Film heaven!

Geez, lots of Polaroid film, 110 film even? When's the last time I saw 110 film on a shelf?

The Zeiss/CV cabinet was pretty nice, too.
 
Is there any store in the U.S. that even comes close to this place? I've been to Adorama in NYC and it has exactly ONE SHELF of darkroom supplies.
 
Yodobashi! My favorite store in Tokyo. That film counter is astonishing. Two years ago it had shrunk quite a bit, but I am happy to report that it is now almost back to its glory size of the 90's.
Who said that film is dead!
They also have deals - triple packs of Tri X for what one roll costs here in Vancouver. Five packs of Tmax 2-400 for something like $12 (before the dollar's tanked though - may $16 today. My habit of traveling with a shoulder bag only does limit my capacity to bring back film, but then one can always through out some non essentials like clothing etc and replace them with film (without boxes and canisters). Usually I can squeeze at least a 100 rolls in the bag this way. Great prices on Presto 400 the last time I was there (June).
 
Yodobashi would definitely be vastly more interesting to visit than, perhaps, a whorehouse in Nevada!!!! How great that they have multiple enlargers and related supplies in addition to Cosina/Voigtlander bodies and lenses from Koyabashi! 'Twould be nice if they would open outlets in the U.S. and Canada, though Freestyle Camera near me still has four huge refrigerators stuffed with film as well as an astounding array of different darkroom printing papers and a ton of chemicals for everything.
 
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I moved to Tokyo in 2007, and my appreciation for camera stores, which was already considerable, markedly jumped when I switched to film earlier this year.

I am about a 30-minute walk from the Shinjuku Yodabashi, and the dedicated film outlet is wonderful. However, my favorite store is actually the nearby Map Camera (http://www.mapcamera.com/), which has a sizeable supply of used Leica, Voigtlander, Mamiya, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, and so on.

Even closer is a dedicated Leica dealer in Kabuki-chou, Tokyo's main red light district, thus offering one the concurrent experience of a "Nevada whorehouse" and Leica toy store. Also in Shinjuku is Lucky Camera, which sells a number of used Leicas, Hasselblad, Rolleis, Nikons, and such.

And there is always Ginza.

The drawback; the dollar has hit a 13-year low against the yen, and the Leica M2, for which I am now searching, though abundantly available within walking distance, is usually priced a few hundred dollars above that which I have seen on eBay and at US-based sites. A bit of a Catch-22.

Still, I have no desire to leave this joint! And as Tom mentioned, the Tri-X is cheap.
 
Tom A said:
Usually I can squeeze at least a 100 rolls in the bag this way. Great prices on Presto 400 the last time I was there (June).
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Tom, how do you bring back bulk roll film if they came package in metal can? Hand carry I guess? We at Vancouver are proud to have the nastiest customs, did you have any trouble getting through? Did they ever ask to have the can opened for inspection?
 
I'm planning a trip to Tokyo in the spring. I guess I don't have to worry about running out of film.
 
Holy crap! Who says film is dead? I hope Taiwan is also equipped as this store. I'm heading there for a few months and hope I will get such a selection.
 
Honus said:
I'm planning a trip to Tokyo in the spring. I guess I don't have to worry about running out of film.
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You also have Bic Camera that is a new electronic shop popping up at most major train stations. They too have an impressive fridge section. I also dropped off a roll of 400UC for dev and CD. 945 yen and they put high and low res scan images on the CD, which was a plus for me.

You can also pick up some of that Fuji Natura 1600 that is unavailable back in the real world. They also have a variant Konica brand film which I haven't tried yet.
 
Wowww ! When is first flight for Tokyo?

ps.. aside all the pictures.. where's the website of that store ??
 
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mkyy said:
Tom, how do you bring back bulk roll film if they came package in metal can? Hand carry I guess? We at Vancouver are proud to have the nastiest customs, did you have any trouble getting through? Did they ever ask to have the can opened for inspection?
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Mack, I rarely have problems with the Vancouver customs! I do dutifully declare what I have bought and they seem to ignore it and let me out. It helps that I never have checked luggage, just a shoulder bag and a rather ratty looking Brady fishing bag as a camera bag. Of the airports that i use regularly (Dusseldorf/Narita/Vanouver)- Vancouver is the best as to customs and the new International Lounge is quite nice too (as airports go).
 
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