Every location file and column we have published

A running archive of field notes from working shooters: temple approaches timed to the first bell, wet lanes in Kanazawa, drift ice on the Okhotsk coast, plus columns on film stocks, secondhand shops in Tokyo and Osaka, and labs that take foreign rolls. Browse by region, season, or column type.

Get the monthly dispatch from the field

One email a month, written between trips. A location file in progress, a note on what the light did that week, and the small practical things that rarely make it into a finished piece — which exit to take, where the tripod is welcome, which lab in Osaka still develops a roll of Portra for a visitor.

No gear roundups, no sponsored posts. If a spot is overrun, we say so and point you to the quieter lane two blocks over.

Published Files and Columns

Every location file we have run so far, newest first. Each one lists the region, the season, the nearest station and exit, walking time, the hour the light works best, a lens suggestion, and where a tripod is welcome. Columns sit in the same archive: film stock comparisons, secondhand shops in Tokyo and Osaka, labs that take foreign rolls, and budget notes for shooters flying in from South Africa and elsewhere.

Stone steps and wooden temple gate in Kyoto lit by early morning sun

Kyoto, Kansai

Kyoto Temple Approaches at First Bell

Where the light lands before the crowds arrive

The first bell rings well before the tour buses reach the parking lots, so the approach lanes are still wet with dew and the stone steps hold a soft sheen that is gone by eight. This route starts at the Keihan line exit and walks north through three connected temple grounds. The first stop faces east and suits a 35mm; the second sits under cedars and wants a fast 50mm wide open. Tripods are fine at the first two stops, but a caretaker at the third will usually ask you to fold it, so shoot handheld for the last stretch.

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Wet stone lane between wooden machiya houses in Kanazawa on a rainy day

Kanazawa, Hokuriku

Kanazawa Back Lanes in Rain

Working the wet stone and wooden facades of the old districts

Rain turns the machiya facades of Higashi Chaya into deep saturated browns and the paving into a mirror, which is the look most photographers come here for. Shoot in the first hour of a steady drizzle rather than a downpour, while the reflections are still clean and people walk at an unhurried pace under umbrellas. An 85mm compresses the lattice windows and lanterns into layered frames; a 28mm handles the wider alley views. Bring a small towel and a plastic bag for the body, and keep water off the shop displays.

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Drift ice floes on the Okhotsk sea at blue hour near the Hokkaido coast

Okhotsk Coast, Hokkaido

Hokkaido Drift Ice at Blue Hour

Shooting the Okhotsk coast when the light is almost gone

Drift ice reaches the Okhotsk coast in late January and stays through March, and the best frames come in the twenty minutes after the sun drops behind the mountains. The floes read pale blue against a darker sea, and a two-stop underexposure holds the texture without blowing the highlights. A sturdy tripod is essential, and a remote release helps when wind pushes off the shore. The Monbetsu breakwater gives a clean foreground line; the Abashiri viewpoint suits wider compositions. Keep a spare battery inside your jacket and rotate it every half hour.

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