Visual Diary: Waypoint Nara

There’s this idea that popular tourist spots suck for photography. The usual argument? They’ve been shot to death. Every angle’s already on Instagram, and you end up recreating someone else’s photo or worse, just following the breadcrumb trail that’s been laid out for you.

Nara, Japan is one of those places. Google “Japan travel ideas” and it’s right there in the top ten: the deer, the temples, and all the rest.

Don’t let the popularity of a place make you feel bad for showing up. It’s popular for a reason. Go see it. Feed the hype deer. Stare at the big temple. Take the cliché shot. If it connects with you, that’s all that matters.

Now for the photography side of it. Yeah, at surface level you’ll probably walk away with the same shots as everyone else. You can try to force a new spin, new angle, whatever. But the way I deal with that sameness is simple: I treat these spots like waypoints in a video game.

They get me to a new area. I show up, do the “quest” grab the postcard photos, laugh at the souvenir stalls and then I wander off. Leave the waypoint behind. Find the backstreets. That’s where the real magic usually hides.

In Nara, that’s exactly what happened.

Yes, I fed the deer. (Also got chased by one.)

Yes, I did the temple walk and took the “classic Japan” selfie to send home.

No, I didn’t buy the keychain.

All fine. But it wasn’t until I ditched the main trail and slipped down some random side streets that Nara really clicked. That’s where I found locals just living their lives. That’s where I stumbled into a tiny café run by a couple who poured me the best coffee of the trip. That’s where I ended up laughing with strangers over ramen, even though we couldn’t speak the same language.

That’s when the photography stopped being about recreating what I’d seen online. It turned into a diary entry, my version of the place. Just walking in a flow state, capturing whatever felt interesting.

Here’s what I found.