Day 3, Fukushima highlands. Over 70% of Japan is unpopulated wilderness, and there are over 120,000 wild snow monkeys across Japan. The region we will be in has a healthy population of snow monkeys, plus some of the country's most breathtaking autumn leaves and brilliantly vibrant lakes. The colours range from lime green to deep turquoise to topaz blue. The colours are thanks to an 1888 volcanic eruption, which gave each lake a rich, distinctive colour; the various minerals found in each lake give them a unique hue and create a mystical aura.

Lodging TBA for participants (1 night) – Our lodgings have communal hot springs; male and female guests bathe separately. Western- or Japanese-style rooms with en-suite facilities. Dinner and breakfast at our hotel, lunch at a local establishment.

Day 4 - 6, Niigata, Yamagata Ocean Stacks. During the day, we will venture into the interior to photograph autumn colours, possibly snow monkeys in the wild frontier. JDS has friends in this region who are farmers who provide for his family’s annual rice needs. The mineral-rich water in this region is famous; it is so pure and clean that locals and people such as the JDS and team visit and take home hundreds of litres of water a year, drinking it unfiltered, and this is the same water in which the region’s rice grows.   Mid-afternoon, we will be by the water's edge, photographing Ocean Stacks and getting ready for golden hour. The ebb and flow of the Sea of Japan has created photogenic sea stacks along the coastline.  

Lodging TBA for participants (3 nights) – Our lodgings have communal hot springs; male and female guests bathe separately. Western- or Japanese-style rooms with en-suite facilities. Dinner and breakfast at our hotel, lunch at a local establishment.

Day 9, Chichibu.  Today, we will explore the mystical spiritualism that has long inhabited the area. As fellow pilgrims, we will paint with light as photographers do. Many of the temples, Zen Buddhist sanctuaries, and Shinto shrine complexes in the region are the work of the same artisans who crafted the intricate and captivating art adorning the temples of Nikko, and they also share the influence of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.  As a local who has scouted the region for decades, Blain will share the region's more breathtaking shrines and temples, spending an entire day unpacking some of the mysteries of the dozens of Zen Buddhist sanctuaries and burial mounds across the region.  

Lodging TBA to participants (1 nights) – Our lodgings have communal hot springs/male and female bathe separately.  Western- or Japanese-style rooms with en-suite facilities. Dinner and breakfast at our hotel, lunch at a local establishment.

Day 10 - 11,  Mt. Fuji & the Fuji Five Lakes. For centuries, artisans have been mesmerized by Mount Fuji and its breathtaking beauty. Autumn is especially mesmerizing, with lavish displays of vibrant fall foliage and the legendary Japanese maple turning red, yellow, and orange. By daylight or moonlight, JDS guarantees that Mount Fuji will capture your heart and imagination, that no picture you take will express the Zen emotion that will overcome you. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but it will take a thousand pictures to express your one emotion of photographing autumn in Mount Fuji.

Lodging TBA for participants (2 nights) – Our lodgings have communal hot springs; male and female guests bathe separately. Western style Rooms with ensuite facilities. Dinner and breakfast at our hotel, lunch at a local establishment.

Day 12, Sunrise photography at one of the Fuji Five lakes with Mt. Fuji in the backdrop, or at the region's ancient Shinto Sanctuary. Return to lodgings for breakfast and checkout. Afternoon drop off and departure at Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND). Thank you for your participation, and we look forward to our next adventure together.