Masks are still the norm in Japan.
I haven’t been back in the camera clubhouse zip code for too many days although the first several of them were rather confusing. Why? Japan is 15 hours ahead of the mid-west so 6 pm here is 9 am the following morning in Tokyo. Interesting to see that almost everyone continues to wear a mask both inside and outside even though outdoors is optional. Many people were curious about not only what camera gear I was going to take, but also how much of it. I paired it down but not far enough since I packed two lenses. The overall gear list was: 1 camera body, a 35-70 f2.8 lens and of course, the 28mm f1.4, my personal favorite. In use, the 28mm was on at least 90% of the time since it works well in any amount of light. Yes, there are less expensive ways to get to f16 than using this OAP (old-age pensioner as they say in the UK) but that’s not why one buys a fast lens. There are some Japan pictures up in the opening slide-show part of the site. I’ve also added some to this post.
Mt. Fuji: Sometimes it’s visible. Other times…
Most everyone we encountered was most polite and when we looked lost, offered directions (we weren’t lost too often). Yes, some street signs have English subtitles but when they’re not there, all bets are off. It’s a great place to visit so get there when you can–but book a guide. More later.
No matter where you go, book a guide.
