Best photography destinations in Asia
Best photography destinations in Asia
Ancient stepwells and colorful street markets across Asia
High-altitude desert landscapes in northern South Asia sit under some of the clearest skies on the continent, while terraced rice fields elsewhere create an entirely different, more textured kind of agricultural photography further south.
The destinations on this list range from high-altitude landscapes requiring real acclimatisation to lush terraced farmland photographed best during specific planting and harvest windows. East Asian regions add seasonal photography built around specific flowering and colour seasons.
Timing trips around specific agricultural seasons matters considerably for the rice terrace destinations, where fields look dramatically different depending on the month. Local guides familiar with specific viewpoints can save considerable trial and error. Packing for sudden altitude and temperature shifts also matters considerably across this terrain. Most regions see clearer skies in autumn.
Lists by region
Mountain in Japan
Mount Fuji
Japan's highest peak and sacred volcano
Come between November and February when clear air gives sharp views of the snowy cone. Mornings give better odds of seeing it before clouds build. The official climbing season runs from July to early September. Shoot reflections from a calm lake shore at dawn. Tripods help in the low light.
Island in Japan
Miyajima
Torii in the sea, deer and Mount Misen
At high tide the shrine and its great red torii gate seem to float on the water. At low tide you can walk out to the gate over wet sand. Check tide times before you go. Deer wander the island. Sunset behind the gate draws a crowd.
Shrine in Kyoto
Fushimi Inari-taisha
Thousands of torii gates up a Kyoto mountain
Senbon Torii is a path of close set red gates that winds up the hill behind the shrine. Businesses and families donate the gates. Each one carries a name and date. Go before 7 am or after dark for few people. Paths fan out into the forest toward the mountain top.
Forest in Kyoto
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Kyoto's famous bamboo lane in Arashiyama
Tenryū-ji temple, founded in 1339, stands beside the bamboo path. The grove path is about 500 meters long. Go at sunrise when light filters through tall stalks and few people are around. Walk to the Togetsukyo bridge afterward for river and hill views. Rickshaw pullers wait near the grove entrance.
Village in Japan
Shirakawa-go
Thatched gassho farmhouses in the Hida mountains
Steep thatched roofs look like hands pressed together in prayer, which gives the style its name, gasshō zukuri. UNESCO listed the village in 1995. Climb to the Shiroyama viewpoint above Ogimachi for the wide shot. On a few winter evenings the houses are lit up in the snow.
Garden in Japan
Ashikaga Flower Park
Giant wisteria trellis and winter light show
Sweet wisteria perfume hangs in the air under purple flower tunnels. The park's Great Wisteria is more than 150 years old and its branches spread over a huge frame. Late April to mid May is peak bloom. Stay for the night lights when the flowers glow.
City in Japan
Furano
Lavender fields and powder snow in Hokkaido
Farm Tomita has grown lavender here since the late 1950s. Purple rows bloom from mid July to early August. Use a long lens to stack stripes of flowers against the mountains. Neighboring Biei has rolling hills called the Patchwork Road, where crop fields make colorful stripes.
Town in Japan
Fujikawaguchiko
Lake town with Mount Fuji views and onsen
Locals warm up with hōtō, a hearty stew of flat noodles and vegetables. Lake Kawaguchi gives calm water for reflections of Mount Fuji, especially at dawn. Oishi Park on the north shore has lavender in early summer and red kochia bushes in autumn. Rent a bike to ride the lakeshore path.
City in Japan
Fujiyoshida
Fuji's sacred trailhead with the pagoda view
Come in early April when cherry blossoms frame the five story Chureito Pagoda with Mount Fuji behind it. The pagoda stands in Arakurayama Sengen Park above the town. Climb about 400 steps for the view. Arrive at sunrise to avoid crowds. Autumn maples turn the park red in November.
Country
Bhutan
Himalayan monasteries, dzongs and trekking trails
Come in spring or autumn for clear skies and tsechus, festivals with masked dances in monastery courtyards. Tiger's Nest, a monastery clinging to a cliff above Paro, is the classic shot. Prayer flags and white dzongs, which are fortress monasteries, fill the valleys. Photos inside temples are often not allowed, so ask first.
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