Yokohama (and Tokyo) - May 2024

Intercontinental Yokohama Grand and the coastal skyline at Minatomirai area, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Sony A7C + 40/1.2 Voigtlander Norton, blended exposure panorama stitched in post.

I was incredibly fortunate to be able to spend 2.5 weeks in Japan in May this year. We were supposed to be in Yokohama for six days, but husband had to rush to the hospital due to a bad bout of food poisoning the morning we were supposed to depart for Japan. We still managed to spend 4 days in Yokohama (my husband was there for a conference) before moving on to Hakone, Nakatsugawa, Gero Onsen, Gifu City, Biwako, Kyoto, Ine, and Osaka in the next two weeks.

The Red Brick Warehouse at Yokohama Port. When Japan first opened up in the 19th century to the rest of the world for trade, these red brick warehouses served as customs inspection building in the busy port of Yokohama. Sony A7C + 40/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton.

From our previous experience in Japan, I understood the importance of packing as light as possible in order to make life easier for us and everyone else in the Japanese public transport system. We will also be moving a lot, at times hiking with our full pack before reaching the next hotel. One-bagging is essential, and that also means bringing as minimalist camera system with me as practically possible. I opted for my trusty Sony A7C, my dream lens 40mm F1.2 Voitlander Nokton that I got secondhand in Carousell recently, Viltrox’s new (and new-to-me) 16mm F1.8, and a used Sony RX100V all packed in Instinct Pro 6L Camera Sling. I also brought a Leofoto clamp (MC-100) and its small spider tripod (MT-04). The RX100V was almost always in my pocket and ended up being my most used camera in the trip—I ended up leaving the A7C in the hotel in many hikes due to the weight or fear of the elements.

An alley beside the Ōoka River. Sony RX100V.

We stayed mostly in downtown Yokohama during our stay and except for some light rain, the weather was beautiful. In fact, the weather was perfect for most of our stay in Japan (except for one day of torrential downpour/storm towards the end), and many locals remarked that this is the best month and time to visit Japan for outdoor activities. The weather was warming up (most days I wear shorts), but it’s still not as hot as it would be in June and July.

A local basking in the sun after his morning exercise in Zou-no-hana Park. Sony A7C + 40/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton.

I absolutely enjoyed our stay in Yokohama. We stayed in Tokyo and Kyoto when we went to Japan in October 2022, and Yokohama felt so much more chill in comparison.

An iconic landmark of the Yokohama skyline—Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris Wheel. In the foreground, you can see a jetski tour group in the canal. Sony RX100V.

I wish I could have rented a kayak and paddled in the canal leading to Tokyo Bay. There is a small Sea Kayak house, but it was closed when I got there. I did end up signing up for a SUP tour with Mizube 水辺荘 SUP tour, which I highly recommend! The company was willing to reschedule my tour on short notice due to our food poisoning emergency, and my guide, Yuki, spoke English and was a really enthusiastic and amazing guide. There is a lot of jellyfish in the water when I paddled there, but Yuki assured me they are harmless (unlike the Box Jellyfish we get in Singapore waters). In the summer months, the whole canal would be swarmed by these jellyfish and it could make a very surreal and unique paddling experience. If you’re not a big fan of Cnidarians, consider going in April during the Sakura season as sakura petals will rain down the canal like snow flakes.

Yuki of Mizube SUP Tour took so many photos and videos of me throughout the trip--I spliced them together with some footage from my DJI Action 4.

A crow studying me as I made my way to Mizube SUP Tour. Sony RX100V.

We got a DJI Action 4 for paddling purposes and while I took some videos throughout the trip on the water, I’m still learning how to tell stories with videos. I was tempted to take the RX100V into the water (I even got a Pelican case for it in Tokyo), but I chickened out each time as I know that Sony cameras are not exactly the most resilient in the face of the elements.

Chinatown gate crossing. Sony RX100V.

We stayed near Yokohama’s Chinatown, which is one of three Chinatowns found in Japan (the other two are in Japan’s other big port towns: Kobe and Nagasaki). It’s very lively, and it was full of students snacking on baos and other Chinese street food when I visited in the evening. If you love the Japanese ramen snack brand Baby Star, they have a big outlet here where you can bulk packets at bargain price.

Chinatowns will always have cool architecture to marvel at. Sony RX100V.

Practiced panning shots from time to time and I still have a long way to go. Sony RX100V.

