Buying a Digital Camera in Japan

I have lived in Japan for three years.

And within those three years I have purchased three digital cameras.

I bought the s45 in Akihabara, in August 2003.



Akihabara is a great cultural experience (neon-lights galore and stores upon stores of electronic doo-ditties). But price-wise, it was sort of disappointing. And kind of sleazy too, especially with guys coming up from behind you and whispering "pssstttt. . . duty-free." But, buy I did, though without the benefits of duty-free shopping because I actually live in Japan. The cost of the camera was ¥40000, about $50 cheaper than the states at that time.

In November 2004, I bought the s70.



This time, I noticed how much cheaper digital cameras were in the states, and that in general, the Japanese were still paying near MSRP prices. Even now, the s70 is selling for about ¥55000, tax inclusive.

Luckily, Hung was nice enough to ship over an s70 that I had ordered through Amazon.

But, my luck was not to last. Last month during a trip down to Sakurajima in Kagoshima-ken with my sister Liz, I ran over my precious camera with the rented bicycle.

d'oh!

So, off camera shopping again.

I had plenty of s70 and s45 batteries (one NB-2LH and two NB-2L batteries), so it was a bonus that the new Canon デジタルN used the same batteries. ***actually, I'm not so sure about the NB-2L batteries because Canon support said that the Canon Rebel XT was only tested with the NB-2LH. If anybody has any information about compatibility issues, please please let me know!***

Quick start-up times, a small portable size, an 8 megapixel large CMOS chip coupled with the DigicII processor, and the Canon quality I've enjoyed; such were the main deciding qualities for me.

Oh, and it looked and felt really cool!



So once again, I was busy researching and reviewing and lusting.

And out popped the calculator.

Was it cheaper to buy it from the states and have it sent over, or was it cheaper to buy it here in Japan?

The Canon デジタルN Lens Kit sells for about ¥119800 here in Japan. The Canon Rebel XT Lens Kit goes for about $999 in the states. In addition to the exchange rate, one must also take into account that Japan's price includes the tax. . . and unless you purchase out-of-state, then tax must be added to the Canon Rebel XT's price. So, surprisingly enough, the basic kits were comparable in price. Shockers!

But alas, it was still too expensive for me.

Not to worry. We all know how wonderful internet shopping is in America. Deals and coupons and specials galore! Dell seemed the best place to cash in on some crazy savings, and so I obsessively tracked bensbargains and fatwallet for the best combinations and the best timing.

As for Japan, I did remember that sometimes the electronics superstores around here had some minor sales. BestDenki is generally worthless for good deals, but YamadaDenki sometimes has great point incentives (like 15-20%) or even some big discounts instead. So off to do some local research.

Luck had it that YamadaDenki was selling it's Kit for ¥119800, but with a 11% point incentive. But, what would I buy with that ¥13000 yen? I had plenty of batteries. And compact flash cards were about twice as expensive here than back in the states. Being an electronics superstore, YamadaDenki didn't have lenses or specialized bags or filters or anything. Unless I wanted to buy a rice cooker, I was pretty much stuck with a whole lot of points. I'll pass.

Last on my stop was Kitamura Camera. This store's prices caught my eye a few times now, but the strangest thing is that each and every store has different specials. The first Daito Kitamura I went to had the kit selling for the normal price. But, because YamadaDenki was having a sale, the closer Sasebo Kitamura had a "let's beat YamadaDenki" sale, and had the kit for ¥101400, with tax included! Whoo-hoo!

The take home message is this: Japan isn't that expensive if you shop around a bit and check out the stores in person, and to remember that each individual store has different pricing strategies.

I personally prefer Kitamura Camera and Yamada Denki.

*bonus! Kitamura tossed in a free camera bag. It's huge, but I suppose they expect me to fill it up with lenses. I get the hint and will gladly oblige!

**double bonus! The kit lens in Japan is the EF-S 18-55mm USM version.