Japan has become a hotspot for its unique blend of living, breathing culture and history.
Very few places in the world have 1,000 year old temples across the street from a Starbucks–which itself has designed itself to match the 1,000 year old streets!
The mixture of the modern and the archaic, the kimonos with the street clothes, the shamisen with the pop-this is what makes Japan like no living set in the world.

This interesting integration makes locations surprisingly accessible.
It’s not far from Mount Fuji to the neon of Akihabara, to the famed sea of Hokusai.
There are dream-like traditional rice fields mere meters away from samurai training grounds in Fukushima.
The legendary sea-of-clouds is visible in many areas of the country, seeping through the uniquely lush Japanese mountains at the crack of dawn.
A garden in the sky, and in every alcove of every tea house.

The performative culture is also accessibly within reach of the modern filmmaker.
Japan is known for many of its unique arts-kabuki, noh and dance (nichibu), shamisen and koto, the unique sounds of the grand wadaiko drum to the snap of the tsuzumi, and the ethereal shakuhachi flute, among others.
There are performers of these ancient arts still very much in practice today all around the country.

And not just the ancient, either.
The underground caves of the otaku world and coquettish dances of “cosplay” and “maid” performers.
The experimental mixture of the hard rock and juvenile squeak, the contrast of electronica and choir.
The major cities of the country are spiced with a visceral, grassroots creativity fueled only by a love for the art and pursuit of self-expression.

Also the very modern fashion of the elegant kimono, not only worn for traditional purposes, but by every day ladies and gentlemen with a little bit of pizazz.
How much more visceral a costumer who has mastered the charm of both the geisha and the pop of the Harajuku Girls!
Unlike much period or ceremonial garb, the kimono is just as alive as modern fashion, just as versatile, and as easy to get as a stop into town.

Food, as well, is an art unto itself. While even the casual foodie has incorporated “umami” and foods like sushi and ramen into his daily diet, there is so, so much more in terms of ingredients, plating, and texture that cannot be experienced-or filmed-in any other place on earth! A treat for the photographer and his camera….
And the crew, who get to enjoy it along the way!