December 18th: Diamond Fuji Photowalk

It’s that time of year again – the winter solstice. We’re surviving on the  bare minimum of sunshine and warmth, barely eking out an existance. Ok. So maybe Tokyo isn’t the most barren place in the wintertime, but I’m a few years removed from that -40˚C hike across Lake Winnipeg, and it feels freezing.

The upside is that around the winter solstice, the sun sets directly into the top of Mt. Fuji, when looking at it from Mt. Takao, jut west of Tokyo. So who’s up for an adventure? We’re meeting at Shinjuku Minami Guchi (south exit) at 8am, and we’ll take the Keio line from there out to Takaosanguchi, at which point we’ll photowalk our way up the mountain and then set ourselves up for the beautiful sunset. Looking back at my exif, it looks like I’d recommend bringing something at least 85mm or longer. I have had great success with my 70-200mm zoom, as well as my 85mm prime. If you’ve got a crop sensor, here’s your chance to show those full-frame suckers why your camera rocks. I’ll also be bringing some macro tubes to enjoy the interesting stuff on the way up. Feel free to email me at tim at tim desu yo dot commy.

So, to sum up: Let’s go on a hike and take pictures of Diamond Fuji. Meet me at Shinjuku Minami Guchi at 8am on Tuesday, December 18th, and we’ll be gone all day. I’m packing a lunch, but non-veggie peoples may want to try their luck with the hilltop vendors. No promises on them. It looked like fishy noodles last year. Yoroshiku