Premier Stargazing Photography Tour (Okayama)

Recommended for amateur and semi-professional photographers seeking unique locations!

Join a 2-day, 1-night tour with Takuma Kimura, a professional photographer. Mr. Kimura is a native of Okayama Prefecture, specializes in nature and landscape photography, and is widely published in a variety of Japanese photography books and magazines. He also gives seminars and lectures on photography for top-line camera makers and has placed in several international photography competitions. Despite his accolades, he is a very down-to-earth and kind person and is a personal acquaintance of this author.

These tours offer two options, with details as follows:

★ The first tour from November 17th to 18th starts at JR Shin-Osaka Station or JR Okayama Station; guests will travel to Yakage Town in Okayama via Shinkansen and charter bus. Spend the evening enjoying dinner, taking photos of the historic town, visiting a planetarium, and taking night photos. The second day consists of a trip to Hofuku Temple for autumn foliage photography in Soja, a trip to the Kokubunji five-storied pagoda in Soja, and a trip to the Bikan Historical Area in Kurashiki.

★ The second tour from December 2nd to 3rd also starts at JR Shin-Osaka Station or JR Okayama Station; guests will travel to Kurashiki City in Okayama via Shinkansen and charter bus. The group will first visit the Bikan Historical Area and a planetarium in Kurashiki City, have dinner at the Bisei Town outdoor market (Bisei is famous for its beautiful night skies!), and visit a night photography spot. On the second day, guests will visit the Kokubunji five-storied pagoda in Soja City and the Washuzan observatory in southern Kurashiki City for photos of the Seto Ohashi Bridge.

Both tours are limited to 20 people (for the first tour, please apply in pairs, as two people will share a hotel room). For guests who don’t have a camera, Mr. Kimura can lend you one. As perks of the tour, Mr. Kimura will give advice on taking the best photos at each spot, point out good photo opportunities, and give guests a signed copy of his book. Tour prices include all transportation throughout the tour, hotel fees, an instructor’s fee, a souvenir book fee, and three meals.

This tour is sponsored by the Nippon Travel Agency and the Tenmon Okoku Okayama (Okayama Astrological Association).

• Meeting place: JR Shin-Osaka Station or JR Okayama Station
• Cost: 29,000 yen per person if starting from JR Shin-Osaka Station / 15,000 yen per person if starting from JR Okayama Station
• Minimum number in the tour: 2 people per session
• Maximum number in the tour: 20 people per session
• How to apply: https://va.apollon.nta.co.jp/hoshizoraphototour/ (You may want to use an extension to translate pages in Japanese.)
• Other info: https://www.okayama-kanko.jp/news/1180?fbclid=IwAR03vNat3pmUsl8OYziFOJFJCUq3F_qdCyFmNfsATOTkEDP_3MsZWkfSQQc