Japan and tripod

[Marco Annaratone]

Hi!

I am planning a long trip to Japan (Kyoto, Nara, a bit of Tokyo, etc) and I would like to have some of your experiences re: shooting LF there (tripod limitations, reaction of passer-bys and police, custom, etc). I am interested in landscape, architecture, abstract, i.e., people are never the subject of my photography. Unless they pop up inside the frame just at the right moment, that is :)

Thanks!

[David R Munson]

I haven't had people take much notice, aside from people who knew what I was doing and were interested. I've had many friendly chats with passersby, but haven't gotten any negative attention with a view camera on a tripod. Be mindful of where you setup and try to keep out of the way and I think you'll be fine.

[Rayt]

No problems with tripod in Japan, not even with curious and chatty people.

[FrankS]

Japan has been the most photo friendly country I've been to.

[mike rosenlof]

Japan has been the most photo friendly country I've been to.

+1 here. I've never taken LF, but have taken MF on several trips, and tripods. You may occasionally see a "no photo" sign in English if it's a tourist area, but they're pretty rare.

[Andrew O'Neill]

In all the years I lived in Japan, I never once had a problem with a tripod and big camera.

[JMO]

I have travelled and photographed in the places within Japan you've mentioned, but not with my LF gear. However, I very much look forward to going back and doing so with my MF film cameras. In Oct. 2013 I spent 3 long and intensive days with my tripod and Leica M9 digital gear at several Zen temples (and some other locations) in Kamakura, and I had no problems with anyone regarding use of the tripod or the photography I was doing. Given it was October, it was past the heavy tourist season, so the temples and other areas I was shooting in were not very busy/crowded; but my sense was that the Japanese people (location staff and other visitors/tourists) at those locations were well used to photographers using tripods (etc.). Keep in mind that Nikon, Canon, Mamiya, Ebony, Fuji film, and other Japanese companies have large domestic user bases, and have had so for decades, so there are lots of local photographers that people are used to seeing around. And you should also feel confident that the Japanese people are very respectful of other people around them (including visitors), and what they are doing and enjoying. So long as you are being reasonable and respectful of what others are doing, you should have no problems with the local people hassling you, and my experience is that it would be very unusual for the average Japanese citizen to hassle any photographer who was quietly, discretely and respectfully going about his/her hobby interest to take serious photographs. No doubt there may be restrictions in (especially inside) some temple areas about using tripods, but (again in my off-season experience) I don't recall any such issues on the outsides of temples and shrines, or in the accompanying gardens. Finally, the airport security people at Narita airport are also very accommodating about hand-checking photo film and gear, as needed. ...

[Jim Andrada]

+1 to the Security folks at Narita. Very polite and helpful - they apologize for having to search your stuff.

A bit OT perhaps but our friends' cat in Tokyo had kittens and I flew over to bring one back. Had to have an outgoing health check. A very pleasant older gentleman put his finger in the cat carrier to pet the kitten (said kitten had been on a bus from downtown for an hour by now and was unhappy to say the least!)

Kitten damn near bit his finger off - he was bleeding from a dozen tooth marks. All he could say was something to the effect of "Really healthy" and apologize for annoying the kitty.

Only in Japan. Anywhere else the cat and I would probably have spent the night in jail.

[Marco Annaratone]

Jim, as a cat lover I enjoyed your story tremendously!

I am familiar with Japanese culture and speak some basic Japanese. This time around I am not going for work but solely for tourism and photography and it's going to be a long vacation (three weeks, in October). I do not have the guts to go there with my 8x10 (sorry, I am a chicken) but was planning to take my 6x17 with me. Hence the question about tripod and cameras that may attract some attention.

All your answers confirm what I somehow expected, i.e., Japan is a photographer-friendly Country.

Thank you all! I will be mostly based in Kyoto, if you have any interesting location to suggest which can be reached in two hours from Kyoto (besides Nara, that is), please feel free to let me know. Actually, the less touristy the better.

[David R Munson]

The Fushimi Inari shrine is well-traveled, but there's more to it than most visitors see. Head off the main paths, follow those weird little trails and stairways into the woods. Also, bring a small bag of dry cat food. Seriously - there are friendly strays all over, and making them happy always makes my day of photography better as well.

Beyond that, I stand by my philosophy of getting lost. Pick a direction, take a train, pick another direction. Get lost. On purpose. See what you find, see what happens, etc. Rolf Potts' "Vagabonding" is good guidance here. I can hardly think of a better place than Kyoto to be a flâneur.

[macolive]

I was in Kyoto last November and there were many shrines and temples where tripods were not allowed. This may have been because there were so many people at the time as the night viewing schedule was about to start.

[Andrew O'Neill]

+1 to the Security folks at Narita. Very polite and helpful - they apologize for having to search your stuff.

A bit OT perhaps but our friends' cat in Tokyo had kittens and I flew over to bring one back. Had to have an outgoing health check. A very pleasant older gentleman put his finger in the cat carrier to pet the kitten (said kitten had been on a bus from downtown for an hour by now and was unhappy to say the least!)

