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People who live in the cowboy culture travel by trailer with their horses and families during the summer, sometimes just on their own.
Despite my first impression of the state filled with masculine landscape, women also travel in this culture and ride their horses.
I encountered a lot of people who are kind , warm and strong .
Soon I’d come back to see them again.
6 . 18 . 2012 at 12:46

I had a chance to visit the 20-kilometer radius area in Fukushima, where the TEPCO nuclear power plant evacuated residents after its initial explosion.

The evacuation order has just lifted a few days prior to.

 

A year has passed, but the scene I saw was frozen in time.

The houses were still abandoned.

Will there be a day for the residents to return?

I encountered a man standing still, lost in thought, in front of his used-to-be home.

This is the reality the nuclear power plant has brought upon us.

 

I thought I missed this year’s cherry blossom, however I lucked out and caught its ephemeral beauty in Fukushima, where the full bloom comes a little bit later than Tokyo.

 

 

5 . 15 . 2012 at 10:41

Invited by a friend from San Francisco, who is the co-founder of NPO called Mali Kalanso, I sought the new country Mali (and was my first being in Africa) without having too much plan or thought. (Countless vaccines were a must, however.)
For me it was obvious that the purpose of this trip was to photograph, although I often found myself facing dilemmas as there were specific atmosphere, scent or breeze that was impossible to confine onto film. (In truth, I always have that dilemma anyway.)
People in Senegal did not want a stranger photographing them.  They literally refused. (Which certainly bummed me out while I totally understood. I told myself to take it easy, to bring my eyes down in an attempt to let things happen without my curiosity arising.)
In fact, I am not sure if I photographed enough or at all. But I hope and am certain that this gave me something beyond that, a valuable experience.
All in all, I had a golden time. Picturesque scenery, adorable village children, wonderful people and great company.
I believe that meeting incredible people are the biggest events in one’s life. I always feel that experience and anticipation push me to the next new embarkment.
I already have some projects  cooking in me for this year.
Perhaps it was a good kick in the back from someone, and now I have flood of thoughts on things I would like to do and will pursue.

The first month gushed by already but I look forward to seeing you more in the year 2012.

1 . 31 . 2012 at 8:13