NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/200 sec, ISO800)
Almost exactly 14 month after our first vacation we came back to Japan. Again for two weeks. Again on the golden route. It was still very different.
First of all we went in January – the coldest month in Japan. But it’s not as cold as in Austria and most of all not as dark. But let’s start with how we almost missed to get to Japan. Right before Christmas I started to see black dots with my right eye and a shadow that is best described as a windscreen wiper. Of course at Christmas and in between Christmas and New Year and beyond everything is closed including most doctors. But the sensation did not go away so I finally went to see an Ophthalmologist on Friday evening.
Not a day too soon. I had a retinal tear and from the doctor I went straight to the hospital to get my retina tucked on again with a laser. The next day I had to go again for a second procedure since the retina was already partially detached. I told the doctor that I plan to fly to Japan next Tuesday so they ask me to come in again on Monday for a final check and risk assessment. I was determent to go if the risk is below 20%. It was only 5% so I went. At the end I was going to Japan so the worst case scenario was an eye surgery in Japan.
So here is the first top tip: If you see some little black dots or a shadow with one of your eyes don’t waste any time but go straight to the hospital.
NIKON Z f (19.5mm, f/8, 1/30 sec, ISO180)
NIKON Z f (85mm, f/5, 1/200 sec, ISO110)
NIKON Z f (15mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO140)
Tuesday morning it rained and the roads were icy so we asked the taxi to pick us up half an hour earlier to ensure that we reach the airport on time. Well, there was no flight that day. Only when we reached the check in desk we found out that the airport is closed and there will be no flights until late afternoon. We could either fly to Frankfurt to get to Tokyo or come tomorrow morning at the same time. We opted for the later since we really wanted to have a direct flight.
So one day later we finally managed to fly off. Now as a bonus in an half empty plane as a lot of people opted to go via Frankfurt. An almost first class experience in economy as almost all passengers had a three seat row for their own.
We landed in Tokyo Haneda and like the last time we went straight to Shinagawa station where we experienced morning rush hour. From there we took the Shinkansen to Kyoto. This time in a green car since all seats on the Fuji side in the regular cars were occupied. We saw mount Fuji because in January the sky is clear most of the time. I still set the alarm clock on my iPhone to ensure that we would not miss Kyoto station in case we both would fall asleep.
In Kyoto we first put our luggage in a locker at the station and went to Yodobashi Camera to get local e-SIMs. It was still too early for check in. That’s what I call an efficient public transport: from Tokyo airport to Kyoto in a little more than 3 hours!
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO110)
NIKON Z f (18mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (14mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec, ISO900)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/200 sec, ISO3600)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
This time we stayed right in the Gion district and because we woke up early the first day we went for a morning walk up to Kiyomizu-dera temple. On our last trip, an afternoon in November, we were almost pushed up the stairs by the masses. This time it was almost empty. What a different experience. We even got a seat in the Starbucks on our way back to our hotel. Wow! Kyoto without thousands of tourists is something else. It was still busy later that day but nothing compared to our last trip. Then we went to see the Kenninji-temple right next to our hotel that we loved so much on our first visit. This temple is a magical place. Here is the blog post from our first trip: Kenninji-temple
In the afternoon we decided to visit Kinkaku-ji, the famous golden temple. We went there by taxi which was a good choice. This place was very busy but for a good reason. To see a golden temple on a bright and sunny day is something special. We went back to Gion by taxi to have coffee and cake in a cafe by the river. In the evening we had sushi in a fantastic seafood restaurant right next to our hotel. What a first day! I’m so happy that we made it to Japan.
The next day we went to Nara. I never managed to visit Nara on my many business trips and we also missed to visit it on our first vacation. Nara is very busy too especially on a weekend but for a good reason. This is an amazing place. The park, the deer but most of all Todai-ji, the temple with the big Buddha statue. This is among the most impressive man made things that I have seen. Nara is great and definitely a must see. I know that it is cool to walk off the beaten path but world heritage sites have their statues for a good reason. To not visit them just because those places are packed with tourists would be stupid. Go there and enjoy the experience even if a deer bites you in the ass.
Another one is the Kaiyūkan aquarium in Osaka. Yes it is highly problematic to have whale sharks in a tank. It’s still awesome to watch the biggest fish on the planet gliding by in slow motion. The sunfish was an amazing sight too.
NIKON Z f (15mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO280)
NIKON Z f (16mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO100)
Talking about busy places. In Osaka it’s Dontobori. A very lively area with hundreds of restaurants next to the river. It’s fun though and I love those giant 3D restaurant signs, some of them animated. If you are afraid of a big number of people you should not go there. But if that’s a major problem for you I guess you wouldn’t go to Japan in the first place. There are better places for those who want to feel solitude though you can feel very lonely in Japan.
