MY LANDSCAPE BLOG

Landscape & Travel Photographer & Filmmaker in Tokyo, Japan, Asia.

Photography from a few of the places I have been. Japan, Australia, Asia and elsewhere. Some of it is my artwork. Some were commercial assignments and some were just happy snaps along the way.

One of my passions is landscape photography and although photography and filmmaking is my work it is also my hobby. I love traveling and being amongst nature and get a great thrill from finding and photographing epic landscapes in beautiful light.

Andrew Goldie 8/8/20 Andrew Goldie 8/8/20

Travel Photography, Togakushi shrine, Nagano, Japan.

Whilst on holiday in Hakuba we took a drive through the mountains to Togakushi Shrine. We did a walk through through the area and as always I took a few photos along the way. It’s a beautiful Forested area in the mountains with a series of Shinto shrines. dotted throughout the area. The area was originally Buddhist temples but the government made it Shinto in 1868 in what was called a Buddhist/Shinto separation initiative. Some people believe that the upper shrine was first constructed in 210 BC.
It is truly beautiful forest and setting for the temples and I can see why Buddhist monks would have gone there on pilgrimage.
I wasn’t there at the best time to photograph the areas but I hope to return some day at sunrise when I can capture a beautiful mist in the forest. Also I think wintertime when snow is covering the trees and forest floor will be a beautiful time to photograph the temples as well.

Moss-roofed Zuishinmon gate in the cedar forest at Togakushi Shrine, Nagano, Japan, landscape photography by Andrew Goldie

Ancient cedar avenue leading to Togakushi Okusha shrine, Nagano, Japan travel photography

Cedar-lined path framed by the red shrine gate, Togakushi, Nagano, Japan

Looking up into giant Japanese cedar trees at Togakushi, Nagano, Japan landscape photography

Moss-covered stone monument in the forest at Togakushi Shrine, Nagano, Japan

Stone lantern among ferns on the Togakushi shrine trail, Nagano, Japan travel photography

Mossy forest stream in the mountains of Togakushi, Nagano, Japan landscape photography

Japanese toad resting on moss in the Togakushi forest, Nagano, Japan nature photography

Lush forest undergrowth with red berries at Togakushi, Nagano, Japan

Andrew Goldie 4/8/20 Andrew Goldie 4/8/20

Landscape & Travel Photography, Musashi Mitake Shrine, Tokyo (prefecture).

Mt Mitake is a landscape and travel photographers paradise in the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. It is 1.5-2 hours from Tokyo and can be reached by car or train and bus. I caught the cable car up the mountain and from there did a hike around the mountain and to the Musashi Mitake Shrine. This day was what seemed to be the first day after the rainy season in Japan and the mountain was alive with life fuelled by the rain and the Sun. The vibrant greens and the bountiful insects ( butterflies, dragon flies and many many more ) show the beautiful life cycle that exists in Japan’s four seasons.
The Shinto Shrine has been a place of mountain worship for many centuries and a nearby village (also up the mountain) has served as a stop for pilgrims and nowadays for tourists as well.
It is a magnificently beautiful day trip (or stop over) from Tokyo and a great place to take some beautiful photos of traditional shrines and nature.

Wolf guardian statues at a small shrine on Mt Mitake, Musashi Mitake Shrine, Tokyo, Japan, travel photography by Andrew Goldie

Stone steps leading up to a torii gate in the forest at Musashi Mitake Shrine, Ome, Tokyo, Japan

Giant sacred cedar beside the shrine stairs on Mt Mitake, Tokyo, Japan landscape photography

Ornate red main hall of Musashi Mitake Shrine, Tokyo, Japan travel photography

Bronze wolf guardian against the sky at Musashi Mitake Shrine, Tokyo, Japan

Wolf guardian statue under green maples at Musashi Mitake Shrine, Tokyo, Japan travel photography

Crossed chigi roof beams and gold crest of a Shinto shrine on Mt Mitake, Tokyo, Japan

Sun bursting through the forest behind a torii gate on Mt Mitake, Tokyo, Japan landscape photography

Moss-covered cedar trunks in the forest of Mt Mitake, Tokyo, Japan

Golden-rayed mountain lily in bloom on Mt Mitake, Okutama, Tokyo, Japan nature photography

Red lacquered eaves and lanterns of Musashi Mitake Shrine, Tokyo, Japan travel photography

Forested peak framed by tall cedars from Mt Mitake, Okutama, Tokyo, Japan landscape photography

Traditional pilgrim lodge rooftops in the mountain village on Mt Mitake, Tokyo, Japan

Andrew Goldie 3/8/20 Andrew Goldie 3/8/20

Landscape Photography. A quick hike to the The Rock Gardens at Mt Mitake, Ome, Tokyo.

On Mt Mitake in Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park on the edge of Tokyo prefecture there are some beautiful hiking trails and exquisite landscapes. I often find myself saying that Japan is a landscape photographers paradise but it truly is. The four seasons ensure that the landscape is constantly evolving and you often find a new and glorious aspect each time you return.
On this day I hiked with my family to the Rock gardens. The clear mountain stream, the surrounding forest, and the stunning, moss-covered rock formations make this a place of true beauty. Waterfalls are considered as sacred in Shintoism and the majestic beauty of these natural formations inspires awe. There are Shinto torii gates and shide paper streamers marking the entrance to a waterfall as sacred ground inhabited by a deity. A great hike and beautiful place to photograph the landscape.

Mossy gorge and stream in the Rock Garden at Mt Mitake, Ome, Tokyo, Japan, landscape photography by Andrew Goldie

Butterfly on a wild lily beside the Mt Mitake hiking trail, Ome, Tokyo, Japan nature photography

Green forest undergrowth on the Rock Garden trail, Mt Mitake, Tokyo, Japan

Twisting trees over a forest hiking trail on Mt Mitake, Okutama, Tokyo, Japan landscape photography

Ayahiro Falls and its small torii gate in the forest near Mt Mitake, Ome, Tokyo, Japan landscape photography

Bracket fungi climbing a cedar trunk in the Mt Mitake forest, Tokyo, Japan nature photography

Traditional roof against the mountains on Mt Mitake, Ome, Tokyo, Japan travel photography

Blue hydrangeas flowering in early summer on Mt Mitake, Tokyo, Japan

Sunbeams streaming through the forest onto a cascading stream in the Mt Mitake Rock Garden, Tokyo, Japan landscape photography

Moss-covered boulders along the stream in the Rock Garden, Mt Mitake, Ome, Tokyo, Japan

Tall straight cedar forest on the slopes of Mt Mitake, Okutama, Tokyo, Japan landscape photography

Andrew Goldie 28/4/20 Andrew Goldie 28/4/20

Travel Photography, Koyasan Temples and Graveyards, Wakayama, Japan.

A short trip from Osaka Koyasan is beautiful mountainous area of Japan. It is the centre of Shingon Buddhism which is one of the most important Buddhist sects in Japan and has a surviving lineage that spread from it’s origin in India, through China and arrived in Japan in 805AD. It’s a beautiful area to photograph temples in serene landscapes. I was in Koyasan photographing hotels and landscapes for an advertising client when I took a few hours the morning to photograph these images for myself.