Tokyo Photo Workshops

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Kyoto Photo Workshops

More Kyoto Photo Tours

Photo Workshop Locations

What's a Photo Adventure?

EYExplore Photo Adventures are part photo tour, part photography workshop — a fun and educational experience with a friendly photo instructor. Our homegrown guides are here to support you and your photography, whether that means building skills or getting you access to spectacular locations and fascinating people.

A Photo Workshop in Action

Private Photo Workshops

Most of our photo adventures are private sessions just for you, so we always tailor the photo workshop to your needs, including custom start times. We charge one flat rate that covers the whole session, so you can bring your friends and family with no additional cost.

Personalized Coaching

The core of an EYExplore photo workshop is coaching. You can think of us as your photographic personal trainer. We provide you with photo tips, pointers, camera settings, and above all, feedback on your photos so you can learn and improve. And we don't forget to have fun! :)

Deep City Knowledge

When it comes to photography, collectively our team knows our cities better than any individual. We will take you on an extensive photo tour into areas that match your photographic interests. All of our photo adventures have unique and thematic routes, but we are also happy to customize for you on the fly.

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An Award-Winning Experience

Highlighted Reviews from TripAdvisor

  • maseyart

    I had the pleasure of a totally bespoke tour of the back alleys of various parts of nighttime Tokyo with EYExplore professional Charles. I can’t praise this experience enough. Firstly, Charles is an experienced photo pro with a complete knowledge of the art and a huge arsenal of tips and tricks he readily shares. Having been a shooter for years, I can honesty say I learned a lot from Charlie.

    Second, after a discussion of what I was looking for image-wise, Charles put together a fantastic tour starting in my hotel lobby in Shinagawa where we met and then we hit a TON of off-the-beaten-path areas with fantastic photographic appeal. From tiny back alleys to marketplaces, to above-the street perspectives and unique rainy night opportunities.

    Lastly, the tour was thorough. We trained and walked for hours, had great conversations and Charles’ quirky sense of humor kept it lively the whole time. I was happily exhausted at the conclusion lat in the night. I will totally book another bespoke tour on my next visit.

  • DanielPeralta

    I just enjoyed my 7th photo tour with EYExplore. (it might’ve been my 8th). I’ve been using them since 2015. I love Japan and I especially love seeing the country through the creative eyes of EYExplore’s superb guides. I’ve worked with Axel, Lukasz, Charles and Paul (before he was a guide with EYExplore). They share their unique perspectives of one of my favorite countries in the world… Japan. Tokyo can be so overwhelming in one moment, then tranquil in the next and these guides will show you both, as well as, help you experience everything in between. From the towering architecture of Tokyo, to the neon lights of Shinjuku, the crossing in Shibuya, overcrowded train and subway stations, to the colorful characters that inhabit Tokyo streets, you can see it all with EYExplore. These guides will most definitely help you capture the most vibrant street photography you’ve ever done. I’ve hired photo guides all over the world – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Belgium, Portugal – and I consider EYExplore among the best.

  • TravelTogether2019

    We had a great experience with EYExplore in Tokyo and Osaka. We booked 4 different itineraries with 3 different photographers (Lukasz, Lee and Axel) and each one gave us an amazing experience. We not only saw areas of each city we would never have known about and got amazing photographs but we learned a lot about Japanese culture from each of our photographers. As photographers ourselves, we loved seeing these cities through the lens of local photographers who appreciated the beauty and artistry of the Japanese way of life as much as we did. we would highly recommend EYExplore for any trip to Japan … even if all you have is a cell phone. These guys can show you a Japan that no guidebook can.

  • storyofheinrich

    I’ve booked three workshops with EYExplore in April 2019, Tokyo Vertigo, Tokyo Metropolis and Urban Geometry with Laurence. With Laurence, me and my girlfriend had a private workshop for about four hours and it was a great experience I can recommend to you. You will capture great stuff, I recommend to use the b/w mode with high contrast. The results are amazing and Laurence is a very nice guy with a lot of experience and he takes the time to explain all the necessary stuff for composition and camera settings. So if you would like to improve your urban street photography skills, then go for it and book this workshop. Worth every yen! Greets from Germany.

  • Ian R

    I did the Tokyo Night tour, the Temples of Tokyo tour, and the Temples of Kyoto tour. These should really be called workshops since Lukasz, Axel, and Charles spent a lot of time helping me to understand my camera settings, the unique composition opportunities at each location, and encouraged me to experiment to achieve new results.

