Two superb Kyoto photographers have allowed Inside Kyoto to showcase their work in our weekly “Kyoto Photo” series – a new photo will be published here on the Inside Kyoto blog each week. Here’s the inside story on Damien Douxchamps and Jeffrey Friedl
About Damien Douxchamps

I’ve lived in Japan for about 10 years, where I work as entrepreneur, researcher and photographer.
Kyoto is the center of traditional culture in Japan so there’s always new places to see and new things to do. Personally I became more and more interested in the zen atmosphere of temples, and ended up photographing more than 200, often visiting them numerous times to get the proper light at the proper season. Photography can be a frustrating past time!
When I go hunting for pictures these days I try to find places that are only open exceptionally, once every few years, as these are the only ones that I haven’t (over-)visited. I will then often be the only foreigner for the day as the phone calls, postcard reservations and hours of internet search quickly thin the herd of tourists. Except in autumn when no place is safe from the tablet-toting obaa-san 🙂
For more on Damien, see his full resume
About Jeffrey Friedl

Jeffrey was born in California and raised in Ohio, but has been living in Japan on and off for the last 25 years. He’s got a masters in Computer Science, and has worked for Omron, Yahoo!, and Adobe, among others. He is the author of Mastering Regular Expressions (O’Reilly Media, 1997, 2002, and 2005).
Jeffrey lives in Kyoto with his wife and son. His interests including photography (obviously), blogging, and creating photo-processing add-ons for Adobe Lightroom. Jeffrey’s blog is http://regex.info/blog/.
Kyoto Vacation Checklist
- For all the essentials in a brief overview, see my First Time In Kyoto guide
- Check Kyoto accommodation availability on Booking.com – usually you can reserve a room with no upfront payment. Pay when you check out. Free cancellations too
- Need tips on where to stay? See my one page guide Where To Stay In Kyoto
- See my comprehensive Packing List For Japan
- Buy a data-only SIM card online for collection when you arrive at Kansai International Airport (for Osaka and Kyoto) or Tokyo's Narita Airport. Or rent an unlimited data pocket wifi router
- Compare Japan flight prices and timings to find the best deals
- If you're visiting more than one city, save a ton of money with a Japan Rail Pass – here's my explanation of why it's worth it
- A prepaid Suica card makes travelling around Kyoto easy – here's how
- World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world