After a very good lunch we decided to visit Don Quijote or Donki in Dontonbori. Don’t ask me why this chain is called Don Quijote. It has a blue penguin as a mascot and nothing to do with the hero of the novel. It is a crazy shop but this one was so busy that we decided to walk out after a short time. January is flu season in Japan too and of course we did not put on a mask like a sensible person.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/200 sec, ISO4500)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO1800)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO720)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO180)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO160)
My eye problem bothered me already in Kyoto and so I went to a small eye clinic while we stayed in Osaka. I’m not a fearful person but eyesight or better the possibility to loose it is something else altogether. Back home the surgeon told me in case I see a lot of new black dots or that the shadow-wiper gets worse I should visit an eye clinic asap. When I was in the hotel room in Osaka and the morning sun hit my eyes I saw many more black dots and the wiper casted an impressive shadow.
So I went to the eye clinic next to the hotel. Armed with an english email and its google translation into Japanese (that was verified by a hotel staff member from Nepal). The experience was perfect. This is truly a country where the customer/patient comes first. Compared to Austria the examination was far less stressful. I can only recommend it but of course it is preferable if you don’t need medical treatment when on vacation. They ensured me that everything is fine. They took an excellent clear picture of the retinal tear so that I can see it too. The sensation that I had was caused by the strong sunlight. Before we left for Japan it was dark and gloomy in Austria. This really gave me piece of mind for the rest of the trip where we experienced lots of sunlight.
From Osaka we went straight to Tokyo and decided to rather make a day trip to the sea from there. So we had eight nights in my favourite hotel right next to Shinjuku station. The busiest train station in the world! The perfect base station to explore Tokyo.
We managed to go to the sea. We went to Kamakura which is one hour train ride from Tokyo. On the way we stopped in Yokohama because the MC cartridge I wanted to buy the day before was not in stock at Yodobashi Camera Akiba but it was on stock in their shop in Yokohama. Since Yodobashi Camera shops are always located next to a major train stations it was a breeze. I got the cartridge for my turntable, we had a quick coffee at the station and moved on. I’m telling you this because before our first trip I felt uncomfortable to have no rental car on vacation. There is no reason for that. The train system in Japan is perfect. If you stay on the golden route it’s almost like you have your own private train that takes you everywhere.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/6.3, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
The weather in Kamakura was perfect. I cloudless blue sky but it was very windy. It almost blew us off the beach. There are some strong California vibes in this town especially the closer you get to the beach. A lot of surfers and surfer shops. We had an excellent Wagyu beef burger to have the perfect California experience before we headed to the big Buddha statue Kamakura is famous for. We took a bus there and for the very last leg of the journey back to the station we even rode the famous Enoshima Electric railway.
Maybe I should talk about the equipment a little bit. After all this blog is about gear too. I probably will have a more detailed blog post that will deal with the lenses and the statistics soon. Last summer I got the Nikon Zf and it replaced my Nikon Z8 on this trip. The Zf is smaller and lighter but most of all it is closer to my Fuji X-Pro2 regarding the shooting experience. I love its dials and I love the sound of the shutter.
So different camera but what else was different. Actually a lot. I sold my Nikon Z 20/1.8 S last year simply because I didn’t like its design. It was too long and too heavy for what it is. I got a Viltrox AF 20/2.8 Z but that lens is not a real alternative for me, not even for traveling. So I finally took my best lens with me on this vacation. The fantastic Nikon Z 14-24/2.8 S. That lens is even bigger and heavier than the 20/1.8 but it offers much more: The flexibility of a zoom in a focal range where every mm makes a huge difference. My target was to reduce the amount of gear and the total weight of my camera bag so I decided to not bring the Z 24-120/4 S. This seems like a strange decision because on paper that’s the perfect travel lens. And for many it might be the only lens they take on a vacation. There are two reasons why I decided against this lens. First I’m a wide angle guy and had to take the 14-24mm with me for the temples and the interior shots. Second reason: Japan. Or the trip we have planned which was focused on the big cities. If the focus would have been on landscapes it would have been crazy to leave the 24-120 at home.
What else did I take? Obviously my favourite Nikon lens: the Z26/2.8 which is just the perfect match for the Nikon Zf. The Nikon Z40/2 because it is a very capable lens that constantly surprises me and finally a Viltrox lens to cover the rare occasions when I wanted a longer focal length: the Viltrox AF 85/2 Evo. This lens replaced the 24-120 for those longer shots. Meanwhile Tamron released a rather compact 35-100/2.8 which looks like a very nice lens to complement a wide angle zoom. The lens options are keep getting better for Nikon Z.
