It's been 10 years since I first came to Japan. In some ways it feels like it was not that long ago, but it was before my PhD and life was very different for me then compared to now. Thing is, Tokyo itself hasn't changed so much in that time—my contactless subway card is the same original one and I don't see that changing any time soon. Quite a few shops have closed or moved on to other locations but almost everything is as it was, which is both reassuring and eerie at the same time. I imagine that the upcoming olympics will have more of an impact over the following decade.
10
In my penultimate post I discussed mobile vs camera photography.
There most definitely is a difference between photos taken with mobile phone sized sensors and larger cameras with better lenses, but the gap is reducing every year. At web resolution, it's almost impossible to tell, all other things being equal. It's when you make a print that you know the difference.
I do like taking snaps with my phone, but there's something calming and therapeutic in the methodical workings of a standalone camera. Changing aperture level depending on the look desired, for example.
Yellow
I'd say that I have more patience with a camera in hand. For example, I waited about 15 minutes, patiently, to get the below shot. Midday in Tokyo isn't quiet...
So, 10 years. An awful lot has happened in those years, and in many ways somethings almost remain the same. Tokyo has surely changed, but it does so dynamically and transiently, over many years.
Here's to the next 10!
つづく…