The Wakkanai North Breakwater Dome is a unique shooting gem made up of concrete colonnade running along the harbour at the top of Hokkaido. It was built in the 1930s to stop the large waves and strong winds from washing across the pier. Seventy columns carry a half arched roof that is enclosed on the water side and left open to the roadway/park. You can easily set up at either end and shoot straight down the entire dome letting the arches repeat all the way to the vanishing point. The open side faces the evening sun so light slides in through the gaps and creates bars of shadows across the deck. This is also a unique spot to experiment with street/urban photography. Adding people partway down the row gives a sense of scale to the composition, plus the columns create unique framing opportunities. Snow blows through the openings in winter and the deck ices over changing the whole mood of the scene and making it a spot that is worth visiting during different seasons. A red granite monument to the old Sakhalin ferry route sits at the north end. It's open all the time with no admission fees, and just five minutes on foot from Wakkanai Station. (Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan)
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