An Australian in Japan

Kent10D · Mar 4, 2008

Hello all.

I've be lurking here occasionally for a while, and just recently added a few comments to the thread about Ilford Photo's change of dealership in Japan, but haven't introduced myself properly yet. So here goes ...

I was born in Melbourne, Australia, but have lived in Japan for a large portion of my life. I remain an Australian citizen, and try to get back to Melbourne to visit family and old friends every year or so.

Photography has been a hobby off and on since I was about 10 years old, which is 40+ years ago. My professional relationship with photography has been more peripheral, in my role as writer and creative director at an advertising firm up until about 12 years ago, and as an independent operator ever since.

I currently shoot digital as well as film. Strangely, as digital technology advances and "improves," I find myself being drawn back to film more and more. My film cameras are currently a Leica M6 with Leica, Zeiss, and Voigtländer lenses, and a Pentax 67 TTL with Pentax lenses. And although I haven't made the leap just yet ... the lure of large format is strong.

So that's it for now.
Hope I can contribute something useful as time goes on.

Cheers.

SuzanneR · Mar 4, 2008

Welcome from pretty much the other side of the world!!

Christopher Walrath · Mar 4, 2008

Welcome to the group, Kent. You're among the little people now.

Kevin Caulfield · Mar 4, 2008

Welcome from another Melburnian, still living in and loving Melbourne. It's great to see another one being drawn back towards film.

copake_ham · Mar 4, 2008

Welcome to APUG from NYC.

papagene · Mar 4, 2008

Kent... Welcome to APUG from western Massachusetts USA. This is the place to be for all things analog in photogy. And the worse place to be when trying to resist the siren call of LF!!

gene

Tony Egan · Mar 4, 2008

Hi Kent,
Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Welcome from Sydney from another 50-ish Aussie (actually just turned) I spent quite a lot of time in Tokyo in the mid-90s on multiple business trips. I recall in 1995 it was almost 6 months. Got to do a few weekend day trips north and south and really love the country and much of the culture even though I doubt a Westerner could ever fully fathom all the nuances. Would love to go back again eventually sans business commitments and with lots of film!

IloveTLRs · Mar 4, 2008

Welcome from an American in Japan.
I think you'll find a lot of the Japanese still love film

firecracker · Mar 5, 2008

Hi, Kent. Thanks for your contribution to the thread about Ilford. Without your input it would've gone off track, I must admit. But it's good that we've found another fellow like you with the same interest in film photography in the same country.

mooseontheloose · Mar 5, 2008

Hi Kent -- welcome from a Canadian who used to live and work in Japan (Chugoku region mostly). Worked with a lot of Aussies, mostly from Melbourne, although I never made it to the city itself when I was in Australia. Large format is a big temptation for me as well, but so far I'm resisting it. Don't know how long I'll hold out though!

pellicle · Mar 5, 2008

Kent

and yet another Aussie who once lived in Japan (2000 - 2003).

Now that I'm not there, I wish I had access to that market for 4x5 materials and equipment!

I'm presently in Finland which is even worse than Australia for this stuff

feel free to PM me with any gripes and 'gaijin' vents you may need

enjoy

Kent10D · Mar 5, 2008

Thanks!

Thanks for the many warm welcomes!

Looks like I'm not the only one who's desperately resisting the urge to go large format. Maybe if we all do it at once it won't be so painful!

Thanks again ... looking forward to future conversations.

Cheers!

pellicle · Mar 5, 2008

Kent

from what I've seen you're living in LF heaven. Just jump in and get one of the many good LF cameras. I personally chose a Toho (while I was in japan) after much deliberation. The Toho was my choice for lightness and the complete availability of movements. I'm left handed though, and can see that there has been design input from right handed thinking folk.

Some of the cheaper optics available (such as the Fujinons) seem to be more available there than anywhere else. A couple of trays, some D-76 and some of the bigger sake bottles from outside the 'izakaya' and you're set for processing and storage of chemistry Contact printing is a peach with a small lamp from Tokyu hands and a set of VC filters from Yodobashi or Bic. I snagged a 5x7 photo frame from the local hyaku en shop took the glass out of the frame (sanded and taped around the sharper edges of the glass) and voila ... contact printing press.

I mainly focused on local architecture (some in my gallery) and just before deciding to leave I was considering selling hand made contact prints at my local coffee shop (in Nezu) as there seemed to be quite the weekend tourist focus on the historical parts of the area (more for the 'fun' than for needing any money .

If this at all helps, the biggest leap is the mind set. For less than 50 Euro I set up again my processing here in Finland and I put it together in Japan for about "go sen en".

Thanasis · Mar 10, 2008

Hi Kent,
A belated welcome from this Sydneysider. Enjoy!

Doubrovsky · Mar 12, 2008

Living in Japan, doing film photos and not into large format? I don't get it. The place calls for meditation and LF is the meditation in photography. (Please forget Adams and zone sytem - it is the Western mode of conquering and arranging nature. Forget all the technique and just let the camera do it. In Japan you do not have to do anything - just be there)

Greetings from a Russian living in Canada with hart in Japan.