    My background: Hobby photographer. Self taught, reading lots of blogs. Never had any formal photography workshops or classes before EYExplore. Shooting on a Sony A6000 with the kit wide angle and kit zoom lens.

    I appreciated all three tours, and each one has a different flavor.

    In Kyoto the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, so Axel did a great job of altering his usual tour to really focus in on the cherry blossoms. as a result i have some awesome shots of cherry blossoms + shrines! We focused on the 55-210mm lens.

    In the temples of tokyo tour I asked charles to focus more on the typical temples route plus some street photography since i felt i had already gotten great cherry blossom shots with Axel. Charles has an excellent set of shots on this tour, and does a great job showing how the photographer can get involved to make the scene into what they want vs. passively capturing what is already there. We split time between the 18-50mm and the 55-210mm lenses.

    In the Tokyo Night tour, Lukasz was amazing and worked with my schedule to start the tour pretty far away from his normal location. He has an EXCELLENT library of locations to choose from, and i think each location yielded me a once in a lifetime shot. I really appreciated that he took the time to make sure i got a sharp, well exposed shot in each location before moving on – night photography is iterative, and he really knows what is possible at each location. A few locations took up to a dozen tries before he was happy with the result. I also appreciated that Lukasz was already familiar with my specific camera model and knew how to adjust the settings to get the shot. We exclusively used the 18-50mm lens, almost always wide open.

    Overall, i would highly recommend any EYExplore tour to any photographer at any level. Their team will work with you to get great shots and introduce you to really cool areas of the city you might not otherwise explore.

  • usphotoguy

    Great experience. I started with Temples of Tokyo, then did Tokyo Vertigo and Tokyo at Night. I liked them enough to book Osaka Cyberpunk, Tokyo Metropolis and Tokyo Rush the following week.

    Lukasz, Charlie, and Axel were great instructors. They were able to break me out of an “all horizontal lines must be horizontal” mindset that has added another dimension to my photography. That’s just the beginning. The techniques and philosophical approaches I learned will last me a lifetime.

    The results were fantastic. The light trail shots I ended up with from Tokyo Rush were incredible. A lot of the Temple shots, particularly at Yushima Seido, I never would have noticed if Lukasz’s sharp eye hadn’t caught on to them. Some of the Tokyo at Night techniques led to fantastic shots of the people, vehicles, and lights of Shinjuku.

    I could go on and on but you get the picture. These guys are awesome. You will have a good time, you will end up with some of the coolest photos you have ever shot, and you will learn a lot regardless of your skill level. A+++ would buy again.

  • koshimatsu

    年末に友人3人と”東京ストリート”に参加しました。ストリートフォトには興味がありましたが、ワークショップに参加したのはこれが初めてです。私は東京生まれの日本人ですが、ストリーォトのロケーションとしてファインダーを通して東京の街を見るのは実に新鮮な体験でした。10ヵ所以上のポイントで、場所の特徴を生かした実践的なテクニックを教えていただき、今まで自分では撮ったことのない様な素晴らしい写真を沢山持ち帰ることができました。ストリートフォトに興味がある方に是非お勧めします。

  • rmikealm

    This review is long overdue, but needed to be said! My teenage daughter and I did an evening tour with Axel that was one of the highlights of our Tokyo trip. We learned a ton about the city, its art and architecture, and its people wandering through the metro and various neighbourhoods in the city. We didn’t see the typical tourist attractions but instead how the city flows and how to capture its splendor on film. Axel’s photography instructions, little exercises, and corrections were terrific, fun, and made our 2 hours with him fly by.

    My daughter’s photography skills are pretty good already, and Axel was able to give her higher-level instructions while helping me with the basics. We both left better photographers! I recommend this photography tour to everyone I know traveling to Tokyo without hesitation.

  • Ricky

    This was my first trip to Tokyo and wanted to be sure to take home some memorable photos. But not just any simple snapshots.. I wanted to photos that I could show my friends and have a big wow factor! 🙂 I met up with my instructor Lukasz for the Tokyo night time tour. I am extremely satisfied with my experience. Lukasz was able to take me to some very locations in Shinjuku and Shibuya. He provided me very tips on using my tripod as well as setting up the shots… not just exposure, but the best usage of shuttle speed to capture the trailing lights of cars as well as people. I also really appreciated his explanations on composition options for the shots. This tour gave both a great learning experience for my photography as well as providing me with the nice photos to take home and share with friends and family! Thank you Lukasz!!!

