BIO:

• 写真家。兵庫県生まれ。常に「境界」に身を置き、その場に立つ者の身体性や、人の移動が生む気配、土地が抱え込む記憶に耳を澄ませながら撮影を続けている。写真集に、海外からのバックパッカーたちを捉えた『極東ホテル』（赤々舎、2009）、『遠い水平線 On The Horizon』（私家版、2012）、日本各地の海岸線を写した『To The Sea』（赤々舎、2014）、欧州へ移動する難民たちの姿を捉えた『Station』（夕書房、2020）。共著として、作家・池澤夏樹氏と震災直後の被災地を歩いた『春を恨んだりはしない』（中央公論新社、2012）などがある。

 
• Born in Hyogo, Japan. After studying social science at Waseda University, began a self-taught photographic career. Through long-term projects, work has centered on the evolving relationship between people and the places they inhabit. Photographs are created from a position at the “boundaries” of places—attuning to the physical presence of those who stand before the camera, to the subtle currents carried by human movement, and to the memories quietly held within the land. Cities and coastlines—particularly the ocean—remain enduring themes. In an age of globalization, these spaces both connect and divide, inviting encounters while creating new forms of distance and isolation. The ongoing project To the Sea, developed over more than twenty years across the coastlines of Japan and including scenes from the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, was published as a photobook in 2014 with a foreword by Nobel laureate Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio. Works from this series were also selected for “Cultural Cities of East Asia,” a cultural program jointly organized by Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea. Other photobooks include Hotel Far East (Akakasha, 2009), capturing backpackers arriving from abroad; On The Horizon (self-published, 2012), exploring the sensibility that gathers around the horizon; and Station (Seki Shobo, 2020), portraying refugees and migrants arriving in European cities—exhibited in the UK, Germany, Austria, and Japan.
Co-authored I don’t begrudge the spring for coming back again (Chuokoron-Shinsha, 2012) with novelist Natsuki Ikezawa, based on fieldwork conducted in the disaster-stricken regions of northeastern Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

EXHIBITIONS (solo / selected) :

• 2025.10.  “A Place to Belonging” (Suiden-Terrasse, Yamagata)
• 2020.09.  “Sense of Place” (Roonee 247 fine arts, Tokyo)
• 2020.07.  “Station/Moving Photographies” (Tokyo,Kyoto,Osaka,Tsukuba etc）
• 2018.04.  “Station/Station ” (Site-A Gallery Beneath the Railways, Yokohama）
• 2016.07.  “Hotel Fareast” (Gallery722,Okayama）
• 2016.07.  “A la Mer” (Espace KUU, Taisho University, Tokyo）
• 2015.10.  “Zushi” (Totora-do, Kanagawa）
• 2015.09.  “To the Sea (2014-2015)” (Gallery Seyagaya 233, Tokyo）
• 2015.04.  “High Water” (Totora-do, Kanagawa）
• 2015.02.  “To the Sea” (Gallery Coal Pit, Fukushima)
• 2014.07.  “To the Sea” (Roonee 247photography, Tokyo)
• 2013.01.  “Journey in to the Life” (Nishiwaki Hospital, Hyogo)
• 2012.03.  “On the Horizon ~ Remembrance3.11 ” (Nikon Salon, Shinjuku & Osaka)
• 2012.01.  “Wandering Souls” (Gallery TantoTempo, Kobe)
• 2010.03.  “Hotel Fareast” (Gallery AKAAKA, Tokyo)
• 2008.10.  “Hotel Fareast” (Nikon Salon, Ginza & Osaka)
• 2006.07.  “Passengers in the fareast” (Guardian Garden, Tokyo)
• 2005.08.  “Passengers in the fareast” (Roonee 247 photography, Tokyo)
• 2004.09.  “Head to the sky” (Gallery Seyagaya 233, Tokyo)
• 2001.12.  “Indian Summer” (Gallery Kowa, Tokyo)

EXHIBITIONS (group / selected) :

