In this week’s video of landscape photography in Japan, we visit the Akigawa Valley located in the small town of Akiruno, which is located within the boundaries of Tokyo Prefecture and the Chichibu Tama Kai National Park.
Akigawa Valley (秋川渓谷 / Akikawakeikoku)
Known for trout fishing, the small mountain town of Akiruno has become a destination for nature lovers and fisherman. The Ishibune Bridge offers a bird’s eye view of the Minami-Akigawa River, has been featured in Japanese TV melodramas, and is a popular subject for landscape photography when the surrounding hills are covered in snow, drenched in autumn colors, or beaming with fresh spring greenery.
Access by train and bus:
From Shinjuku Station, take the Chuo Line bound for Musashi-Itsukaichi Station. The train will run on the Chuo Line and on through on the Ome Line, continuing onto the Itsukaichi Line with no need to transfer.
Musashi-Itsukaichi Station
武蔵五日市駅
Stop ID: JC86
Take the 五10, 五15, or 五18 bus to the Jurigi bus stop (11th stop with kanji of 十里木).
From this bus stop you are within walking distance of many of the local attractions including fishing holes, barbecue grounds, campgrounds, and hiking trails:
Akiruno city website:
Akigawa International Trout Fishing Ground
秋川国際マス釣場
Ochiai Camping Ground
落合キャンプ場
Jurigi Land (Campground)
十里木ランド
Primary locations for this photo shoot:
Ishibune Bridge (石舟橋 / Ishibune-bashi)
Shinyagara Bridge (新矢柄橋 / Shinyagara-bashi)
Akigawa Valley (秋川渓谷 / Akikawakeikoku)
Suspension Bridge
The Ishibune-bashi Bridge (石舟橋 / Ishibune-bashi) extends for 96 meters across the Minamiaki River as it flows through the Akigawa Valley (秋川渓谷 / Akigawa Keikoku). The bridge offers great views of the valley below, and is especially popular during autumn as the surrounding mountainside foliage changes colors.
Mist over Cedar Plantation
The Akigawa Valley (秋川渓谷 / Akigawa Keikoku) is a narrow gorge that cuts through the mountains of the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. Visiting during the rainy season is both breathtaking and refreshing. Slightly humid, but still cool enough to need a jacket when hiking along the river or following trails leading to ancient shrines and temples.
Disappearing Power Lines
Normally an eyesore when trying to enjoy a pristine, natural landscape, the low fog obscures the trees and mountains in the background helping to isolate the lattice tower carrying high-voltage transmission lines from a nearby dam to the metropolis of greater Tokyo. Although this image appears to be a black and white image, in actually it was shot in color and edited as an abstract color composition.
Playing in River
Dale-chan the border collie resting on the shoreline of the river after chasing after what might have been small fish swimming by. This river is actually a popular fishing destination with facilities specifically for camping and fishing on the shoreline. Great place to visit if you like freshwater fishing and want to grill your own fish for dinner that evening.
Through Arch Bridge
The Shinyagara Bridge (新矢柄橋 / Shinyagara-bashi) is a “through arch bridge” that spans the narrow gorge below at an almost perpendicular angle to the gorge, while the girder that the bridge supports forms a nice X pattern with the arch if viewed from above. This unusual design explains why the bridge looks asymmetrical when viewed from below. The bridge includes a pedestrian walk separated by guard rails, allowing for leisure strolls over the river below without having to worry about vehicular traffic buzzing by.
Unnameable Twin Boulders and Silky Smooth Stream
Looking at both shorelines of this small river, you can see smoother rocks of sandstone and darker, less smooth rocks of mudstone. It seems that this river runs along an old fault line, and has slowly exposed the two types of rocks that mostly lie on the opposite sides of the shoreline.
Winding River
Although I visited this river during the rainy season, the water level was lower than I had expected with most of the river bank being accessible. In the middle of the river, however, it gets quite deep, which I suppose makes for a great habitat for trout since further downstream is the Akigawa International Trout Fishing Ground.
Camera Gear:
Pentax KP
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Standard zoom lens: smc Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL[IF] DC WR
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Telephoto zoom lens: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 ED PLM WR RE
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Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 (carbon fiber legs with quick locking clamps)
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Ball head: Manfrotto Cloud XPRO Series Ballhead BHQ2 with 200PL locking plate
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Video Gear:
Canon EOS Kiss M/M50 Double Zoom Kit
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SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary C017 (Canon EF-M Mount, APS-C Size, Mirrorless Only)
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PolarPro 67mm QuartzLine Circular Polarizer Filter
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Zhiyun Weebill-S Gimbal
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RODE Road Wireless GO Wireless Microphone System WIGO
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SIGMA 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary C017 (Canon EF-M Mount, APS-C Size, Mirrorless Only)
https://amzn.to/3axkn1w
PolarPro 67mm QuartzLine Circular Polarizer Filter
https://amzn.to/2FUTBVS
Zhiyun Weebill-S Gimbal
https://amzn.to/32c0FFL
RODE Road Wireless GO Wireless Microphone System WIGO
https://amzn.to/35lygz1
Filters & Filter Systems:
PolarPro QuartzLine ND 64 Filter - 67mm (ND64 6-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine ND1000 Filter - 67mm (ND1000 10-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine ND100k Filter - 67mm (ND100K 15-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine Circular Polarizer - 67mm
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PolarPro Summit | Landscape Filter System Custom Kit (Core, Thread Plate, ND4-GR filter, ND8-GR filter, Circular Polarizer)
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https://amzn.to/2J9VSOM
PolarPro QuartzLine ND1000 Filter - 67mm (ND1000 10-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine ND100k Filter - 67mm (ND100K 15-stop reduction in light)
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PolarPro QuartzLine Circular Polarizer - 67mm
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PolarPro Summit | Landscape Filter System Custom Kit (Core, Thread Plate, ND4-GR filter, ND8-GR filter, Circular Polarizer)
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Pack:
F-stop Tilopa 50L Adventure and Travel Camera Backpack (Essentials Bundle: backpack, rain cover, internal camera unit)
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F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
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F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
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*Links to Amazon are affiliated links, which means that if you choose to purchase an item that I may get a small commission, which has no effect on your purchase price whatsoever.
Music Tracks Licensed for this video through Epidemic Sound. Visit this link to subscribe:
"Honey Take My Hand" composed by Cody Butler and performed by Cody Francis.
“The Long Walk” composed and performed by Jamie Norwood.
“Bagatelle Valley” composed by David Vestin and performed by Nylonwings.
“Bermuda” composed by Henrik Olsson and performed by Ooyy.
Photos used with permission.
Pix4Japan by Iketani, Daisei is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at Pix4Japan.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license are available at Pix4Japan.
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