Japanese tourists and cameras go together like a bad cliche. And they don’t just take their cameras when they go abroad. Internal tourism in Japan is huge, and one of my abiding memories of our pre-children trip to Japan, is the countless Japanese tourists: groups of school children, retired people, families and young people, all enjoying Japan’s natural beauty and manmade attractions.
And, like the cliche, everywhere they went they recorded it on film (this was during the pre-digital era, I’m very old). At key points of natural beauty, there were specially positioned, tiered benches for convenient arranging of group photos. If by any chance you had forgotten your own camera, you could buy one from the handy vending machine on the top of the mountain. If, on the day you visited, the mountain was shrouded in mist, you could use the special photo booth which superimposed your picture on a background of the view on a sunny day. You could even have this printed as stickers.
When it comes to photos, the Japanese have all their bases covered. Whatever it takes, you have to get your picture. And don’t forget to hold up two fingers in a V sign and shout ‘peace’.
This post is part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby. For more travel pictures, click here.
