I know "being a tourist" is now derogatory. But in Japan I'm happy to be a tourist, and wander around gawking at everything. (And, of course, taking pictures of everything.) I spent 24 days (over 3 weeks!) in Japan, touring Tokyo, Nikko, Kanazawa, Osaka, and Kobe.
Temples, Castles, and Gardens
My favorite part of Japan is visiting temples. They are all gorgeous, and while they have similarities, the major temples all have different focuses, each one surprising me in a different way.
A close second are their castles; I know just enough Japanese history to be fascinated with the tales of the three great unifiers of Japan, who managed to unite Japan (in between periods where warlords constantly fought each other for control.)
And, usually attached to a temple or castle, are the fascinating Japanese gardens. They are a mix of nature and order, designed to help visitors re-center and relax. They are a great break from being a tourist, and an escape from the hustle of the cities which often surround them.
Temples Gallery
Castles Gallery
Gardens Gallery
Street Scenes
Speaking of Japanese cities, I love street photography in Japan. The cultural differences make everyday items feel exotic, while also showing how people are people no matter where you go.
And, because this is Japan, "street scenes" often means covered markets and train stations. Japanese summers are the rainy season; unfortunately, that's when I can go, because my wife is a teacher. They adapt with lots (and lots) of covered shopping streets and indoor, multi-floor malls and train stations (and multi-floor malls attached to train stations.)
Japan at Night
Japan now seems a little dated, with a lot of holdovers from their glory days in the 80s - until you see the cities lit up at night. I love night cityscapes, and the best ones I've ever seen are in Japan. There's a reason all the cyberpunk futures back in the 80s were modeled after the neon skyline of Tokyo; the lights make the city gorgeous at night, even 40 years after the cyberpunk "future" was foretold. (Yikes, the 80s were 40 years ago? Am I that old? Yes, yes I am).
Food and cooking
My day job is food blogging at DadCooksDinner, my recipe blog. My photography is an offshoot of that; it's an important part of my food blogging, and also my hobby on the weekends. This trip let me cover both - I did lots of travel photography on the trip, and also ate my way across Japan, looking for ideas for my blog.
(If you get a chance to eat your way across Japan, take it! The food is fantastic, though it does help to be a little adventurous in your eating. Octopus, anyone?)
(A lot of the food photos are from my iPhone 17 Pro - its too convenient to pull the phone out when I'm at the table)
Travel Photo Kit
There was only one major change to my What's in my Travel Bag post from last year. My main lens is still the Sony 20-70/4, the Sony 40/2.5 is my "walking around and being a tourist" lens, the Sony 70-200/4 in case I need reach, and the Sony 16-35/4 PZ if I need extra wide photos. I had my Peak Design Travel Tripod (so tiny!) and my Peak Design 6L sling when I was carrying more than just the camera body and one lens.
The new A7R6
The change was a new camera body, the Sony A7R VI (A7R6), replacing my compact Sony A7CR. I got it right before the trip, and decided it was worth the extra space in my bag. It has better resolution (67mp vs 60mp), better battery life (from the new SA100 battery), and a better flip screen (Sony's all-way screen, allowing me to tilt it up for waist level shooting, or flip it out for 360° rotation.)
But the big advantage of the A7R6 is better image stabilization (IBIS) - I could hand-hold down to 1/10 of a second with my 20-70/4, even with my caffeine-shaky hands, and never have a blurry shot. (With the A7CR that was a hit-or-miss shutter speed for me.) This helps a lot at night, where crowded Osaka streets make using a tripod impossible. (And that's if you could bring a tripod - most of the observation decks I went to wouldn't allow them.)
Did I miss the tiny A7CR? Yes. Did I regret bringing the A7R6 instead? Not at all. I think my A7CR is destined for a trade-in. We'll see about the A7CR2 when it is released; if it has the IBIS of the A7R6, I'll be very tempted.
The lenses - could have travelled lighter
About bringing all those lenses...as usual, I overpacked. I culled my photos as I went - I took over 8000 in 24 days, culled down to 1900 potentials and 301 keepers, with about 50 of those being portfolio shots. Of those 301 keepers:
- 235 were with the 20-70mm f/4
- 52 were with the 40mm f/2.5
- 8 were with the 16-35mm f/4
- 6 were with the 70-200mm f/4
Even worse, only 5 keepers were less than 20mm, and 3 were more than 70mm. Next time I have to have a little more discipline and say "Only two lenses! You don't need the ultra-wide and the telephoto! You'll only miss 3% of the shots - and that's if you can't use stitched panoramas or cropping! Unless you specifically need the reach!"
(I'm writing this down in the hope of remembering next time I travel. Will it actually matter? We'll see...but I'm not optimistic. "Just One More Thing In Case I Need It" always grabs me when I pack.)
In other words, that 20-70/4 is a killer travel lens. That extra 4mm on the wide side makes a big difference - 50 of my keepers were between 20 and 23mm - and I don't think I need the 16-35/4 any more unless I know I'm getting some ultra-wide opportunities. If anything, I don't think the 16-35 is wide enough - I may have to look for a compact 12-24 to make an ultra-wide lens worthwhile.
Thanks for reading!
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