NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO200)
Shinsekai, maybe one of Japans most dangerous neighbourhoods. Not so sure about that but it could be true.
Maybe this is as dangerous as it gets in Japan which I think says a lot. Japan might be the safest country on the planet. I traveled a lot and I can’t think of any country that I visited so far that is safer than Japan or one that comes even close. I’m located in Austria, not exactly a dangerous place, but it’s obvious that Japan is still on a different level. Even Kabukichō, the red light district in Tokyo is safe at any time of the day if you use common sense.
I have been in sketchy places during business trips and on vacations. This is not one of them. Enough said. So what is Shinsekai? It’s a district built on the remains of an old amusement park inspired by Coney Island that saw very little investment after world war II. So a poorer part of Osaka but a very colourful one with tons of retro vibes. Perfect for photography!
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO200)
I have been here before during a business trip. Back then the weather wasn’t that nice and I spent most of the time inside. It also wasn’t crowded with tourists back then. I almost felt lost when I walked through the empty streets but I loved the small gaming hall that was full of original arcade games from the early 80s. I also loved the “cheap and loud and crazy” look of the restaurant and shop fronts. This is a very picturesque and exotic place and that’s why I had to show it to my wife.
In Osaka or Tokyo there are lots of skyscrapers, clean, luxurious shopping malls and fancy restaurants. Those are impressive, well designed and organised places but there are also places like Omiode Yokocho (Yakitori Alley), Dontonbori or Sinsekai. The tight, colourful, chaotic areas that look like the come from a different era. I love that those places still exist.
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO280)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO500)
As mentioned above Japan is super clean, organised and save so even those wilder corners are pristine. The Japanese just can’t help it. Wherever you go it looks like someone has just cleaned up the area. There is no trash and even stranger practicably no trash cans. I can’t imagine Vienna without a trash cans on every corner. Here you can’t find any and it still works.
I already wrote that there were hardly any tourists when I visited this place a couple of years ago. Now it’s different, very different. It’s not as busy as Dontonbori but it is getting there. I guess YouTube is to blame and Instagram and to a certain extent camera reviewers. When I watched the first reviews of the Panasonic Lumix S9 all reviewers seemed to have visited this area.
But the main reason: this is a very exotic and picturesque place that you won’t find anywhere else.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO400)
The whole area is nothing but shops and restaurants but in both cases the main topic is quantity over quality. If you want to eat a giant burger that looks like a skyscraper this is your place. Of course there is a lot of Japanese food too but what I’m trying to say is don’t expect excellence. Why do I know that? Because we had lunch and it was the only time during our stay where I was not impressed with the food. It was still good though.
So in Japan even the sketchy corners are not that sketchy at all and in the most touristy places the food is still perfectly fine and prices are reasonable. I hope Japan won’t change too much because it is just perfect as it is.
Talking about perfect: All images of this blog post are taken with two lenses: The Nikon Z 20mm F 1.8 S and the Nikon Z 26mm F2.8. Both lenses are excellent and I love their rendering. I think it really speaks for the 26mm that you can hardly take the images apart from the ones taken with the 20mm which is one of Nikons best lenses. The 26mm is a pancake and a rather simple design compared to the more fancy lenses from Nikon. Only 8 lenses in 6 groups no ED lenses. The 20mm has 14 lenses in 11 groups and 3 ED lenses. I think I even prefer the rendering of the simpler lens.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO220)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO2800)
After lunch it was time to leave and to get to our next destination: Dōtonbori, the touristic hot spot of Osaka. The area is most famous for its many restaurants lining up on both sides of the canal. But we will only briefly stop for sightseeing as we have an invitation tonight. A former business partner, now friend, will take us out for dinner.
The last image looks like it was taken during night but it was taken in the middle of the day in the underground. Only later I saw that I took a picture of a “women only” wagon. Yeah that’s also a thing in Japan. Men taken advantage of overcrowded trains during rush hour. The other side of Japan. Guess nobody is perfect.
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO7200)