We Are One Autumn Photography & Cycling Tour in Kyoto

Text by Alex

Armed with a variety of cameras, old and new and of all shapes and sizes, a bicycle and a desire to capture the best of the seasons colours before winter casts her cold hand on the city, a group of 10 WaAreOne friends gathered for a leisurely jaunt around some of Kyoto's most beautiful spots last Sunday.

Having assembled at Kyoto station, we set out in high spirits, delighted by the clear skies and good light. Many of the attendees were also excited by the prospect of implementing some of the techniques they had learnt at the recent WeAreOne Photography Workshop, taught by WAO friend and professional photographer Tamago Gogogo and WAO pro photographer Lin, who joined us for the adventure.

We rode up along the Kamogawa, stopping to snap the autumn scenes of the river, a favourite place for many lovers of Kyoto. We then swung East, stopping off at Heian Jingu for a group snap, before parking up for a stroll around the beautiful Nanzenji. There were some great scenes recorded here by everyone, inspired by the shades of the Momiji and the joyful creativity in each other.

Following Nanzenji we sat by the river again and picnicked on bread from the bakery at Demachi (famous among locals for its delicious bread and violin-playing octogenerian) and 250 yen bento. We wrapped the day up with a last camera sesh at a very colourful Shimogamo Jinja, before heading back home for nabe to warm us up and replace any lost energy.

The legs may have been tired the following day but there were much longer lasting memories from a day of fun and friends in our favourite city. 

This year’s Summer in Kyoto lasted rather long pushing Autumn back by quite a bit. There 

are rumors that Autumn will not last for too long before the bitter cold Winter steps in. So, 

before shades of orange, yellow and red turn into naked branches all too fast, let’s all saddle 

up on our bikes, bring out our cameras to capture or to be captured through the lens in this 

special season of the year in 2010. 

Date: 5th Dec 2010 Sunday

Time: 12noon to 5pm

Meeting point: Kyoto Cycling Tour Project, Kyoto Station Cycling Terminal 

http://www.kctp.net/en/access/index.html

Cost: This is a free event

What to bring: your own bicycle or rent one (1500yen or 2000yen for a day, please check for 

availability with the bicycle rental shop in advance), camera, food for picnic and your smile

Program:

Get yourself ready with your bike and camera before 1200

We will move off at 1200.

We will follow the leader to go to various exotic locations in Kyoto

and take photos along the way. 

We will make stops for photo taking and resting.

We will arrive at some scenic place for our picnic. 

You can join us or leave us anytime you wish. 

Please volunteer yourself as the leader as we may need a few if there needs to be a few 

smaller groups. Leaders will lead the groups to various scenic places for the best photos. 

Don’t worry we will wait for everyone, but please catch up if you are behind. Make sure 

safety is not compromised and we shall enjoy the season and have fun. 

Contact:

we.are.one.japan@gmail.com