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As our slogan, "'''JAPAN: In Pictures & English'''," implies, it is (or will be) a Web site serving as an image-rich guide to Japan in English. It is a project in progress started in 2005 by [[Philbert Ono]], a photographer based in Tokyo, Japan.
[http://photoguide.jp/ PHOTOGUIDE.JP] is a Web site dedicated to showing what Japan is like with photos, videos, articles, and blog entries by me, Philbert Ono. By accessing PHOTOGUIDE.JP’s top page, you can easily navigate to or search for what interests you. There are images for all of the 47 prefectures which I have visited. The home page menus list some of the photo albums/sets/categories you can find here. I also use [https://twitter.com/philbertono Twitter (@philbertono)] to announce website updates. My videos are all on [http://www.youtube.com/user/photojpn YouTube.]


The site is driven by and consists of three main sections: [http://photoguide.jp/pix/ Photos], [http://photoguide.jp/txt/ Articles], and [http://photoguide.jp/log/ News]. Each section is driven by a different system so the design and layout looks different. [http://photoguide.jp/pix/ Photos] is our online photo gallery, [http://photoguide.jp/txt/ Articles] is where you find in-depth articles, and [http://photoguide.jp/log/ News] provides site news and announcements.
PHOTOGUIDE.JP basically has four sections:


Note that for some reason, Internet Explorer for Windows is unable to properly display most pages at the [http://photoguide.jp/pix/ Photos] section. I recommend using [http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/ Firefox] (which is free and works great) or another Web browser.
[http://photoguide.jp/pix/index.php?cat=2 Japan Photos] is my online collection of tens of thousands of photos of all of Japan’s 47 prefectures. The images are organized by prefecture/city/town/village. Some images are also organized according to theme. Most images are available for licensing ([http://photoguide.jp/log/contact-us/ contact us]).
[http://photoguide.jp/txt/ Japan Articles] is where I write full-length articles about Japan-related subjects.
[http://photoguide.jp/log/ Japan Blog] (which you are reading now) is filled with my commentaries about Japan.
[http://www.youtube.com/user/photojpn Japan Videos (YouTube)] (username: photojpn) centers on Japanese festivals or matsuri. I like to capture the motions and sounds which still photos cannot capture or convey.
Some resources on this site are also shared with my sister site called [http://photojpn.org PhotoGuide Japan (photojpn.org)] which introduces Japanese photography.


Since I just started, the site is still largely under construction. It will probably take 10 years worth of spare time to reach the level of site development I would be happy with.
My favorite subjects to shoot are traditional Japanese things like festivals (matsuri), castles, temples (especially National Treasures), women in kimono, sumo, cherry blossoms, etc. But I also shoot many other things in Japan. Although I have visited all 47 prefectures, there are still many places I plan to visit and introduce on this site. Just about every month, I visit a place or see something I’ve never visited or seen before in Japan. I specialize in Tokyo (where I live) and the Kyoto area.


The main objectives of this site are:
My photos are organized in coherent photo sets (albums) which give you a good idea of what a place or festival looks like. I’m a prolific shooter and can easily shoot several hundred pictures a day. I select the best ones and put them in a logical sequence for you to view online. One photo set (for a festival, etc.) may have up to 250 images. You will never see this many pictures in any travel guide book on Japan.
*To showcase my pictures of Japan.
*To write about Japan and my travel experiences here and offer travel tips.
*To help people understand Japan better.
*To entice more people to visit Japan.
*In doing all of the above, to study and learn about Japan on a much deeper level than ever before.


