I took a trip to Kyoto last weekend to meet up with a good friend and published photographer – Sean Lotman.*

It’s been a while since I visited Kyoto and in the years that I’ve been away the city has continued to develop into a parody of itself. It’s as if it has turned into a Kyoto-themed amusement park. But I suppose that trumps the usual gentrification seen elsewhere.

So to get away from the hordes of Instagram crowds (did you know about the newly introduced Gion photography ban?) we headed northwest to the small town of Kameoka (亀岡) just over the hills. Much quieter, nicer scenery, and hardly anyone around. It was as if we’d walked onto a Kurusawa Akira movie set.

*Check out his wonderful book Sunlanders for a unique take on the Japanese people.