When I was still living in Zaandam, I once saw a poster of the famous Inntel Hotel in Zaandam (which looks like a stack of traditional Zaanse houses), with the I amsterdam logo underneath. Look, I get the idea: tourists only know Amsterdam, so let’s just call everything that. The famous Muiderslot castle became Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot, an outlet in Halfweg was branded as Amsterdam The Style Outlets, and of course, our airport is called Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol – even though it’s located in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer.

In Japan, they do the same thing. For instance, Tokyo Disney Resort isn’t in Tokyo at all; it’s in Chiba. The Tokyo Game Show and the Tokyo Auto Salon are held at the Makuhari Messe event complex, also in Chiba, and the international airport Narita, also known as Tokyo International Airport… you guessed it. This airport is located 60 kilometers east of Tokyo, and even with the express train, it takes over an hour to reach the city center.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need to spend hours on a train to experience the real Japan. While everyone is packed together walking through the streets of Asakusa, you’ll find a beautiful, large, and quiet temple complex called Naritasan just about 10 minutes from the airport.

Many tourists only visit Narita City because they have an early flight the next morning, but that really doesn’t do Narita justice. So when Charlotte visited me a while ago to help with some new press photos, we decided that Naritasan would be our first destination.

After picking up Charlotte, who had just stepped off a thirteen-hour flight, from the airport, we took the train to Keisei-Narita Station. From there, we walked to our hotel: a budget-friendly APA hotel where we each had our own tiny room. Since the rooms weren’t ready yet that morning, we left most of our luggage at the hotel and headed out to scout for photoshoot locations.

The Naritasan temple complex is about a 15- to 20-minute walk from the two train stations, JR Narita Station and Keisei Narita Station. The walk takes you mostly through the charming little town, which, of course, has plenty of hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops. There are also buses from the stations, but we didn’t find them necessary.

The complex, which dates back to the year 940, consists of several Buddhist temples, including the Shinshoji Temple, the Great Peace Pagoda (surrounded by a beautiful garden featuring a staircase and a fountain with a somewhat Western feel), a park (with adorable cats!), and a three-story pagoda that resembles its famous five-story “big brother” in Asakusa—but without the crowds. (That said, I’ve read that Naritasan attracts millions of visitors during New Year’s, so maybe skip those days!)

Narita City has several kimono rental shops, allowing you to stroll around the temples in full traditional style. For our second shoot day, I brought along my own kimono and yukata, which I’d scored for just a few hundred yen at a thrift store. For the occasion, I paired them—not with a traditional obi—but with an Air France airplane seatbelt. It is Narita, after all.