Change your environment, change your mindset

I don't usually stay at home and think much. I rest when I'm really tired, but lazing around at home for more than three hours is my limit (laughs). I think "changing my environment" has a big impact on my mindset. If the weather is good, I wake up around 6 AM and go somewhere alone. I especially love driving and head to places with nature, like mountains. As the scenery I see while driving changes, I can feel my thoughts changing as well. I really love that time. It's more about just driving and eating something delicious before coming home, rather than going to do something specific.

But actually, when I think about my own works, I don't feel like photographing Japanese landscapes at all. Of course, I love Japan, but I feel like I can't capture it well as a subject. One reason is that I can't photograph it as attractively as foreigners do, and another might be Japan's unique humidity, or the "yin and yang" atmosphere present here. Perhaps because it's the country where I was born and raised, I overthink and feel too much about the background of the land. I still can't photograph it well. When I go abroad, I can honestly take photos with the fresh excitement of "Wow, it's so beautiful!" But, if I can grow as a person and encompass all these things someday, I'd like to try photographing Japan.

For those reasons, I used to take about two months off each year to go abroad. While short trips of a few days also offer many experiences, sometimes you only see and feel the good parts. However, if you can stay for a year or two, you have a bit more time, and I think you start to see more of the inner workings of that place. When you interact with the lives of local people, you gain deeper insights. I believe that experience also provides an opportunity to reflect on what kind of country Japan, where I was born, truly is. That experience was very significant for me.

I want to focus on and photograph things that are a little "weird"

I started photography because I originally wanted to be involved in TV program production, but I only got into the photography department in my university entrance exams (laughs). However, once I started doing photography, I found it incredibly interesting because it had chemical, documentary, and artistic elements, among many other depths. Before I knew it, I started thinking, "I want to make a living through photography."

When I shoot, I really value natural light. Although I use lighting equipment for work, for my personal projects, I only use natural light. I like to keep my luggage light and shoot without a destination, either by bicycle or on foot. When I lived in America for about two years, my phone, bike, and sometimes beer were all I needed! That's how I spent my days. In between, I would take photos when the light was good.

Also, the moments I want to point my camera at are when I find something or someone "weird." By "weird," I mean something that makes me want to make a witty remark, if that makes sense. I was born in Kyoto, so maybe it's the Kansai blood in me. As an example, I might pass by a young person whose clothes seem ill-fitting, making me want to think, "I wouldn't choose that myself." When I feel this way, wondering what that person is thinking or realizing they have different sensibilities than me, I'll approach them and ask to take their picture. And I find that difference very captivating.

When I look back at the photos I've taken, they're not just photos that make me feel "good!" For example, when I see nature, I certainly think it's beautiful and wonderful, but I can't capture more than what I see with my own eyes at that moment. Instead, I realize I'm photographing slightly mysterious landscapes, like grass sprouting from asphalt, or the moment a person blinks. I'm not straightforward (laughs).

I want to hold a photo exhibition at some point this year. I believe exhibitions are also a major communication tool, so I want to incorporate something that viewers can feel. Something that brings insight or makes them gasp. I hope to create something that people can take something away from.