Advice needed on buying Canon lenses in Tokyo

The Tourist

I'm going to Tokyo/Kyoto soon, and I'm thinking of buying some new lenses. There is a large camera shop area near the Tokyo hotel, but not many people speak english & I my japanese is limited. Anyone got any advice on buying lenses there. I presume they are exactly the same as the ones you get here, just with a different manual?

Also, anyone got any Japan shots to inspire me!?

Thanks.

Doctor Tunes

Just print off a list of the lenses you want and show it to them. They will be the same lenses as you get here. Just make sure you get the ones you want

charybdis

Tokyo has a crapton of camera stores, Kyoto not so much.

Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera are the 2 biggest retailers, both have huge stores in Shinjuku really near each other and Bic have another big store in Yurakucho while there's a colossal Yodobashi in Akihabara.

If you can only go to one, go to Yodobashi in Akihabara; it opened relatively recently and is a monolith of consumer electronics awesomeness under the one roof, and I've found Yodobashi to be consistently cheaper than Bic, although both of them in all locations are pretty similar in terms of price and selection.

There are also lots of smaller camera stores about the place, although I wouldn't bother going to them unless you're looking for some esoteric gear that the big shops mightn't be interested in.

I wouldn't worry about not speaking Japanese, the big stores will always have someone on hand that speaks passable English. They really try to cater to gaijin, even to the point of having their incessant jingles and ads playing over the P.A. in multiple European languages.

The selection of new lenses in Japan is the same as it is everywhere else and there aren't really manuals to go with them, in any country. Any warranty you get will probably be Japan-only, though it's worth asking before you buy.

The lenses are usually out on display either in glass cases or on demo bodies for playing with, focal length and aperture are clearly labelled and if all else fails you can probably get what you want by pointing.

Lenses will certainly be cheaper than Ireland, but the Yen is relatively strong at the moment, so you probably won't find any amazing deals, just consistent value.

Enjoy Japan though, great country.

okonomiyaki

Im living in Japan now but not in Tokyo so I cant help you there. Osaka would be better than Kyoto for cameras/lenses. (Kyoto is great for taking pics, make sure you see the Golden Pavillion). I'm sure you'l find what you want in Tokyo.

The best thing you can do is check out www.kakaku.com If you have any Japanese at all, you should be able to find what you want. The website is cheaper than any shop in Japan, iv used it lots now, recently bought a new Nikon D300 and lens The prices on the website show the lowest price of that product in the whole country. Its usually Cash on Delivery and takes about a week. If you can use it and find what u need maybe you could get something delivered to ur hotel in Tokyo! :rolleyes: just an idea! good luck !!!

Asiaprod

Easy one for Tokyo as I live here. The best deals are to be had in shops dealing in used goods. There are many of these located in Ginza.
In Shinjuku BIC Camera right beside Shinjuku Station west exit.
Akihabara a 20 min train journey from central Tokyo is all duty free shops.
I would recomend you buy in Tokyo. Kyoto is a tourist area and priced accordingly. Before you go do a google on used and new camera gear in Tokyo and feel free to PM me and I can probably give you directions.

Oh, most of these shop all speak English:)


@okonomiyaki, nice prices in Kakaku. What did the 300 cost and what lenses did you get, I am currently looking to buy one.

okonomiyaki

well santa brought it so im not sure.... but on kakaku right now its 182,000yen. I got the 18-200 lens. Its my first DSLR so its all new right now but im loving it! il try to get some of my japan pics on flicker for u.