Can I deduct my Tokyo trip as a business expense for my photography business if I create marketing videos/photos while there?

You've got the basics right, but there are some important details to consider before claiming your Tokyo trip as a business expense. For international business travel, the IRS does require that you spend at least 75% of your time on business activities. However, they don't necessarily define this as 6 hours of an 8-hour day. Instead, they look at how many days of your trip were primarily for business versus vacation. Travel time to and from shooting locations would generally count as business time since it's necessary for your work. The 50% meal deduction is correct - this applies to business meals while traveling. Accommodations can be fully deductible for days that are primarily business days. The key is documentation. Keep detailed records showing: 1. The business purpose of the trip (creating marketing materials) 2. Daily logs of business activities and hours 3. How this directly relates to your photography business 4. All receipts and expenses categorized properly Be aware that business travel deductions, especially international ones, can be scrutiny triggers. Make sure you can clearly demonstrate the primary purpose was business, not personal enjoyment.

After reading this thread, I thought I'd share my experience with something similar. I'm a product photographer and had a nightmare with my taxes last year trying to deduct a trip to Barcelona where I did both client work and created marketing content. I wish I had known about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) beforehand. They have a specific feature that helps self-employed creatives document business expenses for things like travel. Their system analyzes your documentation and tells you exactly what you need to substantiate business purpose. The best part for me was their template for travel logs that specifically addresses IRS requirements for international business trips. It helped me organize everything I needed to avoid an audit. Now I run all my questionable deductions through their system before filing.

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after my initial skepticism. I decided to try it for my wedding photography business taxes this year, and I'm actually really impressed. I uploaded my Japan trip receipts and business plan, and the system immediately flagged that I was missing documentation connecting my landscape photos to my primarily wedding-focused business. It suggested creating a clear marketing strategy document and tracking metrics after publishing the content to demonstrate business purpose. The trip deduction guidance was incredibly specific - down to which meals needed additional notes and how to properly document partially-personal days. It saved me from what would have definitely been audit triggers. Worth checking out if you're planning to deduct your Tokyo trip!

After reading about your Tokyo trip, I have to mention something that's been a game-changer for me with tax questions. Last year I had a similar situation with a business trip to Italy for my design business, and I needed clarification directly from the IRS but couldn't get through on their phone lines for WEEKS. I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and was skeptical but desperate. They actually got me connected to a real IRS agent in under 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to clarify exactly what documentation I needed for international business travel deductions and saved me from making a costly mistake on my return. The peace of mind from getting official answers directly was totally worth it.

I need to eat my words and apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After my dismissive comment, I actually tried it myself when I needed to resolve an issue with some 1099 income from my photography side gig. I was shocked when I got a call back connecting me to an actual IRS representative after about 35 minutes. The agent helped me understand exactly how to document my business travel expenses properly for an upcoming trip where I'd be doing client work and creating portfolio content. What would have been days of frustration turned into a single conversation that gave me official guidance. For self-employed creatives like us who have complicated tax situations, being able to actually speak with the IRS directly is invaluable. I'm actually planning to use it again to clarify some questions about home office deductions.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make sure you're keeping your receipts in Japanese AND getting English translations or notes for them. I'm an accountant who works with several photographers, and foreign receipt documentation is a major audit flag. Also, if you're bringing expensive camera equipment with you, document what you already own before leaving the country. I've had clients questioned about whether they purchased equipment abroad and were trying to hide it as "business expenses" rather than imports.

Has anyone used TurboTax to handle business travel deductions like this? I'm trying to figure out if their self-employed version would walk me through all these requirements or if I need a specialized tax preparer for my photography business.