• 2025.07. “The 9 Passports” (SIGNAL, Tokyo)
• 2023.06. “STAYER” (with Daisuke Nakane, Setagaya 233, Tokyo)
• 2021.12.  “Station and Circus – Intersecting Sounds and Images” (with Daiho Soga/ CINEMA dub MONKS, CINEMA AMIGO, Zushi)
• 2021.03.  “Days are woven” (SOU JR=Sojiji Station Art Project,Osaka）
• 2020.10.  “Tokyo Curiosity 2020 Shibuya” (Bunkamura The Museum, Tokyo）
• 2019.08.  “Culture City of East Asia 2019/ Incheon Asia Maritime Media Festival” (Incheon, Korea）
• 2018.02.   “Transit” exhibition  for European Premiere of “#JeSuis” by Aakash Odedra Company (Birmingham Hippodrome, UK)
• 2018.01.  “Shibuya – Tokyo Curiosity” (Shibuya Hikarie 8/Cube, Tokyo)
• 2017.03.  “Seize the Uncertain Day” (Chinretsukan Gallery, The University Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo）
• 2016.09.  “Transit” (Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria）
• 2016.02.  “The Fishery” (rengoDMS, Tokyo, and Toba city area street exhibition）
• 2015.06.  “Athens Photo Festival Photobook exhibition”  (Athens, Greece）
• 2014.11.  “La Librairie imaginaire TOKYO-GA  at Paris” (GALERIE-T, Paris）
• 2014.06.  “Photographies and words” (Setagaya Life Style Design Center, Tokyo）
• 2013.11.  “Emerging Photographer’s Show” (Mt.Rokko International Photography Festival, Hyogo)
• 2011.11.  “Portraits” (Emon Photo Gallery, Tokyo)
• 2009.09.  “Ulsan International Photography Festival” (Ulsan, Korea)
• 2008.08.  “5 Photographers Show” (Gallery illum, Seoul, Korea)
• 2006.05.  “The Exposed ” (CASO, Osaka)

PUBLIC COLLECTION:

KIYOSATO PHOTO ART MUSEUM, Japan.

AWARD & RECOGNITION:

• 2021.  Leica Oskar Barnack Award Nominee
• 2021.  DFA 2021 Finalist
• 2013.  The Galaxy Awards (commercial film category)
• 2006.  Photo Documentary Nippon 2006
• 2003.  TPCC Award (Tokyo Photographic Culture Center)
• 2002.  Young Portfolio Award (Kiyosato Photo Art Musium)

PUBLICATIONS (sole author):

• 2020.  “Station” (Seki Shobo)
• 2017.  “Ars Electronica and the City of Linz” (Gakugei shuppan Sha)
• 2016.  “The Fishery” (Self publishing)
• 2014.  “To the Sea” (AKAAKA art publishing)
• 2012.  “On the Horizon” (Self Publishing)
• 2009.  “Hotel Fareast” (AKAAKA art publishing)

PUBLICATIONS (co-author):

• 2022.  “Cultural Competency” (Bootleg)
• 2020.  “Tokyo Curiosity 2020 Shibuya” (Tokyo Curiosity 2020 Shibuya Executive Committee)
• 2011.  “Haru wo Urandarihashinai” (Chuo Koron Shinsha)
• 2011.  “Tokyo 24h” (Nikkei BP publishing)
• 2006.  “Photo Documentary Nippon 2004-2006 ” (Guardian Garden)

LECTURES (selected) :

• 2024.02.  “Barcelona’s Regeneration – Learning Urban Strategies from the World’s Leading Digital Cities” (Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, Osaka)
• 2019.12.  “Sustainable Development Strategies of European Cities” (Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, Osaka)
• 2019.10.  “How can we foster the creativity of Cities” (Zushi Art Festival. Zushi)
• 2019.07.  “How can we foster the creativity of Cities” (Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab, Republic of China)
• 2018.09.  “Cultural City where foster the future” (Saga University, Saga)
• 2017.06.  “Rethinking the Future of Tokyo through the Practices of Ars Electronica ” (AXIOM, Tokyo)
• 2017.04.  “Why Art & Science Now? ” (AXIOM, Tokyo)
• 2017.02.  “The Scope of Art Media/Platform” (AXIOM, Tokyo)
• 2016.10.  “Art and urban regeneration” (Delegation of the European Union to Japan, Tokyo)
• 2016.09.   “transit, refugees” (Ochanomizu University, Tokyo)
• 2012.08.  “Images and words” (Nippon Photography Institute, Tokyo)
• 2012.03.  “Photography and Words after Disaster” with Mariko Takeuchi (critic)(Nikon Salon, Tokyo)
• 2011.09.  “Photography and Words after Disaster” with Natsuki Ikezawa (Junkudo seminar room, Tokyo)
• 2011.05.  “Photography and Words after Disaster” (Gallery Tantotempo, Hyogo)
• 2011.04.  “Photography about Tokyo 2011” (On Sundays, Tokyo)
• 2010.08.  “Mover or Stayer: a new documentary” (Nippon Photography Institute, Tokyo)
• 2010.02.  “Photography and words for our new adventure” (Gallery AKAAKA, Tokyo)
• 2010.01.  “Photography and words for our new adventure” (ABC seminar room, Tokyo)

FILM (as a creative director, producer / selected) :

• 2012.  “Katsura, Sanshi : How to keep walking ” (Directed by Miwa Nishikawa)
• 2011.  “ A cloudy day, a lucky day” (Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita)
• 2000.  “Live, Love, Drive” (Directed by Vincent Gallo)
• 1998.  “The Stone” (Cinematography by Christopher Doyle, Directed by Kazuhiko Washio)