RE: OT: Travel Tips - Japan
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 naïve - 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
RE: OT: Travel Tips - Japan
Filmes in Japan are expensive so you might want to bring more, unless you want to try some of the Japanese only films (like Velvia 100, not Velvia 100F). If you don't speak or write Japanese, bring a calculator just in case you want to bargain when buying expensive photographic gears. Few years ago I paid 70,000 yen for my FA77 when they had listed 83,000 yen, all thanks to the calculator trick. In most cases, you don't have to pay 5% sale tax if purchased more than 10,000 yen. Some chain stores offer 10% credit the next time you purchase, but you might give up those credit if you want more discount on your first purchase. Oh... please try some green tea ice creams purchased from convenience stores too. I think it costs 80-100 yen each. I just couldn't get enough of it. Regards, Alan Chan http://www.pbase.com/wlachan 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 _ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN Premium. Get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines
Re: Travel Tips - Japan
One of my favorite spots is Japan is Miya Jima, an island in the inland sea completely occupied by temples and parks. It was a great please to relax, to experience Japanese culture, and to take photographs.
Re: Travel Tips - Japan
Katrin, My first tip is that you enter buses at the centre door and take a seat without first paying. You pay at your destination, then exit the bus via the front door. I learned this after letting two buses leave without me because I was waiting to enter via the front door. The second tip is never admit to speaking English if approached by schoolgirls. They want to practice their spoken English skills and you'll spend the whole day making small talk. You'll love Kyoto, I'd challenge anyone to be unimpressed. BTW check visitors times for the Imperial Palace in advance, we missed it because the Emperor was hosting a very private, but very official function which closed it to the public >:-( regards, Anthony Farr - Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 10:52 PM 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 ^_^ > (snip)
Re: Travel Tips - Japan
Be sure to see Katsura and the many other gardens and temples in Kyoto. You could spend weeks photo'ing that city. - Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 5:52 AM 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 > >
