[JPT]

The objective of this post is to advise visitors to Japan where you can find a good selection of Pentax products to buy new if you visit Japan. It might also clarify to some people what the impact of Pentax’s new sales strategy has been since it was implemented on April 1.

Background
I don’t think anyone needs convincing that the last few years has brought about a lot of changes.
- COVID meant that foreign visitors couldn’t get into Japan for some time. Now it is more or less back to normal and the tourists are coming back. (I was wrong about this - see comments below. It's still difficult to enter Japan for tourism.)
- COVID and the longer term negative trends also put the whole camera industry under a lot of strain and some retailers have gone under or significantly shrunk their business
- Pentax stated earlier this year that they are going to focus on an online sales model. This left many people, including me, wondering just how easy it would be to find Pentax in bricks-and-mortar stores.
- The Yen is very weak at the moment. It does make the current Japanese prices look attractive compared to other countries at this time, as well as making the prospect of making a trip to Japan cheaper in general.

Disclaimers
There are a few disclaimers to get past before I start listing the stores.
- This is only about Pentax. GR has a different marketing strategy. In fact GR is now easier to find in stores than Pentax.
- I’m only talking about new products, not used
- I’ve only been able to check stores in Tokyo, so while I expect that the same thing is happening in Osaka and other cities, I can’t confirm.
- This is not a comprehensive list. I can only go to so many stores.
- This is the case as of July 2022. It could change in future.
- Buying in another country may create warranty difficulties. If you buy in Japan it's up to you to weigh up the pros and cons.

So with that over, here is the list.

Pentax Clubhouse - Full range of products, plus unique merchandise



This is the new location run by Pentax themselves in Yotsuya Tokyo. It is not open yet, but I”m pretty sure they will be selling a full range of Pentax gear over the counter, because the old Ricoh Imaging Square used to do that. You can expect to pay the recommended price and maybe get some small incentives. The other thing about coming here is that you are supporting Pentax more directly and you can also find unique merchandise that is only available from Pentax Japan (T-shirts, etc.)
???????????????PENTAX????????????????RICOH IMAGING

Dedicated camera stores - Mostly still stock a good range of Pentax
By this I mean stores that are basically not national chains. They tend to be where serious photographers buy in Japan. I have checked out a couple of the more popular camera stores in Tokyo and found they still stock a pretty good range of Pentax products at fair prices

Fujiya Camera in Nakano - I have probably bought more from this store than any other because their prices are good. They have a comprehensive range of Pentax stuff and also stock the J-Limited cameras as take-out items. Since these are special order items, I guess they must pre-order them, confident that they will find buyers. Nakano is a bit out of the way, but manga/anime fans might have it on their to-do list anyway.
TAX-FREE SHOPPING for foreign travelers.????????????????????

Map Camera in Shinjuku - This shop is popular with foreigners and they are used to dealing with English speakers. They stock a wide range of Pentax gear but I don’t think they are quite as good as Fujiya Camera.
STORE GUIDE?Map Camera SHINJYUKU TOKYO

There are probably more stores like this but I don’t know them all.

Bic Camera - Limited model selection since April 1
This is a major electronics retailer across Japan. I’ve been to a few branches of Bic, including some of the big ones in Shinjuku, and found that since April 1 they seem to be just down to stocking the most popular model, the K-3 III. I’m not sure is there are any stores which retain a better selection, but I can’t really recommend Bic for Pentax products now.
https://www.biccamera.com.e.lj.hp.transer.com/bc/i/shop/shoplist/index.jsp?

Yodobashi Camera - Full range in the largest stores, disappeared from smaller stores since April 1
This is another major national electronics retailer like Bic. Their attitude is a bit different. My nearest store in Kichijoji, Tokyo is actually big, but they completely pulled Pentax on April 1. However, the main branch in West Shinjuku and the colossal one in Akihabara still have a very good selection and display of Pentax. So as long as you go to one of the biggest stores, Yodobashi is still a good choice. Not the cheapest, though.
https://www.yodobashi.com/ec/store/list/en/

Kitamura Camera - Full range in their flagship store in Shinjuku, mostly absent from small stores



Kitamura Camera is a strange chain, because there are lots of small basic stores across the country which focus on passport photo services and printing. But they also have second-hand centers that have a lot of used gear. The character of each store is quite different. Last year they opened a flagship store in Shinjuku, Tokyo that is really great. It is aimed at enthusiasts and sells new and used gear in a very stylish 7-story shop. The smaller Kitamura shops don’t sell Pentax, but this new one has a good selection of cameras and lenses. In fact it was the only store I saw a 645z and lenses on the counter for customers to try. This store is like a love letter to photographers and I’m quite astonished that they even opened it in the current environment, right in the middle of the pandemic.
???? | ?? ??????

