Japan Extended Stay

[G Benaim]

Hello,

My wife and I are thinking of spending a couple of months living, traveling and photographing in Japan, probably this Fall. I shoot MF and LF, and we were thinking of renting a place in Kyoto and traveling around while based there. So, I was wondering if there are any LFF folk who are currently living in Japan, or have done something similar, and who can reccomend a good way of finding a place in advance and dealing with photo-related travel. Are there any rentable darkrooms in Kyoto, for example (B&W), and are there any restrictions on, or permits required to shoot within temple grounds, etc. What kinds of problems is a first time visitor to Japan not likely to think of ahead of time, especially as related to photography? I'm thinking of bringing along quite a bit of film and gear, hoping there aren't any restrictions. Anyway, thanks in advance for any help,

GB

[Gary Smith]

Hello,

My wife and I are thinking of spending a couple of months living, traveling and photographing in Japan, probably this Fall. I shoot MF and LF, and we were thinking of renting a place in Kyoto and traveling around while based there. So, I was wondering if there are any LFF folk who are currently living in Japan, or have done something similar, and who can reccomend a good way of finding a place in advance and dealing with photo-related travel. Are there any rentable darkrooms in Kyoto, for example (B&W), and are there any restrictions on, or permits required to shoot within temple grounds, etc. What kinds of problems is a first time visitor to Japan not likely to think of ahead of time, especially as related to photography? I'm thinking of bringing along quite a bit of film and gear, hoping there aren't any restrictions. Anyway, thanks in advance for any help,

GB

I am in Japan, and have lived here for a number of years now. MF and LF film is pretty easy to find in Kyoto and Osaka, so you should not have any problems there. Some temples are a little picky with tripods, but it depends upon the season and the temple. Some temples allow a tripod, if you pay fee, again it depends upon the place.
You should not really have any problems, Japan is a very very camera friendly place. I have set up my tripod all over the place and usually its never been a problem. The only problem when there was a problem was in Kyoto once actually, but thats another story. Film as I said is easy to find, and Osaka with its big camera stores is only 30 minutes away. I can't help you with rentable darkrooms, I am only familiar with the Tokyo region, but I can point you in a few directions if you come north. All in all you should have a wonderful time. I would avoid Kyoto until about September, the August heat is pretty bad, I cant stand it personally.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of any help.

Gary

[G Benaim]

Hi Gary,

How would you go about finding a place to rent in Kyoto for a couple of months? How much of a difference would it make if I learned some Japanese before leaving, in terms of getting around, ordering food, etc if I won't be able to read anyway? Thanks.

[Gary Smith]

Hi Gary,

How would you go about finding a place to rent in Kyoto for a couple of months? How much of a difference would it make if I learned some Japanese before leaving, in terms of getting around, ordering food, etc if I won't be able to read anyway? Thanks.

I will send you a PM, easier than discussing it here.

Gary

[Bruce Watson]

I am in Japan, and have lived here for a number of years now. MF and LF film is pretty easy to find in Kyoto and Osaka, so you should not have any problems there. Some temples are a little picky with tripods, but it depends upon the season and the temple. Some temples allow a tripod, if you pay fee, again it depends upon the place.

I visitied Japan for a few weeks in late 2002. I did not have the experience Gary seems to have. I'm not saying he's wrong at all, but by living there he surely has a better understanding of the local customs and culture than anyone who is coming for a visit. A distinct advantage ;-)

What I found was that tripods are often frowned upon, especially in high traffic areas. Many of the tourist spots outright prohibit them. The scale in Japan is small, and the grounds of many temple complexes are often off limits to tourists - they restrict you to raised wooden walkways between the buildings and specific paths through the gardens (only the monks walk the grounds freely). The walkways and paths are often fairly narrow, and a tripod severly limits foot traffic. It's not a safety issue, it's a traffic issue.

