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In my dreams at night, I'm back in Japan.
Nov. 24th, 2023 12:42 amMy own travel tales have convinced some of my coworkers to do their own trips to Japan next year, after they build up enough PTO for it. I hope they do while they're still young. Personally, I wish I had gone to Japan much sooner than when I finally went.
After I went back to work, I found out they hired even more people while I was gone. Of everyone in my department, only one has been there longer than me. My senpai levels are rising.
Anyway, more disassociated thoughts and memories of my Japan trip:
I still have about 2500 yen leftover. I know people who can put that to use in a few months. My Suica card still has about 400 yen on it. I'll put that to use in my next trip in about 18-24 months.
Of all the CDs I bought in Japan, I think I've added 3/4 of them to the music library so far. As expected, there were a few I didn't get at M3 because they were sold out. Also as expected, some of them showed up online in some capacity, so I'm not completely missing out.
At M3, I had to stand in line to buy the catalog/wristband at the door, then stand in line to get into the event space proper. This was not an issue, as the Japanese are absolute masters at line control, so I wasn't really in line for long.
Kitamura Camera's new flagship store in Shinjuku was part store, part museum. They had rare high-end items in glass cases, but most of it was for sale too. While they did have the excellent-condition items with warranties, they also had junk piles. And anyone buying from the junk piles had to sign a waiver, stating that the buyer knows there is no warranty or return. For people like me, therein lies the charm.
Old camera finds from the junk stores:
Another Canon 10QD. I say another because I already have one from a previous trip. However, this one was only 300 yen (or about $2), and I figured that if it didn't work, I'd have a good source of parts for the one that does work. I put in a battery and it seems to work fine, so I might have two of them now?
Canon A-1. This is one that would be subject to the "vintage" tax on ebay. I got it for maybe $20. It didn't work when I bought it. I got it home, took the bottom cover off, poked at it, put a #28 battery in (which I can still get), and everything seems to work. The bottom cover had some dents, which I was able to mostly hammer out while I had it off.
Canon EX-Auto. This is an odd one, as it works like an SLR but the lens isn't removable. This was made in 1972, making it older than me. It looks a little beat-up. Mechanically, it seems to work fine.
Canon FD lens. Picked up from the junk shop for a whopping $3.50. It feels a little wobbly and has some scratches. FD lenses in better condition aren't hard to find so if I were to take this one apart, I'd be fine with that.
Canon EF lens for the 10QD(#2). Also a little wobbly. For the $10 I paid for it, I wouldn't mind having to take it apart. This one is new enough that I can mount it to my T3i and do some testing.
I paid about $50 for that mess (not counting batteries), which already gave me more than that in entertainment value. I haven't put any actual rolls of film through them yet.
After I was done at Nakano Broadway, I decided I'd go to Hobby Center Kato again. I could have gotten back on the trains to get there, but it was Tokyo rush hour. The other option was to walk for 35 minutes. So that's what I did. It was great. I saw a more natural and relaxed side of Tokyo. While I can bask in the glory of Akihabara's sensory overload, seeing the areas where people actually live and call home was calming.
Seeing Akihabara itself in late hours after almost everything has closed for the night has a different vibe. It's like, "party's over, go to bed, there will be more tomorrow".
After I went back to work, I found out they hired even more people while I was gone. Of everyone in my department, only one has been there longer than me. My senpai levels are rising.
Anyway, more disassociated thoughts and memories of my Japan trip:
I still have about 2500 yen leftover. I know people who can put that to use in a few months. My Suica card still has about 400 yen on it. I'll put that to use in my next trip in about 18-24 months.
Of all the CDs I bought in Japan, I think I've added 3/4 of them to the music library so far. As expected, there were a few I didn't get at M3 because they were sold out. Also as expected, some of them showed up online in some capacity, so I'm not completely missing out.
At M3, I had to stand in line to buy the catalog/wristband at the door, then stand in line to get into the event space proper. This was not an issue, as the Japanese are absolute masters at line control, so I wasn't really in line for long.
Kitamura Camera's new flagship store in Shinjuku was part store, part museum. They had rare high-end items in glass cases, but most of it was for sale too. While they did have the excellent-condition items with warranties, they also had junk piles. And anyone buying from the junk piles had to sign a waiver, stating that the buyer knows there is no warranty or return. For people like me, therein lies the charm.
Old camera finds from the junk stores:
Another Canon 10QD. I say another because I already have one from a previous trip. However, this one was only 300 yen (or about $2), and I figured that if it didn't work, I'd have a good source of parts for the one that does work. I put in a battery and it seems to work fine, so I might have two of them now?
Canon A-1. This is one that would be subject to the "vintage" tax on ebay. I got it for maybe $20. It didn't work when I bought it. I got it home, took the bottom cover off, poked at it, put a #28 battery in (which I can still get), and everything seems to work. The bottom cover had some dents, which I was able to mostly hammer out while I had it off.
Canon EX-Auto. This is an odd one, as it works like an SLR but the lens isn't removable. This was made in 1972, making it older than me. It looks a little beat-up. Mechanically, it seems to work fine.
Canon FD lens. Picked up from the junk shop for a whopping $3.50. It feels a little wobbly and has some scratches. FD lenses in better condition aren't hard to find so if I were to take this one apart, I'd be fine with that.
Canon EF lens for the 10QD(#2). Also a little wobbly. For the $10 I paid for it, I wouldn't mind having to take it apart. This one is new enough that I can mount it to my T3i and do some testing.
I paid about $50 for that mess (not counting batteries), which already gave me more than that in entertainment value. I haven't put any actual rolls of film through them yet.
After I was done at Nakano Broadway, I decided I'd go to Hobby Center Kato again. I could have gotten back on the trains to get there, but it was Tokyo rush hour. The other option was to walk for 35 minutes. So that's what I did. It was great. I saw a more natural and relaxed side of Tokyo. While I can bask in the glory of Akihabara's sensory overload, seeing the areas where people actually live and call home was calming.
Seeing Akihabara itself in late hours after almost everything has closed for the night has a different vibe. It's like, "party's over, go to bed, there will be more tomorrow".