Kitten damn near bit his finger off - he was bleeding from a dozen tooth marks. All he could say was something to the effect of "Really healthy" and apologize for annoying the kitty.

Only in Japan. Anywhere else the cat and I would probably have spent the night in jail.


After removing everything very carefully from my suitcase, he carefully put it all back in neatly and exactly how I had packed it. Very polite and apologetic, too. In Canada, they pull everything out into a pile, then leave you to put it all back in.

[Jim Andrada]

One place I think you shouldn't miss in Kyoto is Kouryuu-ji - many wooden carvings of religious figures in a relatively modern (but rather dim) hall.

Very few "Foreigners" even know about it and the carvings are national treasures. I'm sure it's a no tripod place and for all I know no camera either, but regardless, it's my favorite place to spend some contemplative time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dry%C5%AB-ji

[David R Munson]

Jim - I'm going to have to check that out this year. Never heard of it before!

[Jim Andrada]

I'm not surprised. It's a well kept secret, apparently. My wife is from Nagoya (40 minutes from Kyoto by Shinkansen)

One of my Japanese friends (actually the guy who introduced me to my wife) had a brother-in-law in Kyoto who was a priest and had a small temple. It had a beautiful "pagoda" style tower, inside of which he ran his ham radio antenna. He told me about it and I checked it out. Now I never go to Kyoto without stopping in for a few minutes.

Re the OP's question about tripods, I think a monopod can be used most anywhere.

[miesnert]

I have been to Japan a few times now, to travel around with a 4x5 camera and a tripod. Never had any trouble, Japan is a photography loving country with a rich history of photography. You will see many Japanese people with camera's on tripods everywhere.

I can really recommend a stay in Hattoji international villa. It is an old farm house (rice paper walls, firepit in the middle of the big room, proper countryside) in the middle of a tiny village surrounded by rice fields and beautiful mountains. A unique experience, a bit out of the way but easily reached thanks to the great public transportation system in Japan.

Hattoji:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7474/16213187056_e1e433bb51_c.jpg

Just get a JR rail pass and travel around, you can't really go wrong anywhere, just make sure not to miss Kyoto, arguably the best city to visit since it stands with one leg in the old Japan of the past, but has a lot of modern JApan to offer as well. I am currently planning a third trip, this time to Hokkaido.

[Jim Andrada]

One thing about Kyoto is that a lot of the "must see" stuff is on the outskirts of the city. I usually find that hiring a taxi for a few hours or for the day is the best way to get around, particularly if you're carrying a bit of stuff. The tourist desk in the station will line you up with a driver (I think that English speaking drivers are available)

[Robert Opheim]

I spent a month in Japan in the late 1980's. I was shooting with a Brooks Veriwide 100 without a tripod. Only at the Imperial Household Agency facilities (owned by the Imperial family) did I get pressed by the security guards, to move on and what was I doing with a professional looking camera. I think it was at Katsura Palace. I don't think they would let you use a tripod there. I went to Nara on that trip as well. People are very polite and curious. As said by Jim, Hattoji, and Andrew above there are many; shines, temples, palaces, and other historic places to see in Kyoto and Nara. There are also very new building by architects like Tado Ando that are a must see.

[fj55mike]

If you're near Arishiyama in Kyoto, try to find Okochi Sanso (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ck%C5%8Dchi_Sans%C5%8D), which is just behind the bamboo forest. Kinda tricky to find, but I was there during tourist season and I think I was the only person on the grounds at the time.

I found that several of the more popular temples around Kyoto had rules against tripods, but most of the less-photographed areas off the beaten path were very tripod friendly.

[Marco Annaratone]

This is my last day in Kyoto where I spent two full weeks - wonderful, magical place. Within the compounds of temples and shrines tripods are prohibited. For those of you not familiar with Japan, a "temple" or a "shrine" is often a (sometime huge) park with many buildings, so the prohibition does hurt. The rule is, pretty much: if you pay an entrance fee from that point on you can't use a tripod. Outside of temples/shrines (and museums, of course) tripods can be used without any problem (I always try to be as transparent as possible). In spite of the tripod disappointment Japan is indeed photographer-friendly.

On to Tokyo, now!

Cheers

[Leszek Vogt]

Sometimes you may have to go to plan B. I've ran across this here and there in Asia (in general). You could easily construct a wider pedestal for the camera + a bean bag.....without marring any surfaces. True, you're not going to get the precise framing that tripod would help you to achieve, but at least you can depart with an image/es.

Enjoy your trip.....I'm planning mine for 2018 ???

Les

[Marco Annaratone]

Sometimes you may have to go to plan B.
Les
You are absolutely right. My ... vile ... plan B has been (sorry, LF friends :rolleyes: ) to go around with a 24MP digital camera and a high performance 75mm lens. This way I could put together high resolution, large photos via stitching. I may be wrong, but I think that digital technology is making the rationale for prohibiting the use of tripods somehow irrelevant. Having said that, it is also true that if many people were using the tripod that would likely be a nuisance for all other tourists and visitors who did not go there to slalom around tripods, camera bags, etc.

I am sure you will have a blast in Japan in 2018!

Cheers