Buying Second Hands in Tokyo

[kim yee]

I will be visiting Tokyo soon as well, I wonder where I can find a good second hand shops for

Leica in Tokyo?

[jerry_lehrer]

Yee-- It depends upon where you are visiting FROM. If you are coming from the US, prices in Japan would be higher. When I worked in Japan,the stores wanted to buy from ME. I found no good buys in Japan

except on new Nikon stuff, not Leica.

[mo_larricese]

Til you get done with it all, it's cheaper to buy the whole clock.

[simon_dai]

Try Katsumido Camera near Ginza ...

[peter tresize]

There are maps at:

 

http://photoguide.jp/pix/index.php?cat=89

 

http://photoguide.jp/pix/displayimage.php?album=86&pos=0

 

a few places have moved since these maps were made, but generally very helpful.

 

I'd suggest Lemon Camera in Ginza, or Map Camera near Shinjuku

 

The best place for film I could find was Bic Camera (Odakyu Halc) Shinjuku

 

more info: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-7951.html

[peter_evans4]

<p>If Katsumido is what I think it is, yes, try it. It has a considerable (if presumably unintended) comedy value: "They're asking that much for <em>this</em>?"</p><p>Go to either the widely advertised store "Lucky" (in Shinjuku) or the lesser known store "Kawamasu" near Asakusa, and get free tar and nicotine! Yes, the staff pay to consume their coffin nails on the premises, so all those magic ingredients are free for you.</p><p>I haven't much of a clue about Leitz/Leica prices, but if that brand interests you I'd tentatively suggest "Lemon" (really!) in Ginza or "Kimura" in Shinjuku.</p><p>If you're interested in equipment for using and not only for fondling and displaying, consider used Cosina ("Voigtländer") and (LTM) Canon stuff. The latter in particular seems to be a lot cheaper in Tokyo than in most places outside Japan. In Shinjuku alone, there are "Kimura", "Alps", "Box", "Map", and a place whose name I never remember. Gurgling for "kimura alps lemon" or similar should take you to earlier threads that explain which is which, where it is, and just as importantly stuff about warranties and so forth.</p>

[aaron_johnston]

Map Camera in Shinjuku has a case of Leicas about six feet long and four rows high. You name it, they have it. As for prices, I tend to agree that they are higher than here in the U.S. and it makes little sense to buy anything in Japan unless it's a rare item you simply cannot find here.

 

If you do buy anything, be sure to bring your passport as many shops offer tax free prices for foreigners. They'll staple a note to your passport indicating how much you spent and you simply hand this to customs at the airport when you leave. Makes a big difference.

[nkag]

There is no Kimura Camera anymore in Shinjuku (as of about a year and a half or two ago).

Check Map Camera in Shinjuku or Fujiya in Nakano. I don't know about Ginza but everytime I

walk into a camera store there I walk back out within a few minutes - that may just be timing

or whatever.

[mikko_kalavainen]

/totally offtopic

 

Why would someone want to buy second hands? I do fine with the ones I have... :D Come on, it's the weekend! And the sctoch.

[alex_lofquist]

Why is the second hand really the third hand?

[peter_evans4]

<p><em>There is no Kimura Camera anymore in Shinjuku</em></p><p>Oh really? There certainly was the last time I looked, perhaps three weeks ago.</p><p>Yes, the old one closed. It opened elsewhere: on the west side of the tracks rather than the east, and further to the south than before. <a href="http://www.kimura-camera.co.jp/sitedata/shop/map/tokyo/images/k_09_m.gif">Here</a> is a map.</p>

[raymond_tai]

Leicas new and used are so outrageously expensive in Japan it is almost comical why anyone would pay $1000 for a IIIc with peeling leather but that is what the price tag say. I prefer to shop at MAP Camera in Shinjuku as they have a whole building full of cameras of various brands. There are no Leica bargains or bargains of any thing with German heritage but I have purchased many gems there including Konica and Ricoh LTM lenses for much less than ebay prices. Aftermarket lens hoods, eye pieces, and practically whatever you need for your Leica are readily available. There are bargains however in Japanese made Zeiss and Contax cameras and lenses. I was cruising MAP last year and they had 3 mint 50mm Noct-Nikkors for $1400 each. Not too bad.

[hakon_soreide]

I was thinking the same as Mikko when I read the topic. I am sure that buying second hands will be something that will show up in Tokyo before anywhere else as they are rather keen on robotics over there. Will be interesting to see if any second-hand second hands shops show up too when people realise they can make do with their old ones and wish to dump the extra pair.