One of the truly great cities of the modern world, Tokyo is extraordinarily photogenic, and surprisingly easy to get around in. When the maple trees change color in the autumn, and ultra new meets ancient and old, Tokyo can be particularly beautiful. Please check details of the itinerary below, and click here for the Reservation Form!

We look forward to exploring Tokyo with you.

Join acclaimed photographer Harold Davis and co-host Mark Brokering for the experience of a lifetime in Tokyo exploring the culture, food, and art of Japan—all with our cameras!

Japanese cuisine is probably my favorite food. And I am not alone in this affinity. Did you know that there are more three-star Michelin restaurants in Japan than in France?

I feel lucky to be exploring Japan with someone as knowledgeable about food and cooking as Mark Brokering. Mark has been teaching cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma for the past year. And he has been enjoying the cooking of his Japanese sister-in-law for decades. He’s been to Japan many times for work and for family visits. He tells me that noodles like ramen and soba, a staple of Japanese home cooking, are ideal anytime—breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

You may also not know that in Japan there are a wide variety of tasty egg dishes, including assorted tamagoyaki (kind of an egg-roll omelet) and tamago sushi (rice topped with sliced cooked egg and wrapped around with a strip of Nori seaweed).

Of course, if you’re into sushi, you won’t find another country that offers raw fish in such variety and elegance of preparation.

On this photo trip, we will explore the Tokyo culinary scene together, making sure that there are plenty of comfort food options, as well as ventures into the exotic and unknown.

Here’s what some participants in past travel workshops with Harold Davis had to say:

• “Had an awesome time with Harold and the workshop participants.  Itching to go back.”
• “What an agreeable group of travel companions they were! A once-in-a-lifetime experience that I plan to repeat next spring!”
• “Would follow Harold and his camera anywhere!”
• “Harold has great skill, without the ego of most master photographers. Travel arrangements were perfect.”
• “One thing I really liked about the photo tour that Harold set up is that we had plenty of time to photograph in the best locations, and really prioritized when the light would be good.”

Where: The group will be based out of a centrally located luxurious hotel like the Century Southern Tower (or similar).

When: Saturday October 24, 2020 to Sunday November 1, 2020 (nine days and eight nights).

Group Size: Minimum group size 6 and maximum 12. This is intended to be an intimate and small photo workshop. Non-photographer spouses are welcome.

Day-by-day itinerary (subject to change):

Code:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Saturday October 24, 2020  (D)

• Arrive Tokyo and transfer on own to Century Tower Hotel (or similar)
• 3PM: Hotel check-in
• 4PM: Group meeting in hotel lobby
• Explore local highlights with Harold and Mark
• 6:30PM: Welcome dinner

Sunday October 25, 2020 (B)

• Shibuya and Harajuku street scenes,
• Yoyogi Park, and the
• Meiji-jingu shrine, and the
• Omotesando neighborhood and enjoy the interesting architecture
• Group dinner in Harajuku/Shibuya area, perhaps Okonomiyaki Sakura Tei

Monday October 26, 2020  (B, L)

• Guided tour of the Imperial Palace’s gardens—Learn about the roles that the Chrysanthemum Throne and Imperial Family have played in Japanese history.
• Walking tour of Ginza
• Free time for shopping and/or personal projects

Tuesday October 27, 2020  (B)

• Excursion to Mt Fuji: Bullet train to Fuji where we will be met by private coach and guide; Mount Fuji, Lake Ashi, Lake Kawaguchi, and Hakone National Park; Precise destinations depend on local weather conditions and subject to change.

Wednesday October 28, 2020  (B, D)

• Guided tour of Old Tokyo’s Taito City
• Sensoji temple, 
• Nakamise Street
• Kappabashi Street (interesting kitchenware)
• Ueno Toshogu Shrine
• Ueno Park
• Ameyoko Arcade
• Yanaka Ginza shopping street
• Akihabara, Tokyo’s electric city (time permitting)
• Group dinner in Roppongi neighborhood.

Thursday October 29, 2020 (B) 

• Zojoji temple and the Jizo statues
• Tokyo Tower (Eiffel Tower of Tokyo)
• Rainbow Bridge (Reinbō Burijji) and Tokyo harbor
• Free time for projects 

 Friday October 30, 2020  (B)

• Today we will travel by train to Kamakura, where we will be met by a local guide. In Kamakura, we will visit Zeniarai Benten Shrine (money washing), Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine, the Great Buddha and Kotoku-in temple, Hase-dera Temple, and learn about Shintoism, Buddhism, Zen philosophy, and the syncretic roles they play in modern Japanese culture.
• Free time for lunch and shopping on Komachi-dori Street.

Saturday October 31, 2020  (B, D)

• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
• Hanazono Jinja Shrine,
• Alleys of Golden Gai,
• Omoide Yokocho (restaurant alley)
• Tokyo at night
• Group dinner in Shinjuku.

Sunday November 1, 2020  (B)

• Breakfast at the hotel, followed by group “Kumbaya”. Some participants will likely want to stay in Tokyo, others will head for destinations in Japan, and still others will head home.

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Cost: $6,495 per person (single supplement $875). $500 early-bird discount for completed reservation by 1/31/2020.

Inclusions: Eight nights lodging, all breakfasts (8), meals as indicated, private excursions as indicated including licensed guides and admissions as indicated, expert photographic instruction and guidance with Harold Davis, appreciation of Tokyo with Mark Brokering, and service charges.

Exclusions: Airfare and transportation to Tokyo, airport transfers, admissions except as indicated in the Inclusions, meals except as indicated in the Itinerary, travel insurance (which is highly recommended), and personal items such as souvenirs.

To Register: Please send us an email expressing interest right away; a completed registration requires a $1000 deposit and Reservation Form, and a copy of your passport page.

About Harold Davis: Harold Davis is an internationally-known digital artist and award-winning professional photographer. He is the author of many bestselling photography books including The Way of the Digital Photographer (Peachpit Press, awarded as a Top 10 Best 2013 Photography Book of the Year by Photo.net). Harold Davis’s most recent book is Achieving Your Potential As a Photographer: A Photographer’s Creative Companion and Workbook (Focal Press). His Photographing Flowers (Focal Press) is a noted photography “classic,” and is rated the Best Guide to Flower Photography byDigital Photographer Magazine.

In addition to his activity as a bestselling book author, Harold Davis is an Adobe Influencer, a Moab Master printmaker and a Zeiss Lens Ambassador. Harold Davis’s work is in collections around the world. It is licensed by art publishers, in annual reports, and has appeared in numerous magazines and many publications.

Harold’s black and white prints have been described as “hauntingly beautiful” by Fine Art Printer Magazine, and his floral prints have been called “ethereal,” with “a purity and translucence that borders on spiritual” by Popular Photography.

Recently Harold Davis’s work has been exhibited in venues including Photokina in Cologne, Germany, PhotoPlus Expo in New York, the Gallery Photo in Oakland, California, the Arts & Friends Gallery in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Awagami Gallery in Japan.

Harold Davis has led destination photography workshops to many locations including Paris, France; Spain and Morocco; and the ancient Bristlecone Pines of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.

Harold has created online courses for Craftsy and Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning. His ongoing photography workshops in partnership with institutions such as Point Reyes Field Seminars, the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California, Maine Media Workshops, and the Heidelberg Summer School of Photography are continually in demand and popular.

According to Rangefinder Magazine, Harold Davis is “a man of astonishing eclectic skills and accomplishments.” You can learn more about Harold and his work at his website, digitalfieldguide.com.

We look forward to having a great time photographing Tokyo with you! Click here for the Reservation Form!