Japan Prices

Shopping in Japan--especially Tokyo is often extremely expensive> This is especially true for imported items, but not limited to them. The Nikon D70 is still much, much more expensive than it sells for in the USA even though it is a Japanese product.

I recently bought a holder, and adapter ring, and a ND graduated filter all made by Cokin. Cokin is now part of, or at least affiliated with Kenko, a Japanese company. The whole set cost me nearly $70. In the US, one can get everything for about $35. Half Price. We have all heard the various "explanations" for high prices in Japan for years, and most have turned out to be half-truths or no longer valid.