Our journey begins in Tokyo, where we will spend three days discovering and photographing the many faces of Japan’s capital.

After arriving and settling into the city, we will explore Tokyo through its urban landscapes, architecture and street life. From dense neighbourhoods and striking cityscapes to the constantly changing Tokyo skyline, each environment will offer new opportunities to observe, compose and photograph.

These first days will also be an opportunity to experiment with different photographic techniques and approaches, working with the changing light from day to blue hour and into the night.

Three days to discover Tokyo, find your own perspective and begin the journey through winter Japan.

Our journey continues as we leave Tokyo and travel by car towards Kawaguchiko and the Mount Fuji region.

As the urban landscape gradually gives way to mountains and open spaces, we will begin exploring the winter scenery around Japan’s most iconic peak. Depending on weather and visibility, we will look for different perspectives of Mount Fuji and work with the changing winter light to create atmospheric landscape images.

From the energy of Tokyo to the quiet landscapes around Mount Fuji, the journey begins to reveal another side of winter Japan.

Leaving Mount Fuji behind, we continue by car towards Matsumoto, a city where Japanese heritage and winter landscapes meet.

Depending on the morning light and weather conditions, we will have another opportunity to photograph Mount Fuji before heading towards the Japanese Alps. In Matsumoto, we will explore the historic centre and photograph the iconic castle, particularly as the light begins to soften towards the end of the day.

The following morning, we will continue photographing Matsumoto before taking a domestic flight towards Hokkaido, marking the transition from central Japan to the northern landscapes of the journey.

After flying from Matsumoto, we will land in Chitose, the gateway to Hokkaido. From there, we will begin our journey north towards Biei, travelling through the winter landscapes of the island.

Rather than heading directly to Biei, we will spend a night along the route, allowing us to begin photographing Hokkaido’s snowy scenery from the very first evening. Depending on the weather and light, this first session will be an opportunity to discover the atmosphere of the northern winter and start exploring its vast, minimalist landscapes.

The following day, we will continue towards Biei, where the journey will take us deeper into the snow-covered landscapes that define this region.

We will spend a full day exploring and photographing the landscapes around Biei, taking time to work with the snow, light and vast open spaces that define the region.

The day will also allow for moments of image review and editing, depending on the organisation and conditions, creating an opportunity to step back from the field and reflect on the images created so far.

The following morning, we will make our final photographic stops around Biei before continuing south towards Sapporo, leaving behind the quiet landscapes of Hokkaido’s interior for the atmosphere of the northern capital.

Our journey through winter Japan comes to an end in Sapporo, before flying back to Tokyo.

Depending on the flight schedule, the final afternoon will offer one last opportunity to photograph the city, review and edit our images, or simply take time to reflect on the journey and everything we have experienced along the way.

On 19 February, we will conclude the workshop in Tokyo, with departures arranged according to each participant’s international flight schedule.

From the streets of Tokyo to the winter landscapes of Hokkaido, ten photographic days across a changing Japan.