Hi Katrin
My wife and I have been to Japan twice and really loved it. The first time was a total
culture shock, but we knew what to expect the second time. We were very na�ve - we
even had to watch someone to see how you were supposed to eat Miso soup without a
spoon; you pick it up and drink it of course !
Places to visit in Tokyo include Ueno Park and Asakusa Kannon Temple. We loved Hakone
when we stayed there, but we were a bit later in the year and it was very misty and
atmospheric. It may be a bit dry at this time of year. Other places to visit include
Nara and Nikko.
In terms of gear to take, the answer is whatever you are comfortable with for your
style of photography. I bought a Vivitar 19mm f3.8 before going and used it
extensively in the temples. One thing is to make sure you have spare batteries with
you - my wife had total battery failure both times at Asakusa - spooky!
Shinjuku in Tokyo has numerous camera equipment shops with everything! It's not
necessarily cheap though. You can buy stuff tax free if you show your passport in some
places. A place called the Handicraft Centre in Kyoto caters especially for the tax
free trade and had a small Pentax selection. I bought the AF500FTZ there for about
half the price in the UK. The second time I bought a Refconverter A in Shinjuku.
The main thing is to enjoy the culture change! The food is great, the mix of old and
new is amazing, and everyone is very friendly. And Pachinko Parlours are the noisiest
places on the planet!
Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: 22/03/04 11:52:01
To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: OT: Travel Tips - Japan
Hello everybody...
Something I wanted to do for several years now is travelling to Japan...
well finally it comes true... I'm flying in 9 days ^_^
We're staying mainly in Tokyo, but will also make some daytrips (Hakone)
and will spend a few days in Kyoto. When we are lucky we will even see
the hanami (cherry blossoms)
Does anybody have some tips? .... on equipment, motives, films, what
gadget to get *g*...
bye Katrin