What motivated me to start this site was:
My main motivation behind all of this is that, I want to rediscover Japan for myself and to promote tourism in Japan at the same time. I want more people from overseas to visit and understand Japan. (As well as residents to discover more about the country they live in.) To show that Japan is much more than just Tokyo, Kyoto, and Mt. Fuji. Visiting Japan, even as a tourist, is the first step toward understanding the country better.
*I have a lot of pictures of Japan doing nothing but living in shoe boxes and hard drives. It's high time that I give them a little exposure.
*Even the best travel guide books on Japan cannot show that many pictures of Japan and do not cover what I think should be covered.
*Online travel guides also do not have that many photos and do not explain things in depth.
*I like to take pictures of Japan, and I like to write.
*I tried doing something like this on Wikipedia, but I kept running into endless (and mostly useless) arguments about style, etc., and unnecessary editing by amateur or non-expert writers or vandals.
*I think that I have spent enough time (10 years) on my other Web site called [http://photojpn.org/ PhotoGuide Japan] and want to pursue a more exciting project. (I will still be maintaining PhotoGuide Japan and its online business, but there are no plans for major improvements or expansion.)


PHOTOGUIDE.JP is also a sister site to my first baby (now all grown up) called [http://photojpn.org/ PhotoGuide Japan], the world's leading guide to photography in Japan since 1996. Since the two sites share common resources, you might sometimes see the PhotoGuide Japan logo instead of the PHOTOGUIDE.JP logo.
About Me
Based in Tokyo, I’m an American citizen of Japanese ancestry born and raised in Hawaii, USA. I now live and work in Tokyo, Japan. I am fluent in Japanese–reading, writing, and speaking. You can read more about me here.
 
Enjoy!
 
Philbert Ono
Tokyo, Japan


For more information about PHOTOGUIDE.JP, see the [[Help:Contents|FAQ]].
For more information about PHOTOGUIDE.JP, see the [[Help:Contents|FAQ]].

Latest revision as of 18:01, 11 May 2018

Site logo.png

PHOTOGUIDE.JP is a Web site dedicated to showing what Japan is like with photos, videos, articles, and blog entries by me, Philbert Ono. By accessing PHOTOGUIDE.JP’s top page, you can easily navigate to or search for what interests you. There are images for all of the 47 prefectures which I have visited. The home page menus list some of the photo albums/sets/categories you can find here. I also use Twitter (@philbertono) to announce website updates. My videos are all on YouTube.

PHOTOGUIDE.JP basically has four sections:

Japan Photos is my online collection of tens of thousands of photos of all of Japan’s 47 prefectures. The images are organized by prefecture/city/town/village. Some images are also organized according to theme. Most images are available for licensing (contact us). Japan Articles is where I write full-length articles about Japan-related subjects. Japan Blog (which you are reading now) is filled with my commentaries about Japan. Japan Videos (YouTube) (username: photojpn) centers on Japanese festivals or matsuri. I like to capture the motions and sounds which still photos cannot capture or convey. Some resources on this site are also shared with my sister site called PhotoGuide Japan (photojpn.org) which introduces Japanese photography.

My favorite subjects to shoot are traditional Japanese things like festivals (matsuri), castles, temples (especially National Treasures), women in kimono, sumo, cherry blossoms, etc. But I also shoot many other things in Japan. Although I have visited all 47 prefectures, there are still many places I plan to visit and introduce on this site. Just about every month, I visit a place or see something I’ve never visited or seen before in Japan. I specialize in Tokyo (where I live) and the Kyoto area.

My photos are organized in coherent photo sets (albums) which give you a good idea of what a place or festival looks like. I’m a prolific shooter and can easily shoot several hundred pictures a day. I select the best ones and put them in a logical sequence for you to view online. One photo set (for a festival, etc.) may have up to 250 images. You will never see this many pictures in any travel guide book on Japan.

My main motivation behind all of this is that, I want to rediscover Japan for myself and to promote tourism in Japan at the same time. I want more people from overseas to visit and understand Japan. (As well as residents to discover more about the country they live in.) To show that Japan is much more than just Tokyo, Kyoto, and Mt. Fuji. Visiting Japan, even as a tourist, is the first step toward understanding the country better.

About Me Based in Tokyo, I’m an American citizen of Japanese ancestry born and raised in Hawaii, USA. I now live and work in Tokyo, Japan. I am fluent in Japanese–reading, writing, and speaking. You can read more about me here.

Enjoy!

Philbert Ono Tokyo, Japan

For more information about PHOTOGUIDE.JP, see the FAQ.