bilingual photo guide for Tokyo excursions. In early evening, meet with Christopher and George in the evening for orientation. Then walk to dinner through iconic Ginza District, the first area of Tokyo to Westernize and the “Fifth Avenue” equivalent of Tokyo with boutiques of world-famous Japanese and international brands. The blue hour features shining architecture, colorful neon, and wonderful street photography opportunities. The photo walk will be followed by dinner at one of the best izakaya (Japanese style taverns) in Tokyo in an atmospheric setting under the railroad tracks for a quintessential Tokyo experience. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 2: (Apr 8) Tokyo – Sendai – MatsushimaAfter breakfast at the hotel, we will ship large suitcases for overnight courier service to Matsushima as they cannot be stored on the trains. We will then check out of the hotel and depart by taxis to Tokyo Station to catch the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku Region. After visiting Sendai Market, with lunch nearby, we take a local train to Matsushima, where we check into our perfectly located seaside hotel. Later, we’ll take a photo walk across Fukuura Bridge and Fukuura Island, one of the 260+ pine dotted islands that make up iconic Matsushima Bay, one of the “Three Views” of Old Japan, immortalized by the great Edo Period wandering poet Matsuo Basho. Here, we visit two very famous Buddhist temples: Zuigan-Ji and Entsu-In, with its famous garden, all within walking distance. We will stop in at a kokeshi (wooden doll) shop then return to our hotel to have a buffet dinner (with sushi station, steak station, etc) and soak in the hot spring baths that face the sea. Overnight in Tokyo.
Day 3: (Apr 9) Matsushima Wake up early for an optional dawn photo walk along the seashore or go for a morning soak in the hot springs as the sun rises. Then, following breakfast, we take a boat ride in Matsushima Bay to view many of the islands up close. In addition to the rocky islands, expect sightings of cormorants, gulls, herons, and other water birds, as well as aquaculture features such as oysters, seaweed and scallops. Later, we stroll through town and the Matsushima Fish Market for lunch. Your afternoon is free to spend as you wish – returning to your favorite temple or checking out the many craft shops and nice cafes and shaking off any remaining jet lag. Dinner will be the buffet at the hotel.
Day 4: (Apr 10) Matsushima – HiraizumiAfter breakfast, we will check out and drive north to Hiraizumi, in Iwate Prefecture. Hiraizumi was the northernmost point of Matsuo Basho’s journey as he wrote his famed haikus in the anthology Narrow Road to the Deep North. We will find statues dedicated to the greatest of Japanese wandering poets. It is also home to two incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site Buddhist temples. In the morning, we will visit Motsu-Ji, with its gorgeous central “lake” dotted with cherry blossom trees around its periphery. We will have lunch at the soba noodle restaurant on its premises. Then, we will take a short drive to Chuson-Ji, a massive temple complex on the side of a large hill. We will slowly explore its many wonderful features including an outdoor Noh stage, and the famous Konjikido Hall of Golden Buddha statues (photography of the statues is prohibited, unfortunately, but not to worry because all of the grounds are free to photograph and they are wonderful). At sundown, we will drive to our hot spring hotel and check in, before a lovely Japanese kaiseki meal on premises.
Day 5: (Apr 11) HiraizumiAfter breakfast, we will get an earlyish start, driving to Geibikei Gorge – a spectacular granite gorge straight out of an ancient scroll landscape. We will board a small punting boat to travel up part of the gorge in motor-less silence. Ducks and spring flowers will greet us along the way. After we return, we will drive to the similarly named, but different Genbikei Gorge, another picturesque setting where we can walk down to some of the rocks for lovely landscape details. After lunch, we will visit the Takkoku-no-Iwaya – a temple carved into the side of a cliff. We will return to the hotel for you to relax in your beautifully appointed spaces and hot springs before dinner at the hotel.
Day 6: (Apr 12) Hiraizumi – KitakamiAfter breakfast, we will check out and drive north about an hour to Hanamaki to visit the Kenji Miyazawa Museum and Forest. Kenji Miyazawa was a famous magical realist author and poet from the area, and some surreal creations from his imagination are on display on the grounds. (He also happens to be a very distant relative of George’s family). After this, we will drive to the site of the very famous Tensho-chi cherry blossom row along the river. We will spend the full day exploring the river, the cherry blossom row and the Kitakami cherry blossom festival through sunset.
