Miho Municipal Forest

While hanging out laundry on a sunny afternoon, I was taken aback by the beautiful cumulonimbus clouds that were forming along the horizon. In hopes of maybe catching some shots of these clouds near a woodland or hilltop, I gathered my gear and dog together and headed out to any park that I could find where there might be a nice hilltop and as few people as possible.

I decided on a woodland park in Midori Ward in Yokohama called Miho Municipal Forest (三保市民の森). The park is available with free parking and close to a bus stop for visitors needing easy access by public transportation.

The park offers many numerous trails that are well maintained with signposts available at every junction. Once you reach deeper into the park, it became apparent that this particular park is not the best place to visit during summer due to the high population of mosquitoes. If I had not visited the park for a photo shoot, I would have made a U-turn and given up! Visiting this park would be best  between fall and spring.

Being a woodland park, I was able to catch some nice video footage of dappled sunlight just before the sun set in the west. The park also has several rest areas where visitors can relax and take in the abundance of nature. A few areas are grassy as well, so having a small picnic is also an option. 

Regarding woodland photography, I didn't scout the whole park so I cannot say if this park has much to offer in terms of a nice composition. I assume that spring would be best when there are a greater variety of flowering plants on the ground that would make for a nice foreground.  The groves of trees were beautiful as well as the groves of bamboo. Early morning photo shoots might offer some great woodland photography opportunities regardless of the season (other than summer).

Tree Trunks at Sunset

Pentax KP 21 mm ISO 100 for 3.0 sec. at ƒ/11

#Japan #tree #woodland #forest #sunset #sunlight #dense #greenery #park #WoodlandPhotography

#神奈川県 #横浜市 #三保市民の森 #自然空間 #自然 #木 #風景 #森林 #森林写真

Portfolio: https://pix4japan.myportfolio.com

 

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Access by car:

• Free parking lot (limited space):
• https://goo.gl/maps/3vMrmEu9BAbqCquq6
• From Tokyo to the park using the expressway:
• Distance of about 48 km (30 mi) for an approximate 1-hour drive:
• https://goo.gl/maps/awSh7Z6fkfEmKLro8
• From Tokyo to the park using toll-free highways:
• Distance of about 36 km (23 mi) for an approximate 90-minute drive:
• https://goo.gl/maps/YPgUcEhGiGMgw2688

Access by public transportation:

• Quickest and easiest route using Hanzomon Line, Tokyu-Den'entoshi Line, Yokohama Line, and Kanachu Bus:
• https://goo.gl/maps/b34ZzZgn7nvFytx77

A complete guide to the park is available here from the city of Yokohama. Unfortunately, there is no English version available. Even if you can't read Japanese, the guide can still be useful since it has a  nice map of all the trails with furigana so that you know how to read the signs posted in the park:

• www.city.yokohama.lg.jp (PDF)

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Here is the list of gear I used for this photo shoot:

• Camera: Pentax KP
• https://amzn.to/2EbbLRZ
• Standard zoom lens: smc Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL[IF] DC WR
• https://amzn.to/2Ysz5lJ
• Telephoto zoom lens: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
• https://amzn.to/3iNEsDF
• Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 (carbon fiber legs with quick locking clamps)
• https://amzn.to/2Fqpghd
• Ball head: Manfrotto Cloud XPRO Series Ballhead BHQ2 with 200PL locking plate 
• https://amzn.to/3g6WI9j 
• Video camera: Canon EOS Kiss M/M50 Double Zoom Kit
• https://amzn.to/2Ef3mNg 
• SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary C017 (Canon EF-M Mount, APS-C Size, Mirrorless Only)
• https://amzn.to/3axkn1w
  

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