Japan and tripod

[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:


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, 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