I popped into Tokyo for one day as I signed up for a tour with Tokyo Great Kayak Tour. I loved these canal tours—you get to see the city from another angle!—and I wish more cities offer these types of tours! I got my hopes up for Osaka (another great city criss-crossed with many canals and rivers), but the one tour operator I could find online does not seem to be in business anymore. I cannot recommend TGKT enough though—it’s an easy and chill paddle until we got nearer to the bay (the wind and the busier ship traffic created larger waves than we expected), and our guide, who speaks English, gave us interesting history lessons along the way.

An overview of the 15km paddle through the Tokyo canals with Tokyo Great Kayak Tour. Shot on DJI Action 4.

I only brought my RX100V with me to Tokyo, and here are some snaps from the streets (ie Shinjuku, from where we can catch a straight train to Yokohama):

Light making windows on brick wall. Sony RX100V.

I would like to be as brave as commuter cyclists in Japan. RX100V.

The golden hour really makes everything look more romantic. RX100V.

A few more street snaps from Yokohama:

A day out. Sony RX100V.

I saw a lot of anglers in Yokohama! Tokyo Bay has improved a lot in water quality, but my SUP guide told me that it’s still best to cook any fish you catch here in Yokohama. Sony RX100V.

I thought the light was neat. Sony A7C + 40/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton.

I need a lot more practice composing with the 16mm! I brought it thinking I will get so much use out of it especially with cityscape, but had a hard time with it. Many wide shots from the subsequent days would actually be panorama photos stitched with pictures from the RX100V or with the A7C + 40mm Nokton instead. Sony A7C + Viltrox 16/1.8.

No.1 Dock Bridge by the Hikawa Maru. Sony A7C + Viltrox 16/1.8.

The Hikawa Maru. A former luxury ocean liner turned a permanent naval museum. Sony A7C + Viltrox 16/1.8.

More scenes at the Bay Area. Sony RX100V. I learned the hard way that at least my copy of the RX100V is very soft when zoomed in all the way to 70mm (which is contrary to all the great reviews I’ve read of the Carl Zeiss lens on the RX100 series—it’s supposed to be tack sharp across all focal lengths, especially when stopped down to F4 or 5.6).

The CBD area in Yokohama. Sony RX100V.

This is where all the bars and clubs are. My SUP guide said this is like Yokohama’s Clarke Quay. Sony RX100V.

I still haven’t figured out what exactly is being transported there. Sony RX100V.

The King lives! Sony RX100V.

I always love the juxtoposition of taller modern building with older looking shorter shophouses. Sony RX100V.

The sun is setting and I was lost at Yokohama Station while trying to get to Rucy + R for the third time. Yokohama Station is huge, and Rucy + R has such delicious plant-based curry that yes, I went there three times. Sony RX100V.

Did I mention the jumping fish in Yokohama canal? There was a handful while I was SUP-ing, and I heard so many of them jumping and making a splash while setting up for this shot. My little Leofoto spider tripod was perched very precariously on the bridge here, and I opted to use the RX100V for a long exposure panorama shot for the first time as I didn’t want to risk the weight of my A7C + 40mm Nokton. The IQ is not exactly National Geographic material, but good enough for me for online use, and made me even more excited about this little camera’s potential. Sony RX100V, panorama stitched in post.

This is the bridge I took the above shot from. I could have taken several more long exposure shots to really clean up the passerby ghosts. Landscape/street night photography is still new to me, and I’m learning a lot as I go! Sony A7C + 40/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton.

A bridge at Rinko Park. Sony A7C + 40/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton.

Yokohama Minatomirai’s skyline and port from Rinko Park. There was a family/friend group fishing and having a picnic right there—the little zigzag line at the left side of the photo is actually one of their headlamps as he cast his line. As per above photo, I realise I should have taken more shots to help clean up this photo. I’m not sure if I’m happy with the sunstars too, but I didn’t bring a Black Mist filter on this trip. Sony A7C + 40/1.2 Voigtlander Nokton.

This wasn’t a photography trip—more than anything, I wanted to enjoy being there in the moment, and also I didn’t want to slow my husband down too much. Being able to capture scenes that encapsulated my feelings, memories, and vibes of those days is a big bonus though, and I’m so grateful I could do that (much thanks to husband for waiting for me patiently as I took photos of things in the coming days )!

Next stop: Hakone and Nakatsugawa!