I had a golden opportunity to visit Tokyo last week while my wife and her two sisters were off on their annual girls' trip to Paris. I didn't really want to sit at home with my airline miles just sitting there, so I decided to make my own trip and head to Tokyo. My plan was simple: do some used camera shopping, hit a few local flea markets, and spend time photographing Tokyo with my panoramic Widelux F7.
Hiring a local expert to show me around some of Tokyo's used camera shops made the whole experience even better. My favorites were Kitamura Camera, which had an outstanding selection of higher-end used cameras along with a bargain area; Used Camera BOX, which felt like a tiny treasure hunt once I started digging through the bins stacked beside the showcases; Tokyo Camera, which also had a nice bargain section; and Fujiya Camera, which was clean, neat, and very well organized. I came away with a few gems which I'll be writing about over the next few weeks.
Getting around Tokyo was much easier than I expected. Their subway and train system is huge, but with a Suica card in my iPhone wallet, it was really simple to get around. I could tap my phone at the turnstiles and go. The subway was packed during rush hour, which was an experience in itself. Still, most of the time I was able to find a seat and spend the ride taking photos and watching the people around me.
One thing I really wanted to do was see a Japanese baseball game. I bought tickets to see the Tokyo Yakult Swallows play the Yomiuri Giants at Jingu Stadium, and I made sure to get there early so I could enjoy the whole experience. By the time the game started, the atmosphere was fantastic. There were cheerleaders, loud chants from both the Swallows and Giants fans in the outfield bleachers, and plenty of people-watching. One thing that really stood out to me was the women walking through the stadium carrying small beer kegs on their backs and filling plastic cups for fans. It was such a different experience from what I'm used to in the U.S.
Over the weekend, Tokyo had some great antique and flea markets, and I was lucky enough to be there when both were happening. I started at the Oedo Antique Market, which had around 100 vendors selling more unique items. Then I went to the Tokyo City Flea Market, which had around 800 vendors selling everything from clothes and kitchen items to toys, cameras, and all sorts of odd and interesting things. That was my favorite. On Sunday, I checked out the Ajinomoto Stadium flea market, which was a bit disappointing. Then I went back to the Tokyo City Flea Market because it was just as fun the second time around.
I had a wonderful time in Tokyo doing exactly what I wanted to do: shopping for cameras to write about in my weekly Camera Collecting Blog and experiencing a country I honestly didn't have much interest in visiting until a few years ago. Now I find myself wanting to go back and see more of Japan, not just Tokyo.
