Trip to Japan

[Stefan Herzberg]

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I have been living in Tokyo three times, all together 10 years. Last time (2011-2015) I took fotos with the M 9 and 28-35-50-90. Have a look at shashinski.com and scroll down. There are some posts of events around New Year. Enjoy!

[OR120]

2 hours ago, Stefan Herzberg said:

I have been living in Tokyo three times, all together 10 years. Last time (2011-2015) I took fotos with the M 9 and 28-35-50-90. Have a look at shashinski.com and scroll down. There are some posts of events around New Year. Enjoy!

Thank you - will do!

[hamey]

I have been to Japan several times and must say love the country, the only Leica camera I have taken to Japan was the M240  with the 35 and 50mm, (never again).

Personally preferred the Fuji XT-2 & 18-55mm simply loved that combo, however we could be making another trip shortly, this time I will take my SL2-S and the 24-70mm.

My daughter  travelled there a few months ago, and she used her phone, the images she took with it blow me away, should I do the same, the problem is that I cannot

fondle my phone like I do with my SL2-S Reportage, yes it's a dilemma.

At least I can always use my phone as a back up when no-one is looking.

Good Luck on your trip.

Ken

 

[OR120]

4 hours ago, hamey said:

I have been to Japan several times and must say love the country, the only Leica camera I have taken to Japan was the M240  with the 35 and 50mm, (never again).

Personally preferred the Fuji XT-2 & 18-55mm simply loved that combo, however we could be making another trip shortly, this time I will take my SL2-S and the 24-70mm.

My daughter  travelled there a few months ago, and she used her phone, the images she took with it blow me away, should I do the same, the problem is that I cannot

fondle my phone like I do with my SL2-S Reportage, yes it's a dilemma.

At least I can always use my phone as a back up when no-one is looking.

Good Luck on your trip.

Ken

 

Ken - all so true. My third trip to Japan - some years ago - I took a Sony rx100 MKIII - so small and the pictures were incredible. On this trip my grandson will use that same Sony with a pocket full of batteries. I have used my iPhone for some shots in the past but as you say -" I cannot fondle my phone like I do with my SL2-S Reportage" - there is a certain joy I get from my Leica's - in this case the SL2-S with my older M and R lenses. I enjoy the process as much as the result. This Leica disease began many, many years ago with a gift from my father - his old Leica IIIF with a Summitar. 

[otto.f]

If I owned this R 50/1.4 E60 I would never leave it at home, even if I came for the third time. This lens is, aside the 75lux for the M, one of the two or three Summiluxes lenses regarding bo-keh, a concept NB which is coming from the land of the rising sun. Mark that the 28mm on the Q has not that shallow depth of field when you use it in the cropped to 50mm mode. I was once in Japan and was very happy that I carried the 75lux with me, really worth it. 

 

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Edited December 5, 2024 by otto.f

[OR120]

We arrived in Tokyo late in the day - I ended up buying another SL2-S body from a big store online sale - new in box with Leica m/l adapter and extra battery. I shoot only M or R lenses with the exception of the used Panasonic 20-60. I've wanted a second body for some time now and the new SL2-S's are a steal. With the same camera body, same cords, batteries, charger. As for lenses - so much for my two lens mantra I've kept for years. I just don't know when I'll get back to Japan again. I brought Leica 35 Lux v2, 50 R Lux E60, 135 R elmarit, 21 voigt and the weatherproof Panasonic 20-60. I only go out with 2 bodies - two lenses at a time so - no bags. Just batteries and extra cards in my pocket. Thank you all very much for

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taking time to respond with very helpful points of view! Here's the first shot tonight in Tokyo - Sl2-S w/21 voigt - 6400 iso - 

 

[OR120]

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Roppongi New Years Eve 2024 - SL2-S w/voigt 21

 

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[lightsourcekauai]

Kita Kitsune in Hokkaido, Japan

Leica SL3, Sigma 500 F5.6

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[OR120]

Well, just wanted to say - the majority of you were right. Really did not use the 135mm much. Once or twice. Just didn't need the long stretch of the 135mm. Just two bodies/ two lenses. The majority of the time (about 90%) it was the voigt 21mm and leica R 50mm E60. That turned out to be the perfect combo for me. Wasn't a problem as I just left extra camera gear in our air B&B's. Now to sort through a few shots and see what I got. Thank you all again for your input. It's just another reason why I enjoy this Leica Forum. Happy New Year. On a side note - I had the most joy watching my 11-yr-old grandson just fly through the Tokyo/Kyoto train/metro stations with ease. He is fearless. I actually had to put the brakes on him, he was just moving so fast. He would look at system maps - calculate the exact fare - including transfers - just incredible as it was his first time there. No Fear, meeting new people, using Japanese phrases. Learning how to be quiet. He made a big leap in life. 

