Bucket list item.. event photography for a group visiting Japan! The trip began in the capital city of Tokyo, a wonderful blend of modern and traditional. We stayed at the fantastic Peninsula Tokyo hotel which was perfectly located overlooking the Royal Palace.
From Tokyo, we traveled by bus off the beaten path, to the UNESCO World Hertitage site up in the forrest, called Nikko. Before arriving to Nikko, we stopped at the Toshogu Shrine, an opulent 17th-century shrine complex honoring the first shogun & featuring colorful buildings & art. Most interesting to me, the 17th-century carving depicting Confucius’s Code of Conduct, using the monkey as a way to depict man’s life cycle and the original three wise monkeys – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil:
It was my favorite stop in Japan…meeting locals, enjoying onsens (natural hot springs) and soaking in the natural beauty. It didn’t hurt that we stayed in the magical Ritz Carlton nestled within Nikko National Park with serene views of Lake Chuzenji and Mount Nantai.
The most somber spot to visit in Japan is Hiroshima… largely destroyed by an atomic bomb during World War II that killed over 150,000 souls…
The final spot the group visited in Japan was the epicenter of traditional Japanese culture, Kyoto. Considered the country’s spiritual capital, it’s the home to 3,000 shrines and temples, including 14 on the UNESCO World Heritage list!
