2 little questions :)

[aginor]

Hello everyone i got 2 little questions  but i am not sure where to ask about this

i am going to have a big trip around asia next year   and my passion is to take pictures, so my question is is it cheaper to buy my good new camera from finland(where i am from) or buy it from china or japan .. which one is cheaper ? like a very good camera .. a good one costs in here about 600-1000 euros . is it cheaper in china and japan or should i just buy it from here?

and another question
Do you know if there is any boats or ships or something like that going between China,Beijing -- Japan,some place like osaka or tokyo ?

becouse i am thinking of going there via train and ships or something hehe cheaper then flying or well better

[frozenthrone]

My dad had to go buy a digital camera here in Canada for the relatives in China, i think cause its cheaper and better in canada than in China.. i dunno about japan but im guessing in japan its going to be a bit more expensive.. since the per capita in japan is probably alot higher so prices are probably more expensive..

[ebc]

Train and ships? wow that would be really quite an adventure hehe that would take quite a bit of planning.

I found China's prices on electrical stuff not really that good, I think the main problem is the good places that are meant to be cheap don't ever put prices on anything. It's up to you to know what it's meant to cost and then try and bargain with the sales person. Some people are really good at doing this but my experience was fail but nevermind that.

Japan would possibly be cheaper depending on the shop and the specials. At least in Japan, prices are marked on everything and there's less pressure to buy everything you might look at.

[Guchi_Jnr]

I think your best bet, is to choose a camera you want, then compare the prices with Finland, China and Japan, and make you choice that way..

Most main electrical stores in Japan will have the exact same price.. Sure, some will have specials, but since it's so competitive, they usually just match prices..

eg.

Nikon D60 Double Lens Kit.
Yodobashi Camera
SoftMap

I know you said you want a "new" camera, but if you want kickass and cheap, some secondhand cameras are a bargain.. And are far from "old"..
Most electronic areas (Akihabara in Tokyo & DenDen Town in Osaka) have heaps of secondhand camera stores..



As for the boat ride, some of my friends took a ship from Japan to China, so you can do it... I just don't know any specific details..

And if you do plan on coming over, make sure you have an outward ticket from Japan, otherwise they won't let you in..

[aginor]

oooh Thanks a lot for the info
Guchi what do you mean outward ticket ? are they not going to let me in if i just come with the ship , do i need to show them a ticket away from japan for when i leave ? like a plain ticket or the ship or something like that ? because i was thinking to come to china via train from Finland and from china take a ship or something to japan and travel around japan for a month or so and then come back to china and travel around there are so on ..

heh i am planing now like crazy because this trip will happen next year this time

[Guchi_Jnr]

^ Yes!!
You need to have (and show) a valid ticket departing Japan, before they will let you enter the country..

[aginor]

aah ok thanks

[ferrar1]

with those budget of yours, you can afford to buy an entry level DSLR with cash to spare for accesories like bags, filters, battery packs.

[Shumatsu Samurai]

With the Euro being rather strong, I'm pretty sure (without checking) you can get it cheaper in Japan.

And if you go to big places like Yodobashi you usually will find someone who speaks (some sort of) English. There's also the chance of getting a point card and save even more (in the example above, both Yodobashi and Sofmap would give you 10% of what you pay for that Nikon - That's like an extra battery and some small things for free). But some places will ask for your alien registration (happend to me at SofMap but it seems to depend on the guy there because a friend had no problems). They will also most likely reject you if you live in a hotel.
You could still try to get one, buy the camera, get the points, come back the next day (Many places will not let you use the points the same day you earned them), get some accessories and then make a run for it before they had a chance to check it.
Depending on what you're looking for, smaller shops really have a hard time beating the prices of the bigger ones.
It helps if you speak Japanese. Do you?
There's also some shops in, for example, Akihabara that sell duty free stuff. But I have no experience with them.

If you want to travel in Japan a lot, you might want to check out the Japan Rail Pass.
And if you don't want to use it, be advised that on some routes, going by train isn't actually cheaper. You can fly from Tokyo, Haneda to Shin-Chitose (near Sapporo) for around the same amount you'll pay for a rail ticket (including Shinkansen). The plane will take about 2 hours (including boarding and such) while the train takes 15+ hours. You can have it cheaper by not taking the Shinkansen but that'll take even longer. If your time is limited you might not want to do that.

[frblckstr1]

The plane will take about 2 hours (including boarding and such) while the train takes 15+ hours. You can have it cheaper by not taking the Shinkansen but that'll take even longer.

Alternative: Horse drawn carriage?
You know, if I ever learn enough Japanese and have some time I actually would try...