Edited January 4 by OR120
sp

[Archiver]

5 hours ago, OR120 said:

Well, just wanted to say - the majority of you were right. Really did not use the 135mm much. Once or twice. Just didn't need the long stretch of the 135mm. Just two bodies/ two lenses. The majority of the time (about 90%) it was the voigt 21mm and leica R 50mm E60. That turned out to be the perfect combo for me. Wasn't a problem as I just left extra camera gear in our air B&B's. Now to sort through a few shots and see what I got. Thank you all again for your input. It's just another reason why I enjoy this Leica Forum. Happy New Year. On a side note - I had the most joy watching my 11-yr-old grandson just fly through the Tokyo/Kyoto train/metro stations with ease. He is fearless. I actually had to put the brakes on him, he was just moving so fast. He would look at system maps - calculate the exact fare - including transfers - just incredible as it was his first time there. No Fear, meeting new people, using Japanese phrases. Learning how to be quiet. He made a big leap in life. 

Funny how you found yourself mostly using the 21 and 50 Lux with the two SL2S bodies, as my original M travel kit going to Japan in 2010 was the M9 with Zeiss 21/2.8, Voigtlander 35/1.4, 50 Cron and Voigtlander 75/2.5. I hardly used the 75 and found it a waste - my most used lenses were the 21 for street, landscapes and interiors, the 50 Cron for portrait/detail, and the 35/1.4 for night shooting and dim temple and museum interiors. Since then, I've used the 21/35/50 combination for every overseas trip. My next trip will likely be heavy on the 35/1.4, as I acquired a Zeiss Distagon 35/1.4 in 2020, which is a dream on the M9, and hardly ever leaves it.

[david strachan]

We went to Tokyo Osaka and other places and dreaded every meal.

Boiled eggs again.  Or fried eggs with everything, or omelets again and again. Saw one plate with four fried eggs on top.

Very disappointed...probably our fault, somehow.

Lovely if eggs en mass are your thing.

...

Got a few nice snaps though with M-P 👌.

But culture and not too many temples are important too. Lovely scenery.

Edited January 4 by david strachan

[Mute-on]

1 hour ago, david strachan said:

We went to Tokyo Osaka and other places and dreaded every meal.

Boiled eggs again.  Or fried eggs with everything, or omelets again and again. Saw one plate with four fried eggs on top.

Very disappointed...probably our fault, somehow.

Lovely if eggs en mass are your thing.

...

Got a few nice snaps though with M-P 👌.

But culture and not too many temples are important too. Lovely scenery.

In relation to the food, I’ve travelled to Japan six times (for a total of maybe 14 weeks or so) through most of southern Honshu and was never offered a boiled or fried egg. Your experience @david strachan seems most odd … 

As for lenses, Japan really lends itself to any focal lengths up to around 50mm, unless you are a dedicated and practised 75mm+ photographer. I’ve made do with some combination of two from 28, 35 and 50 for the vast majority of images in my preferred style. As always, YMMV. 

[Eclectic Man]

12 hours ago, OR120 said:

... On a side note - I had the most joy watching my 11-yr-old grandson just fly through the Tokyo/Kyoto train/metro stations with ease. He is fearless. I actually had to put the brakes on him, he was just moving so fast. He would look at system maps - calculate the exact fare - including transfers - just incredible as it was his first time there. No Fear, meeting new people, using Japanese phrases. Learning how to be quiet. He made a big leap in life. 

ON the radio years ago I heard a story of an American lady who lived in Beijing for a few years with her husband and young children.  She wanted her children to grow up confident in their abilities and reckoned that living in a foreign country would do that for them.  Anyway, when they eventually returned to the USA her eldest child had to go to school, a few miles from home, and she was being the suffocating 'Mon' trying to work out the route for him.  He responded that he'd found his way around Beijing's train system on his own as a 10-year-old, so  could probably manage to get to school on his own too. - Mission accomplished!

[laowai_]

On 1/4/2025 at 1:35 AM, david strachan said:

We went to Tokyo Osaka and other places and dreaded every meal.

Boiled eggs again.  Or fried eggs with everything, or omelets again and again. Saw one plate with four fried eggs on top.

Very disappointed...probably our fault, somehow.

Sorry to hear about your rough trip to Japan! It's a shame you didn't have a better time.

From my experience (I'm there about once a month, usually Tokyo, Tsukuba, Nagano, and sometimes Shinyokohama), the Japanese are incredibly welcoming, but they often wait for you to show some interest in their culture first.

Yes, there can be raw egg at breakfast. It’s perfectly ok not to eat the raw egg with natto over rice if you're not into it! Japanese food is incredibly diverse, from local specialties like buckwheat noodles and horse meat sashimi in Nagano to amazing takes on Italian pasta in small, hidden-away restaurants.

If you are in a chain restaurant you have only fixed choices. Otherwise, don't be afraid to chat with your server (instead of using the automated ordering system) – the chefs often love to get creative and cook something special just for you.

