[Leica] Re: Safe photography

[pcb@iac.co.jp (Paul C. Brodek)]

Joe and fellow LUGnuts,

I'd like to respond to this thread with some personal observations,
based not on statistics but on living and working in Japan for more
than a decade.  I have never felt safer from perceived threats of
theft or crime, as an individual, than when living in Japan.  

However, I have had personal belonging stolen from my property, I have
friends who were victims of thefts, beatings, extortion and rape, and
I have left personal belongings in public places and had them
disappear.  

I believe that there is less theft and violent crime in Japan than in
all the places I've lived in the U.S.A.  However, I feel the need to
caution that it can and does occur here.  Most travellers to Japan
have little to worry about, but I think that you should always
exercise caution.  You may be pleasantly surprised to find that the
Leica M6 you left sitting on a park bench yesterday is still there
today, or has been turned over to the local police, but it may just as
easily have been turned into cash at a nearby pawnshop.

By all means, visit and enjoy, but don't throw caution to the winds.

Best,

PB

On Sat, 9 Jan 1999 11:56:46 -0700, "Joe Stephenson"
<joeleica@email.msn.com> wrote:

[snip]
>Bryan's comment
>reminded me of my son's experience of about 15 years ago. He was staying
>with a family in Toyko and left his camera on bench in a down-town park. He
>was upset, but his host mother told him would either be where he left it, or
>at the police station. The next day they checked, and there it was,

>>Bryan wrote:
>>[cut]
>>Also pleasantly absent is any worry that your camera equipment is going to
>>be stolen. Quite a different feeling than shooting in parts of some American
>>big cities. It's not unusual to hear stories about cameras left in
>>restaurants, subway stations or city parks only to be retrieved hours or
>>even days later by their owners who realized they'd been left behind.


Paul C. Brodek
Kobe, Japan
pcb@iac.co.jp