I didn’t carry everything with me all the time. It depended on our plans. Most of the time I only took the Z26/2.8 and the Z40/2. I still used my Peak Design Every Day Backpack 30l because it is more comfortable than the sling bag but most of all because I really love the big storage compartment for hats, thick socks, jackets or purchases.
Another two top tips: If you go to Japan in January bring extra warm upper socks for the temples. On many temples you have to take off your shoes and they don’t provide slippers. And second: always use a camera bag with some extra room so that you can stow away a jacket, snacks or purchases.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO1000)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4.5, 1/200 sec, ISO160)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/3.2, 1/200 sec, ISO180)
NIKON Z f (85mm, f/4, 1/400 sec, ISO100)
As already mentioned we spent the first half of our vacation in Kyoto, Nara and Osaka and the second half in Tokyo. Seems kind of unbalanced to spend so much time in just one town except that Tokyo is not just one town. Tokyo is a mega metropolis that contains dozens of towns. Tokyo has “only” 9.5 million people but the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan region is home to 37 million. That’s the population of California. So there is a lot to see plus Tokyo is also a good base for day trips to the sea or to mount Fuji.
I have visited many megacities on my business trips like Jakarta, New Delhi, Bangkok or Manila. Those are all giant cities that are very impressive but for me they have one thing in common. I could not imagine to live there. They are crazy loud, traffic is pure chaos and the air pollution ranges from very poor to extreme. Tokyo is different. It is surprisingly quiet, the traffic flows and the air feels fresh. It doesn’t feel like a megacity at all. A lot of neighbourhoods look like villages with narrow streets and small houses though they are only a couple of train stations away from Shinjuku station. We have friends in Tokyo and they all live in such neighbourhoods where people just ride on bikes and children play in the streets. If a car goes by it has to drive slowly because the streets are so narrow.
I love Tokyo. I’m aware that I might see it through the rose tinted glasses of a tourist but I was a tourist in New York City too and I felt different. I know that Tokyo has a lot of problems too but they are less obvious to the naked eye. You can’t see loneliness and isolation but I sensed it when I was there on my first business trip. All of a sudden the Beatles song Elenor Rigby came to my mind: “All the lonely people where do they all come from.”
After all Tokyo like any other big city offers personal freedom and anonymity in exchange for loneliness and alienation.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2000)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO200)
Maybe the last statement was a little dark but it is true. You can’t have both. I grew up in a small town where most people knew each other. Moved to a big city as a young adult and immediately felt both: freedom and loneliness. I lived in Vienna for a very long time. I really enjoyed it and now I know both worlds. Tokyo of course is much bigger than Vienna. Regarding its population it’s bigger than Austria. So it offers more and it takes more. Single house holds in Tokyo already exceed 50%. That means millions of people live in their own little apartments. Millions of people who have no-one to talk to after work if they don’t get out. Millions of people who have limited interactions with others on a daily basis.
When I first saw a restaurant where you purchase a ticket for your meal on a machine to hand it over to the staff I initially thought that’s strange. That was long before masses of tourists discovered Japan. I think the system was created to reduce cost but it also helps people with social anxiety to avoid human interaction. The most famous Ramen chain restaurant has no waiters. Customers get their Ramen handed out directly from the kitchen through a small window so that the customer and the person in the kitchen can’t see each other. With an increasing number of self check outs at Konbinis it means that one could get by without any social interaction all day. Strange new world!
I think that the Covid19 pandemic with home office and distant learning made things worse. I think we need to turn back the time in order to get more time with real interactions. Like it or not I think people are herd animals. We need each other in order to feel comfortable and to be happy. Social media is no substitute for real social interaction it’s the opposite. Who would have guessed that social media platforms designed by the most socially awkward geniuses would destroy social life.
NIKON Z f (24mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z f (17mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO110)
Oh boy I’m on a run. It almost seems that I came home from Japan with a depression. Nothing could be further from the truth. I loved this vacation. I loved seeing my friends in good health. I truly enjoyed the hospitality, the safety, the cleanliness, the excellent food, the amazing public transport and the breathtaking sights. I also loved to browse through music in a real records store. Not just a small second hand vinyl store but a real huge records store like we used to have them a very long time ago.
It is easy to see why Japan is so popular with tourists now but for me it is more. I think Japan is a country that is tailor made for me. I love the people and I love the food. My two biggest hobbies are photography and to listen to music. Japan is home of the biggest camera store and home of the biggest record store on the planet.
This is my place. I’ll be back!
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO125)