In ‘emergencies’ you can always stop by your local convenience store (7-11, Lawson, Family Mart). Japanese convenience stores are completely different to our convenience stores in America. After a good meal it’s pretty common to stop by the local convenience store to pick up some ‘Baumkuchen’.

The only thing you won't find in Japan is spicy food.

Hope you’ll get a chance to visit again.

 

 

[david strachan]

Trish and I loved Japan...just not the food most of the time.

The Japanese are very polite and have fastidious manners.  Didn't hear a car horn while there. Traffic moves very smoothly.

We plan to go back and travel more widely.

...

Edited January 6 by david strachan

[keeping_a_balance]

On 1/4/2025 at 8:35 AM, david strachan said:

We went to Tokyo Osaka and other places and dreaded every meal.

Boiled eggs again.  Or fried eggs with everything, or omelets again and again. Saw one plate with four fried eggs on top.

Very disappointed...probably our fault, somehow.

Lovely if eggs en mass are your thing.

...

Got a few nice snaps though with M-P 👌.

But culture and not too many temples are important too. Lovely scenery.

I like others hardly had egg in Japan.  Food is, imho, the best in the world, even Italian food I have had in Japan is amazing.  Would suggest you hit up any local connections you may have or hit up blog sites dedicating to food in Japan, there are so many it's hard to chose.

Better luck next time.

[lightsourcekauai]

On 1/3/2025 at 9:35 PM, david strachan said:

We went to Tokyo Osaka and other places and dreaded every meal

As others have mentioned Japanese cuisine is some of the finest in the world. Sorry you didn’t find much to your tastes on your recent trip. It is likely that you somehow got on the Western breakfast menu. Or that the server/ host just assumed you’d like a fried egg or just didn’t ask your preference because they couldn’t be bothered. Next time, if you would like to try a delicious Japanese breakfast (except for the natto!) you can ask for WASHOKU. This will be something like a bowl of rice, grilled fish, yakitamago (Japanese style rolled omelette or rolled scrambled egg with a little sugar and soy sauce). Might even have some sashimi and pickled veggies of some kind on the side, too. And of course a bowl of delicious and healthy miso soup. And feel free to ask for seconds on the rice and soup! I also love Japanese bakeries. Some are aimed at children with lots of different sweet breads,  but others are excellent patisserie. For spicy food you’ll need to search out an Indian or Korean shop. And also a reliable, easy on the stomach Japanese meal would be a hot bowl of udon noodles or soba. Hard to go wrong with that. Just stay away from the Tsukimi udon as it will have a raw egg dropped in! Tempura udon or soba is always a safe bet. Oh, one more thing. If you are ever around the department stores they have excellent food in the basement or first floor areas. And the food goes on sale about an hour before closing time, too. 

Edited January 8 by lightsourcekauai
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[lightsourcekauai]

Morning Fog Rise, Lake Onetto, Hokkaido, Japan

SL2, 90-280

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[Archiver]

5 hours ago, lightsourcekauai said:

As others have mentioned Japanese cuisine is some of the finest in the world. Sorry you didn’t find much to your tastes on your recent trip. It is likely that you somehow got on the Western breakfast menu. Or that the server/ host just assumed you’d like a fried egg or just didn’t ask your preference because they couldn’t be bothered. Next time, if you would like to try a delicious Japanese breakfast (except for the natto!) you can ask for WASHOKU. This will be something like a bowl of rice, grilled fish, yakitamago (Japanese style rolled omelette or rolled scrambled egg with a little sugar and soy sauce). Might even have some sashimi and pickled veggies of some kind on the side, too. And of course a bowl of delicious and healthy miso soup. And feel free to ask for seconds on the rice and soup! I also love Japanese bakeries. Some are aimed at children with lots of different sweet breads,  but others are excellent patisserie. For spicy food you’ll need to search out an Indian or Korean shop. And also a reliable, easy on the stomach Japanese meal would be a hot bowl of udon noodles or soba. Hard to go wrong with that. Just stay away from the Tsukimi udon as it will have a raw egg dropped in! Tempura udon or soba is always a safe bet. Oh, one more thing. If you are ever around the department stores they have excellent food in the basement or first floor areas. And the food goes on sale about an hour before closing time, too. 

My friend and I were stunned by the food in Japan; the sashimi near Tsukiji Fish Market was like nothing we had ever tasted, there was more grilled eel and tempura fish and prawns than we could imagine, okonomiyaki was glorious, random ramen at neat little ramen shops was fresh and hot. We even had a 10 course kaiseki dinner that included blowfish at the restaurant downstairs at our hotel. It's difficult to imagine how someone wouldn't find the food to their liking unless they were eating in coincidentally limited places, or they just didn't like Japanese food.

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Edited January 8 by Archiver

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[OR120]

The Next Bowl Is Mine - SL2-S w/ 35 lux v2

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