Another note is that all these stores still carry a full range of Pentax on their web stores, even Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera, which have cut down in their physical stores.

Conclusion
There has been some scaling down of the way the big electronics chains stock Pentax. You can’t assume that any camera store will have Pentax gear. In fact it was getting like that before Pentax's strategy change. However, there are still multiple places you can go and be sure of finding Pentax cameras and lenses.

My top recommendations in Tokyo would be:
- Pentax Clubhouse (To support Pentax and get special stuff)
- Fujiya Camera (For the best price and good selection)
- Yodobashi Camera Akihabara (For the easiest access)

I hope this will prove useful and save someone a bit of fruitless hunting around if they come to Japan.

If any one has updated information or information about other cities in Japan, please feel free to add.

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Last edited by JPT; 07-25-2022 at 12:50 AM.

[Joetitch]

To steal a quote "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
It looks like Pentax are subscribing to "You can't go broke making a profit." And are intending to leverage profits in an established market. As long as they remember that sometimes you have to spend dollar to make two dollars. I suspect that they know this as they have been doomed for years. Yet they're still here.
Good info for us myoptic westerners.😊

[ProfessorBuzz]

Thanks for this update. Very informative.

[jumbleview]

Thanks for the info. In 2017 I was in Japan and visited MAP camera. Came to conclusion that from price and selection point of view buying online is better . I was not aware about Fujiya Camera at that time. Alas, I am not sure if I ever will be in Tokyo again.

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Last edited by jumbleview; 07-24-2022 at 09:55 AM.

[JPT]

Thanks, for the info. In 2017 I was in Japan and visited MAP camera. Came to conclusion that buying online is better from price and selection point of view. I was not aware about Fujiya Camera at that time. Alas, I am not sure if if ever will be in Tokyo again.

I don't think you missed anything by not going to Fujiya. It would only be a tiny bit cheaper if anything. I just prefer it as a place to shop. And if someone specifically wanted to buy a J-Limited camera, it might be the only place you can do that, because the 6-week order time would make things difficult elsewhere.

In some countries Pentax gear seems to generally cost more than Japan and it might make sense to buy here. The US seems to have pretty good prices anyway, so I think it rarely works out favorable for US visitors. It could be different for people from Australia, for example.

Judging by steady flow of PMs I get asking for advice about it, there are people who like to go shopping for camera gear when they come to Japan. I just worry that people will waste their time seeking out camera shops that are not that good, while they could just go to the one or two places that are best.

[biz-engineer]

Did Ricoh get in touch with customers opening online accounts for online sales? Or simply winding down Pentax in camera shops without further actions?

[Snakeisthestuff]

Hi JPT,

this thread is a good idea and thanks for the insight on the current situation in Japan.
It is good to see that the yodobashi flagship stores still carry Pentax products!

But you might want to clarify that statement to avoid false expectations for those planing to visit Japan as tourist:

- COVID meant that foreign visitors couldn’t get into Japan for some time. Now it is more or less back to normal and the tourists are coming back.

You might not know this as you are not having those issues living in Japan but the current situation for tourists is far from normal and might change soonest in September as I read recently at Asahi Shinbun.

The tourist visa waiver programs are still on hold and there is still no possibility to apply for an individual tourist visa as of July 25th 2022. You can apply for a rare opportunity of an guided tour tourist visa. But in this case you are not allowed to leave the group and therefore wont be able to go to those stores by your own.

IMHO I strongly recommend for all people who go there for tourism to wait till 2023.
It is expensive (mandetaroy PCR-test etc.) and takes a lot of effort because of the corona regulations in place.

Also keep in mind that Japan is about half to one year back in progress on getting back to normal.
You cannot compare it to the situation in US / Europe so they are still more afraid as we are, most people use masks outdoors even if it was relaxed recently and you are expected to do the same (at crowded places etc.).