  • Tye T

    If you’re just getting started in the world of photography, this is a fantastic experience! You’ll get to spend time with someone who clearly knows what they are doing and will give you helpful tips on how to improve your photography with hands on examples as you go. Highly recommended!

  • Adam H

    This was my second EYEplore photography tour (after participating in the ‘Tokyo By Night’ tour with Lukasz last year) and, again, it was value for money and a very informative and enjoyable way to brush up on my photography skills, and visit some off the beaten track areas of Tokyo. Charles (a very personable Melburnian!) was my guide and, at all times, he was very patient in explaining technical issues and reviewing and advising on my photos. My only regret is not doing the tour at the beginning of the trip, as I could have employed my new found photography knowledge and skills for the duration of my entire holiday! Thanks again Charles and EYEplore for a great experience!

  • Dee4137

    I have traveled several times to Japan, usually taking photographs alone. My Husband found Eyexplore online and signed me up for a daytime tour and an evening tour on the same day. Lukasz was the photography guide. The tours were fun and Lukasz really is not only a knowledgeable photographer, but also as a teacher. Lukasz was able to give guidance and suggestions for all levels of photographers in the group. I am an advanced amateur and found all of Lukasz’s suggestions advancing my abilities and my vision.

    One big draw is the Instructor guides have discovered hidden gems and are willing to share them. This is so you have a unique and challenging experience seeing Japan in a new and different way. On my last visit to Japan, I took a solo tour with Lukasz and I brought back fabulous photographs.

    I highly recommend you take a tour with EYExplore no matter what level of a photographer you might be. You go to places you can only imagine. You will ride public transport and do quite a bit of walking. Wear comfy shoes, and limit your camera bag to make yourself more mobile. And if it says rain, do bring an umbrella. You will have a wonderful experience.

  • whole-of-the-moon

    I did 2 tours with EYExplore and enjoyed both of them. Very friendly and helpful. It was fun to be taking photos with a group of like minded people. A welcome break from solo travelling.

  • olli t

    Three days in Tokyo. Where to start? A photo workshop seemed like a good idea. A quick search turned up Eye Explore offering photography adventures in Tokyo. Which to choose? Tokyo Metropolis or Streets of Tokyo? The former seemed closer to my kind of photography, the latter would push me a little more. The calendar made the decision for me: Streets of Tokyo.

    The website set out the goals:
    Expand your idea of what makes a great street photograph
    Get confident at photographing people in public
    Have fun while interacting with people on the streets
    Practice making candid photos of urban denizens

    We met by Harajuka station. There were four of us: Axel and Lukasz from Eye Explore, me and one other participant. One of the features of the Eye Explore approach that drew my attention initially was the small group size — a maximum of four people plus guide. This was better yet.

    Harajuku, a train ride, Shibuya. Two and a half hours from 5pm to 7.30pm in beautiful weather. Two hundred photographs — a handful worth keeping. Axel and Lukasz were excellent guides taking us through very different nighbourhoods and great locations within those neighbourhoods. And excellent mentors — ready with advice, suggestions, tips, encouragement without ever being too intrusive or overly prescriptive.

    The most entertaining part of the evening was spent at the famous Shibuya crossing. Here, guided by Axel and Lukasz we repeatedly walked part way into the road, knelt down in the crossing and photographed the oncoming pedestrians with the bright lights of Shibuya as a backdrop.

    Even though the four of us were kneeling down in the middle of the crossing on one of the busiest junctions in the world, with a press of people coming from behind and in front of us, no one objected. No one trampled us, no one pushed us aside, no one shouted at us, no one even gave us a dirty look. Best of all, as we knelt in the middle of the crossing taking photographs, a police officer ambled by in front of us and gave us not a second glance. I dare you to try this in London, New York or Paris.

    Recommended.

  • Michelle-MXNYC

    This is a long-overdue review of the two-day personalized photo tour my husband and I took with EYExplore in Tokyo (Metropolis) in February 2018.

    Undoubtedly, both Axel and Lukasz are amazing photographers and teachers. But what really sets these two apart from the multitude of good photographers out there is their intuitive ability to identify placements, timings, and locations that result in the amazing images photographers dream of. The photographs we took during this tour were beyond anything we could have achieved on our own simply by spending ten days photographing the popular sights of Tokyo. The images we captured were only possible through Axel and Lukasz’ intimate knowledge of the city, commitment to studying the locations on offer, and incredible eye for candid shots.

