NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO400)

The first day in Kyoto we had cloudless skies but now it is raining. Kyoto is beautiful anyway.

It’s a little dark but it still warm and it doesn’t feel like November at all. More like summer in Ireland. We are in Sōseien Garden which is located a short walk from the station. We just wanted to see another Japanese garden but we were not ready to deal with the masses. This little garden during a light drizzle was perfect. Just a couple of visitors and mostly Japanese.

NIKON Z 8 (110mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO1800)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/5.6, 1/50 sec, ISO320)
NIKON Z 8 (44mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO800)
NIKON Z 8 (50mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO720)
NIKON Z 8 (100mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO450)
NIKON Z 8 (39mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO4000)
NIKON Z 8 (120mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO400)

Japanese gardens immediately calm me down. There is something special about them. It’s perfectly balanced. You are always aware that you are in a garden but it looks so natural. There are trees, bushes, moss, little lakes and little streams and small bridges to cross them. I wish my garden would look a little like that. But what looks so natural and effortless is the result of the constant work of an army of gardeners. We saw gardeners at work in Kyoto and also Kanazawa later during our trip.

When I entered the garden I put the Nikon Z 24-120mm F4 S on my Nikon Z8 and the lens stayed there until we were back in our hotel again. To have one wide range weather sealed zoom lens on a weather sealed body gives me real peace of mind. And 24-120mm is a perfect for landscape and garden photography. The 24-120 is even good enough for close up flower portraits but there are no flowers in a Japanese garden.

The rain helped to intensify the colours. I love the lush greens in those pictures. I also took some short video clips of the rain falling into the lake because it was such a calming experience. I understand why locals visit this place. It’s just perfect if you need a break from the bustling city life.

NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z 8 (84mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z 8 (42mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z 8 (69mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/5.6, 1/50 sec, ISO4500)
NIKON Z 8 (54mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO1400)

What I love on the Z 24-120mm F4 S is that f4 is wide enough to allow for some subject isolation on a full frame sensor. Sure the Z 24-70mm F2.8 S would be even better for that but when I’m traveling I always like to give a little context. You can’t do that if you fully blur the background. Maybe the Bokeh of the 24-120 is a tad busy but I prefer that over the fake look that my iPhone gives me in portrait mode.

I think the Z 24-120mm F4 S is the perfect travel zoom. It has the perfect range and it is still sharp enough and fast enough to create a very nice look. On a high resolution sensor you could also crop in significantly in case that 120mm should not be long enough.

NIKON Z 8 (41mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO560)
NIKON Z 8 (44mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO450)

Back in the hotel we had a little rest before we went out for dinner. On the way to the restaurant I had to take an image of the hotel corridor. As you can see this is not a small hotel at all. It almost looks like this corridor goes on forever. The room was rather compact but it had two beds and all amenities and even a small desk.

NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/50 sec, ISO1250)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO500)

Because we both caught a cold it was Ramen time again. Japan is food heaven but only if you are not a vegetarian or a vegan. I’ve been here a lot and I can’t think of one single Japanese dish that doesn’t either contain fish or meat. If you are a die hard vegan a vacation in Japan could be a challenge. It’s not a problem if you don’t like fish but you will miss out on a lot of amazing things.

Kyoto has a lot of tourists but there are still a lot of quiet places where you can just walk in peace and contemplate about life.

NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800)