You can get information about visa application at the Japanese Embassy, here the link for the US based embassy:
https://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/travel_and_visa.html

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Last edited by Snakeisthestuff; 07-25-2022 at 12:48 AM. Reason: Added Link to embassy

[JPT]

Hi JPT,

this thread is a good idea and thanks for the insight on the current situation in Japan.
It is good to see that the yodobashi flagship stores still carry Pentax products!

But you might want to clarify that statement to avoid false expectations for those planing to visit Japan as tourist:



You might not know this as you are not having those issues living in Japan but the current situation for tourists is far from normal and might change soonest in September as I read recently at Asahi Shinbun.

The tourist visa waiver programs are still on hold and there is still no possibility to apply for an individual tourist visa as of July 25th 2022. You can apply for a rare opportunity of an guided tour tourist visa. But in this case you are not allowed to leave the group and therefore wont be able to go to those stores by your own.

IMHO I strongly recommend for all people who go there for tourism to wait till 2023.
It is expensive (mandetaroy PCR-test etc.) and takes a lot of effort because of the corona regulations in place.

Also keep in mind that Japan is about half to one year back in progress on getting back to normal.
You cannot compare it to the situation in Japan / Europe so they are more afraid, most people use masks outdoors even if it was relaxed recently and you are expected to do the same (at crowded places etc.).

You can get information about visa application at the Japanese Embassy, here the link for the US based embassy:
Visa and Travel Information | Embassy of Japan in the United States of America

Thanks for the correction. I'll put a note in the original post. Actually, I didn't know that about the travel restrictions.

I thought it must be easier to get into Japan now for tourists because I've been seeing a lot more non-Japanese people around, some of whom were looking like tourists. However, when I think about it, most of the people coming in out of Japan that I know are on business travel or traveling for family reasons. It does still seem to be quite difficult to get allowed in.

It's true that people are wearing masks most of the time in public places and offices. The thing is mask-wearing was common in Japan even before COVID, so the Japanese are quick to wear masks and slow to stop. Fortunately, 81% of people are vaccinated and deaths are still low, but the Japanese are very particular about sanitation and cleanliness issues, so I expect the expectation of wearing masks will continue for a while. Honestly, I think some people actually like it because it allows them to hide their face and be more anonymous in public.

Anyway, my main point of this post was to show where you can get Pentax if you do happen to be in Japan, not particularly to suggest that this is good timing to do so.

[Snakeisthestuff]

Thanks for the correction. I'll put a note in the original post. Actually, I didn't know that about the travel restrictions.

I thought it must be easier to get into Japan now for tourists because I've been seeing a lot more non-Japanese people around, some of whom were looking like tourists. However, when I think about it, most of the people coming in out of Japan that I know are on business travel or traveling for family reasons. It does still seem to be quite difficult to get allowed in.

It's true that people are wearing masks most of the time in public places and offices. The thing is mask-wearing was common in Japan even before COVID, so the Japanese are quick to wear masks and slow to stop. Fortunately, 81% of people are vaccinated and deaths are still low, but the Japanese are very particular about sanitation and cleanliness issues, so I expect the expectation of wearing masks will continue for a while. Honestly, I think some people actually like it because it allows them to hide their face and be more anonymous in public.

Anyway, my main point of this post was to show where you can get Pentax if you do happen to be in Japan, not particularly to suggest that this is good timing to do so.

No worries, as I said this post is very appreciated and I deeply understand that you only know those visa restrictions if you actually try to get into Japan.

I too will soon be able to visit Japan with a family visa and therefore had a LOT to learn about entry procedures (My SoS App for Fast Track etc.).

Your comment on hygiene in Japan is mainly true but better not start counting how many man wash their hands after using the public toilette (especially at train stations) you might rethink your statement xD.

[JoelA]

Thank you so very much for posting this! It's way past time for a trip to Japan again. This will save hours of aimlessly wandering around (although that is a great deal of the fun).

Again, many thanks for the time put into this post.

Joel.

[longbo]

Thank you for taking the time and effort to post this review. I've not managed a trip to Japan yet, but who knows, I might still get there and I'd certainly be interested in seeing Pentax in its home environment.

