Vegetation in January? Scenery?

Hi, I'm just wondering how the vegetation is affected in January, whether there are any leaves left, if the scenery doesn't look as good, and just generally how is the weather. Is it a bit like spring here?

Photography is a big reason I want to go, so would I be better off going in July? Would it be way more crowded?

thanks!

Peter,

It depends somewhat on what part of the country you are interested in and what exactly you want to photograph. In the Kanto (Tokyo) area, this is the driest season, so everything is very parched and bare right now. However, the weather is mostly very clear and sunny, making it great for photography, so long as you wrap up against the cold. April/May is better if you want luscious greens. July is pretty hot and humid, so not a particularly pleasant time of year.
If you want to see snow, head to the Japan Sea side of Japan or Hokkaido.

Thanks for the fast answer :) Apart from the humidity (I think I'm used to it), is july otherwise a good month to visit, visually speaking? I was thinking of maybe starting near the south during the first or second week of july when the rain season ends to see the wooden temple in the forest and such in the rain/fog, then when it clears up go up to Tokyo... I'd be following the 20 day Itinerary from this site actually.

Yes, July is a good time visually. Vegetation is lush. Rice fields are green. The rainy season can cause a nice misty atmosphere in the mountains. The landscape generally looks very nice in July.

Only Mount Fuji, most attractive when snow topped (in most people's opinion), will look naked.