    Axel and Lukasz also know what they’re doing in terms of business, their target audience, and the fact that a ton of photographers or photography enthusiasts use social media. They tapped into this expertise to deliver a workshop that featured fantastic street photography opportunities of temples and other sights that would look impressive on Instagram while teaching us powerful shortcuts and user secrets that helped us to use our DSLR cameras better.

    We loved our experience with EYExplore (particularly the subway shots and Inari After Dark) and would recommend it for novice and more seasoned photographers alike. Axel and Lukasz will help you to better use a super sophisticated camera or create impressive images using just your iPhone. If you complete this tour, you will not be disappointed; you will leave Japan with a portfolio of fantastic images that would otherwise be virtually impossible to shoot in a short period of time without deep knowledge of the city.

  • Carol D

    My husband, son and I experienced this Tokyo Metropolis Photo Adventure on Nov 3, 2017 with leader Stephane. Stephane and the adventure could not have been better. We had 3 levels of photography interest in our group and Stephane met all of our needs. I was basically happy with just walking and pulling out my cell phone for a shot every once in a while, my son had a much better camera with his cell phone and tried every experiment Stephane suggested using Reflection and/or Negative Space.

    My husband had 2 cameras along and was changing back and forth. We all got some interesting shots. We were lucky enough to be in Tokyo on a Holiday so streets were filled with people and added more interest to shots. Stephane took us to buildings that we never would have thought of, if going alone. Of course we hit the Ginza area and loved it. Tour probably covered 3 miles in walking with some stairs but well worth the experience. Would definitely do a repeat.

  • Narciso A

    EYExplore provides photographer-centric tours of Tokyo, with skill levels from beginner to professional. For beginners, they teach basic camera operations so that you will get the most of the walkaround tour of beautiful places. For professionals, they have extensive experience in the area, perfect for getting suggestions on shooting places and new ideas for your new project. They also tell you what you need to get the most out of the tour, and do not hesitate to answer questions you may field. Cameras of all kinds can be taken on these tours, and the guides will take extra care that you are safe and comfortable during your session.

  • clg914

    We did 2 tours Tokyo by night and Kyoto photo tour as well. Both tours were private and Lukasz and Axel were really nice and very patient with us. Neither my husband or I know much about photography and we both feel as though we learned so much. The guides were really informative and very interesting people who have great photography skills. These were fun workshops and I think anyone from novice to expert would enjoy them. The amount of time is perfect and the spots are just fantastic. Please do not hesitate to book these tours trust me you will like it! I can’t wait to try out my new photography skills! Both tours were different and the pictures I took are great, not only that I feel like I could take better pictures anywhere now. Thanks guys you are true professionals and really fun and interesting to be around.

  • Natalie

    Great tours! Learned so much and my photos from Tokyo reflect the patient, expert input. Four tours – two days – a lot of walking and photo snapping. I’m proud of my photos (took shots I never knew I could or even THOUGHT possible) and my progress in both the art and technique of photography. Many thanks Lukasz for believing I could when I wasn’t sure, for explaining things as many times as needed to ‘get the shot right’, for changing the way I see the world through the lens and for making everyone on our night tour feel pretty darned amazing in the cold and rain as we produced great photographs. Thanks!!! I’ll be back for Vertigo, Kyoto and Osaka.

  • Richard N

    I did 3 consecutive photo tours with EYExplore with the goal of improving my street and night photography. Lucas was great with showing use of new camera settings, tips on composition and was really attentive – with good local knowledge. Thanks for helping me get some great shots guys!

  • Nadir A

    Fantastic tour with a really knowledgeable guide. As a complete photography novice, Stéphane taught me a lot about how to use my camera better, including explaining the different modes (aperture priority, shutter priority etc.) and what kind of settings I should use in what circumstances. He was also clearly really familiar with Tokyo as he led me around the city really easily, going to different parts in order to take different types of pictures. Highly recommended.

  • Lachina

    If you’re not a professional photographer, the best way to get some really good photos of Tokyo is to spend time with Stéphane and Lucas, as I did. You’ll get the people and the places that will make your photos memorable and unique, and you’ll learn (or re-learn) a few tips to use after your workshops have ended. Whether your first time in Tokyo or even if you live here, you’ll get some great photos and enjoy the experience.