[biz-engineer]

I'd certainly be interested in seeing Pentax in its home environment

I was once in Ginza, Ricoh tower, and visited the Pentax/Ricoh showroom. It was nice to see all Pentax cameras and lenses in one room, including old / vintage camera models, I was also able to try the DA 560. And that day I was lucky enough to briefly see Takashi Arai (product planning K1 and GRIII, I think). I guess the new Pentax Club House will be equivalent to Ginza, albeit presented differently. But that's not like seeing how the FA limited lenses are made in a factory setting.

[JPT]

I was once in Ginza, Ricoh tower, and visited the Pentax/Ricoh showroom. It was nice to see all Pentax cameras and lenses in one room, including old / vintage camera models, I was also able to try the DA 560. And that day I was lucky enough to briefly see Takashi Arai (product planning K1 and GRIII, I think). I guess the new Pentax Club House will be equivalent to Ginza, albeit presented differently. But that's not like seeing how the FA limited lenses are made in a factory setting.

The showroom/gallery you went to in Ginza was originally the Ricoh one before the companies came together. Even after the merger, the Ginza location retained more of a Ricoh flavor and the other one in Shinjuku was more like the home of Pentax. Personally, I didn't like the Ginza showroom because it was very cramped, with few visitors and didn't have any space in it for events. It closed a few years ago, but last time I checked the building still has a big neon Ricoh sign at the top.

It's better to think of the Pentax Clubhouse as the replacement for the Shinjuku location. Did you have chance to go there? So it is going be more "Pentax" and have more space for events.

By the way, I didn't really understand what you were asking about getting in touch with customers. There have been a lot of communications about Pentax's new strategy, delivered by mail blasts, news articles, website posts and social networks. Given that Ricoh has started selling through Rakuten (the biggest e-commerce platform), pretty much everyone will have an online account for that already, even if they don't have a Ricoh ID. Plus, as I have tried to demonstrate in the original post, the products are still available in stores for people to try out. There is not much "winding down" in reality.

[biz-engineer]

By the way, I didn't really understand what you were asking about getting in touch with customers. There have been a lot of communications about Pentax's new strategy, delivered by mail blasts, news articles, website posts and social networks.

I never received a single email from Ricoh about new products being released or e.g summer discount on the DFA21 LTD, although I've had an account opened at Ricoh webshop for many years. Ricoh Imaging have all my contact details for years and they never reach out, no even a single time, I find it strange for a company supposed to be going online 100%. If Ricoh Imaging shuts down stores to reduce cost and go 100% online, I'd expect them to be top notch with their online marketing & sales. If there was no PF, I'd not even be aware of what Ricoh Pentax are doing, strange to me. That's why I asked if along with reducing B&M stores in Japan, Ricoh are also ramping up their online communication with customers.

[JPT]

I never received a single email from Ricoh about new products being released or e.g summer discount on the DFA21 LTD, although I've had an account opened at Ricoh webshop for many years. Ricoh Imaging have all my contact details for years and they never reach out, no even a single time, I find it strange for a company supposed to be going online 100%. If Ricoh Imaging shuts down stores to reduce cost and go 100% online, I'd expect them to be top notch with their online marketing & sales. If there was no PF, I'd not even be aware of what Ricoh Pentax are doing, strange to me. That's why I asked if along with reducing B&M stores in Japan, Ricoh are also ramping up their online communication with customers.

Ricoh does this in Japan. There is an email that goes out every Friday to people with Japan Ricoh Photo IDs. They've been doing this for several years.If any kind of new product or event is announced, it will be in that email. So I'm pretty sure that anyone will be able to find their way to the web stores. In addition there are websites in Japan that report fairly on the announcements made by each company. DC Watch is one of them. So even users who are not registered will know about Pentax products and events.

You say repeatedly that Ricoh is going "100% online", but that was the whole point of my post. I spent quite a lot of time walking around Tokyo to demonstrate this and wrote a long post about it. I didn't mention any camera stores that I had not gone into myself and seen a camera on the shelf in front of me. If I was totally hallucinating and seeing Pentax cameras where they are not, I think availability of cameras should be the least of my worries!

I completely agree that Pentax should improve their communications in Europe and the countries, but can I suggest creating another thread to discuss that? I'll be happy to participate and share my opinion in that thread.

It would be disappointing if this thread, which I started to be a useful guide to Japan visitors in the months and years ahead, got derailed and closed because of people exchanging complaints about marketing in completely different countries.