Street Photography in Kyoto

North of Shijo-dori, the Shirakawa canal and Shinbashi-dori give you willow trees and wooden teahouses on public streets. Go at 7 am, before tour groups, when you get shop owners sweeping and locals crossing the little bridges. Stand on a bridge and use the canal as a line into the frame. South of Shijo, Hanamikoji is public, but its side lanes are private: no entry and no photos, with a 10,000 yen fine. Composition idea: a figure walking under a lantern with the canal in front. Caution: if a maiko passes, step aside and let her go. Never block or follow her.

Eric Kim rates Kyoto near the Kamo River as one of his favorite places for street photography, and it is easy to see why. The banks are Kyoto's living room: joggers, students, couples, musicians and people eating on the grass. In the evening couples famously sit at even spacing along the western bank, which makes a ready-made repeating pattern. Shoot from the Shijo or Sanjo bridges looking down, or walk the path at golden hour with the sun low behind you. Composition idea: one figure between two gaps in the row of couples. Caution: cyclists use the path, so watch your back.

Nishiki is a covered market about 400 meters long, known as Kyoto's Kitchen. Cooks grill skewers while shoppers squeeze past. Many stalls open around 10 am, and mid-morning is when locals still outnumber tourists. The roof gives even, soft light, so it works on rainy days. Stand at a stall corner and shoot along the lane for depth. Composition idea: a cook's hands sharp in front, the crowd soft behind. Caution: many stalls post no-photo signs and the market asks people not to eat while walking. Respect the signs, and buy something before you ask for a close shot.

Pontocho is a narrow stone alley between Shijo and Sanjo, lined with restaurants and lanterns. It is most photogenic at blue hour and after dark, and even better after rain. The alley is dim, so work at f/1.4 to f/2 and ISO 1600 or more. Stand at one end and shoot down its length, or step into one of the small side passages that open onto the river and frame the alley through it. Composition idea: a passerby blurred at a slow shutter against sharp lanterns. Caution: some restaurants post no-photo signs, and the alley is too narrow to stop in, so keep moving.

Kyoto Station is a huge steel and glass building, and a strong antidote to temple fatigue. The long staircase inside rises up to a rooftop and gives you a high view down on commuters crossing the concourse. Morning light comes through the glass roof in hard beams, and evening turns the glass into reflections. Stand high on the staircase and look down for shapes and shadows. Composition idea: one commuter crossing a single beam of light. Caution: stay off station platforms with a tripod and keep clear of gates at rush hour.

Fushimi Inari is the shrine with thousands of red torii gates running up Mount Inari. By mid-morning the lower gates are a queue of people posing. Come at sunrise or earlier, as The Wandering Lens advises, and you get the tunnels almost to yourself. The higher you climb, the fewer people there are. Stand inside a tunnel and wait for one walker to enter the far end. Composition idea: a figure small at the vanishing point of the gates. Caution: it is a working shrine, so let worshippers pass and do not climb on anything. It is 5 minutes from Kyoto Station on the JR Nara Line.

Shijo-Kawaramachi is the main downtown crossing, with department stores and heavy foot traffic day and night. Kimono renters and office workers mix at the lights. After rain the neon reflects off the road. Stand at the corner and use the crosswalk stripes as leading lines, or head into the Teramachi and Shinkyogoku arcades for even overhead light. Composition idea: a pan at 1/30 s on a cyclist crossing the stripes. Caution: this is a busy crossing, so shoot from the curb and never step into traffic for a frame.