Kent10D · Mar 14, 2008

Doubrovsky said:
Living in Japan, doing film photos and not into large format? I don't get it. The place calls for meditation and LF is the meditation in photography. (Please forget Adams and zone sytem - it is the Western mode of conquering and arranging nature. Forget all the technique and just let the camera do it. In Japan you do not have to do anything - just be there)

Zen photography! Now there's an idea I like!

And don't worry, my resistance to large format is breaking down by the minute. My "Using the View Camera" book (by Steve Simmons) just arrived from Amazon yesterday, so now it's just a matter of finding the right camera.

Then I'll go out and meditate some.

Iwagoshi · Mar 14, 2008

Zen and the Art of LF Repair (?)

Ken; Greetings from a non-Aussie in Japan, but actually only visiting, at the moment in Saitama-ken. I hope to catch the American past-time (basubol--A's vs Red Soxs) in Tokyo. The closest I've been to your locale is Yokosuka, but that was a good 15 years ago.

LF heaven? I just picked up the last 3 rolls of 120 Neopan 400 from a local suburban camera shop, and they have to special order Neopan 100, ughh.
But cheap! $3.65 USD per roll.

But hope to hit the Tokyo camera district (Shinjuku) in a few days, I hope these three rolls will last.
pellicle; I'm definitely heading to Yodobashi.

Have a great time on APUG.

Terry

Dave Miller · Mar 14, 2008

A belated welcome from Middle England.

pellicle · Mar 14, 2008

Iwagoshi said:
Zen and the Art of LF Repair (?)

pellicle; I'm definitely heading to Yodobashi.

Have a great time on APUG.

Terry

hey, and don't forget Bic camera (bii ku biku bicku bic ka meh ra)

They've probably re-organised it since I was there last, but straight outa shinjuku eki (south exit) and turn right to head to the Yodobashi series of buildings, heaps of stuff there!

my favourite second hand joint is up stairs off Meiji dori (heading out of the north east exit. but there's plenty of kamera ya san around there!

something like about about here

just on the east side of the chuosen a near where it says 430 on that map (near the seven eleven). I got my Fujinon SW 90 f8 there for ni-man nana sen en there! And wish I'd picked up a 200f.28 USM for my EOS 630 too!

If you've not tried it, grab a roll of fuji NC 160 ... I'm not sure if its exactly the same as the S we get here, but I've not run out of my last box from there yet.

btw .. if you can, ask them what's the go with the Fuji 6x9 bessa II copy ()

dam ... what am I doing here in Finland again??

pellicle · Mar 14, 2008

hey ... where'd the link go ... (retsu go digitaru)

Iwagoshi · Mar 16, 2008

pellicle said:
They've probably re-organised it since I was there last, but straight outa shinjuku eki (south exit) and turn right to head to the Yodobashi series of buildings, heaps of stuff there!

my favourite second hand joint is up stairs off Meiji dori (heading out of the north east exit. but there's plenty of kamera ya san around there!

just on the east side of the chuosen a near where it says 430 on that map (near the seven eleven).

btw .. if you can, ask them what's the go with the Fuji 6x9 bessa II copy ()

Kent, apologies for the 'jack of your post.

pellicle, thanks for the heads-up and recommendations, but how about a name? But no rush, Shinjuku will have to wait until next week when I get to Tokyo, I'm heading for the hills. I scored 5 more rolls of Neopan at another local shop, $3.41 per roll, so I'm happy.

pellicle · Mar 16, 2008

Iwagoshi said:
Kent, apologies for the 'jack of your post.

pellicle, thanks for the heads-up and recommendations, but how about a name?

Mate, I wish I could be sure, but my 'business card stack' is at home in Australia, and I'm here in Finland. I'm sorta sure its Kimura kamera, but it might not be.

Its fairly easy to find as its on the same side of the main road as you. You might be quick to dismiss it from the outside as the main shop is upstairs. It looks just like all they sell is a some films and magazines, but stars are in the middle and upstairs are heaps of cases of stuff.

Looking that name up on google shows another location, so either

they've movede
they've got another shop
I've got the name wrong

sorry I can't be clearer :-\

pellicle · Mar 16, 2008

This map sucks, but follow the blue line (top of map is north)

Iwagoshi · Mar 16, 2008

pellicle said:
This map sucks, but follow the blue line (top of map is north)

pellicle; Thank you for the enthusiastic response, it's very much appreciated. It looks like you realllly want to be back in Japan.

pellicle · Mar 17, 2008

Iwagoshi said:
pellicle; Thank you for the enthusiastic response, it's very much appreciated. It looks like you realllly want to be back in Japan.

is it that obvious?

well lets just say that while I like the skiing, Finland hasn't got much to compete for attention (don't even start me on the food)

An Australian in Japan

Kent10D

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