Honestly, just grab a used Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS and call it a day. Ive carried this all over and the zoom range is unbeatable for travel. It lets you get those tight street shots and wide food pics without swapping lenses. You can easily find one under $400 used, which leaves plenty of money for your actual trip... simple is always better when youre traveling.

Ngl, I was pretty disappointed with the basic kit lens. It isnt as good as expected for street photography. I had issues with blurry food shots too... unfortunately most zooms are just too bulky for travel. Try this instead:

• Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Sony E Its tiny, sharp, and perfect for Japan. Youll definitely take better photos with it!

Can confirm this works. Did the same thing on mine and its been solid ever since.

Can vouch for this

> all these numbers like f2.8 and millimeters are so confusing. Sorry if this is a dumb question but I just want one lens that stays on my camera all the time. Honestly its ridiculous how the camera industry treats beginners. You buy a nice camera and then you are basically hit with a wall of technical jargon and overpriced glass. It drives me crazy. I am very satisfied with my Sony gear but searching for lenses is such a scam lately. They make everything so complicated with f-stops and focal lengths just to justify charging a fortune for stuff that sometimes feels like cheap plastic. It really feels like these companies dont care about making photography accessible for normal people who just want to travel. You just want to take nice photos in Japan without needing a degree in optics. Its such a headache because the prices just keep climbing while the entry level options get more limited. Totally commiserate with you because the whole market is just designed to be confusing and expensive for no reason.

+1