Day 7: (Apr 13) Kitakami-Morioka-KitakamiAfter breakfast, we will ship our suitcases to our next destination: Akita.We will then arrange to visit a Nambu Tekki workshop making the famous cast iron of the area. As we will be near Morioka, we will have to try our hand at the famed Morioka noodles for lunch. In the afternoon, we will return to our hotel by the river, with the option of returning to the cherry blossom festival.
Day 8: (Apr 14) Kitakami – Kakunodate – Akita After breakfast, we will check out, traveling light with our overnight bags and head to the station to take the train west to Kakunodate, in Akita Prefecture. Kakunodate is famous for its riverside district featuring gorgeous old samurai houses, black wooden walls and weeping cherry blossom trees. It has a small, quaint, but picturesque riverside cherry blossom festival, which we will enjoy until sunset. We will then return to the train station and carry on west, arriving in Akita before we check in at our hotel. Our suitcases will already be waiting for us there. We will head out for a delicious dinner of local Inaniwa udon noodles.
Day 9: (Apr 15) Akita After breakfast, we will visit the Akita Prefectural Art Museum, designed by Pritzker-Prize winning Tadao Ando (of art island fame), and featuring beautiful works by Leonard Foujita. We will walk to Senshu Park, another of Akita City’s most famous features, with ponds, koi and more. You will be free for the evening to do some shopping and feasting around the station, which has many great restaurants featuring local fare: sushi, udon, fantastic chicken dishes, and there are western options as well.
Day 10: (Apr 16) AomoriAfter breakfast, we will check out, ship our large suitcases on to Aomori, and then head to the station to board a sensational train ride along the Sea of Japan Coast up to Aomori City. It is a wonderful train ride with spectacular scenery. The photography is done on this day by looking out of the windows at the ocean, as well as rice fields, forests and beautiful snow-capped mountains. As we approach Aomori, Mt. Iwaki will come into view – an absolutely gorgeous and iconic volcano. Once we arrive, we will walk to our hotel to drop our bags off, then spend the afternoon exploring the fun port area of Aomori, including the A-Factory (featuring food and wares from all over Aomori), the Auga Fish Market, and the Warasse Museum, which is a wonderful museum showcasing the world famous Nebuta floats of the summer festivals of the region. The museum is really well done and well-lit, allowing for some very good photographs to be made. If everyone is up for it, we’ll dine at the best sushi restaurant in all of Aomori Prefecture!
Day 11: (Apr 17) Aomori – HirosakiThe next TWO days will be spent visiting the climax of our trip: Hirosaki and its absolutely incredible castle park and cherry blossom festival. Hirosaki is a 35-minute train ride south of Aomori (but Aomori has the far better hotels and more photogenic waterfront), but it is worth the commute. When George first visited the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom festival, his jaw hit the floor. Set in a spacious and expansive castle park, this location features everything from canals filling with pink petals to botanical gardens to the castle keep to views of Mt Iwaki in between weeping cherry trees to young people enjoying the cherry-line moats in row boats to festival stalls and carnival games including motorcycle riders in a barrel, etc! You will not tire of all the things this location has to offer.
Day 12: (Apr 18) HiroakiWe’ll spend a second day in Hiroaki do account for changes in weather, the state of the petals, and the people who are attending will provide endless photo opportunities. we will ship our large suitcases back to Tokyo.
Day 13: (Apr 19) Tokyo After breakfast, we will check out and head to Aomori Station where we will take a short local train ride to Shin-Aomori Station, which is where we will connect to the bullet train to travel back to Tokyo (it is about a 3.5hr journey). We will buy bento boxes for the train ride back and eat on board. And we can use the train ride to collate some of your favorite images from the trip. Once we arrive in Tokyo, we will first transfer to our hotel to drop our day bags off. You will have the afternoon off to shop or rest before we get together for a final slideshow of everyone’s work, and head out to a final dinner.
Day 14: (Apr 20) Tokyo Today, depending on your departure time, you are transported to Narita or Haneda airport for your flight home.