That said, I was able to secure a permit to photograph using a tripod at Ryoan-Ji in Kyoto. This temple houses what is possibly the most famous Zen rock garden in the world. You have to ask the monks for the permit, and this is easiest with a translator. They let me have access for an hour before they opened to the public. That was 6:00-7:00am, and a gentle rain was falling. It was beautifully quiet. I couldn't figure out how to photograph it - my shortest lens at the time was too long for this garden. So I sat on the edge of the platform and meditated on the problem for about 20 minutes. Then got up and made this photograph. This was made on 5x4 Tri-X with a 110mm SS-XL, my shortest lens at the time. If I go back I'll have a 72mm SA-XL with me. The angle-of-view would be very useful, and the coverage very useful - I used more movements in Japan than anywhere else I've taken my camera because of the small scale (you can't back away and often can't line up where you want) and the restrictions on where you can setup a tripod.

Another thing to note is that most places like temples will require that you remove your shoes. If you are there in cooler weather, make sure you have warm socks as you can be walking around in unheated space for hours.

Transportation was easy. The Japanese have one of the best train systems in the world. A JR rail pass is one of the great bargains. The Shinkansen ("bullet train") are fabulous. My wife and I found we could take the trains just about anywhere and walk the rest of the way. There's lots of walking, and lots of stairs, in Japan.

One thing you'll want is the maps you can get at the tourist offices in the main train stations. They have maps marked in romanji (roman characters) and kanji, both on the same map. That way you can figure out where you want to go, point to it on the map, and a cap driver (for example) can read the kanji and know where you want to go.

Which brings up another interesting point. There is very little spoken english in Japan. While the Japanese all study english in school, very few actually speak it. But most of the signs everywhere you go are in kanji and romanji, so it's still pretty easy to find your way around.

Do lots of research, but stay flexible if you can. No amount of research can fully prepare you. Some stuff is just so beautiful and interesting that you'll just have to stay a little longer or divert to see it. That's the fun of travel I think ;-)

Enjoy it. Japan is a beautiful place with a very interesting culture.

[Ron Marshall]

Some basic Japanese would be helpful and also a good icebreaker and much appreciated by the Japanese.

The railways there are the best in the world, but expensive. The Japanrail pass is a bargain, but you must purchase it before leaving, it is not available in Japan. It may not be an issue for you if you plan to stay in one area.

Most people don't speak enough English to be helpful; pointing to a map, or showing somone your destination in Kangi usually works.

Don't miss Nara.

I'm very envious. I was there for three weeks, but that was wildly insufficient, there is so much to see. At least travel is easy with the Shinkansen.

[Ernest Purdum]

Learning some Japanese is an excellent idea, but don't let it become too important. I have traveled in many countries where my language ability was limited or non-existent. Don't let it bug you. Smile. Your natural tendency in encountering a problem is to frown. Don't. If someone seems to be telling you that you can't do something, be slow to understand. There is a very good chance that someone will help if you appear to be an ignorant gaijin.

In addition to the temples and other architectural gems, Japan has many spots of natural beuty.

[Ron Marshall]

Ernest's post reminded me of something that I had intended to mention: if you haven't already, get hold of a book for travellers that discusses Japanese culture, what to do and more importantly what not to do.

When I was there I stayed with a friend who had lived in Japan for eight years. There were many cultural faux-pas that he warned me of that would not have occured to me.

[Hiro]

GB,

I'm from Japan and lived in Kyoto when I was in college, though it's been quite a while. I was back there a couple of years ago. I agree with Bruce re. photography situations--tight spaces, tripod use, etc. Gaining access to popular locations before/after regular hours, if possible, would be priceless. I don't know how, though, except asking nicely.

As to accommodations, there are inns for long-term stay if you like interactions with the proprietors and fellow travelers. Furnished weekly/monthly apartments could be a lower-cost option. I hear there are ones a foreigner can rent without a guarantor these days.

Let me know if I could help with something.

[G Benaim]

Thanks for all your help, everyone. The only major element I'm still working on is getting a place in advance, so if anyone can help out with that I'd really appreciate it.