Travelling Light in Japan with Fujifilm X-Pro3 – By John Scott

Jan 2020. Destination, Yuzawa, Tokyo, Akihabara Japan. The goal, to travel light but still take a set of amazing photos. I have travelled Japan many times so this time round I was determined to capture a different side than the usual tourist style shots. I wanted to find angles, areas that were a little odd, places that were photographed constantly but in a slightly different way.

My travel kit

The Fujifilm X-Pro3 + 16mm f2.8 + 23mm f1.4 + 35mm f2 lenses (I also had my Leica M10). Small, light, weather proof (except the 23mm) lenses and camera body. This was important for me as the first destination was the snow at Yuzawa.

Yuzawa

Yuzawa was a beautiful little snow town. Old world streets and shopfronts with a relatively quiet snow field. Everything was a short walk away. There was a bit of snow and rain so the weather sealed and light camera set up was great.

I spent a great deal of time out in the elements, walking the snow and just having a great time photographing the scenery.

Tokyo

The next destination was Tokyo via the bullet train. When travelling in Japan, you must simply try the bullet trains. Clean, efficient and fast, the bullet trains are a great way to zip through the country side. I used the moment of calm to take photos as we passed the changing countryside. The Fujifilm 35mm f2 was my lens of choice giving me speedy autofocus and a nice wide aperture. From snow to suburbs to the bustling centre of Tokyo.

While in Tokyo I transferred to the JR line and made my way to Akihabara. Akihabara is the craziest, busiest, tech centre in Japan. Staying at the Washington Hotel, I was a mere stones throw away from Yodobashi. For those who don’t know, Google Yodobashi Japan and you will soon discover that Yodobashi is a giant tech store with a HUGE camera selection with EVERYTHING on display for you to try. I believe I entered Yodaobashi in the morning and emerged some time after dark, time had seemed to have passed rather fast while I was inside.

Asakusa

Apart from Yodobashi, staying along the train line allowed me quick access to get to Asakusa Shrine. I was very excited to re-visit this shrine since the last time I was here was 10 years ago. Much to my delight not much had changed. The location was still as beautiful as ever and the small little shops were still bustling. I spent a good deal of time walking and wandering, getting lost amongst the crowds of people and little hidden streets.  The Fujifilm 16mm f2.8 was a great lens to capture the sights and street candid photos. But the Fujifilm 23mm f1.4 was the real gem here, allowing me to shoot wide open enabled a fast shutter speed to capture those authentic, candid street shots.

Homeward bound

The last stop on the journey was the train to the airport. I had shot a wide variety of subjects (street, candid, portrait, landscapes) with my holy trinity of lenses. It was really nice to not be loaded down by a heavy load of camera gear. I had just the essentials and I was able to enjoy my trip as well as take photos.

Take a look at my instagram page https://www.instagram.com/hotshotstudio01/ and on my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY747ormmi8 for all the shots and a short film shot with the Fujifilm X-Pro3.

Thanks for reading!

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