Endearing facets of the Land of Rising Sun

To archive memories, tourists visiting a new place click photographs and then share them with others. While some get themselves clicked in front of landmark places, others take joy in capturing the natural beauty, landscapes or traditions of the place. But few imagine that this hobby would enable them to win a prize as well!

A view of the photogra- phs displayed as part of the ‘Click! Japan Photo Contest Exhibition’ is enough to trigger an urge to visit the country. The 76 photographs exhibited in the gallery cover
all aspects of the country that, despite its small size, stands tall amongst the
comity of nations.

“This exhibition is a collection of memories of people who have visited Japan between April 2013 and June 2014. The photographs reflect the people’s individual perspective towards the culture of Japan,” says Misako Futsuki, director of arts and cultural exchange program at The Japan Foundation explaining how the contest will be judged according to votes on Facebook and in person.

But before the results are out, Metrolife brings to you a sneak peak into the works submitted by people from different sections of the society. While some prefer to capture the natural beauty of the country of Japan, others revel in shooting the native traditions and cultures.

Photographs titled ‘Ouka’, ‘Sakura’, ‘Cherry Blossoms and Celebrations’ and ‘Doorway to Heaven’ are a few works that present the rich flora of Japan.

Similarly, photographs such as ‘Traditions of Japan’, ‘Buddhist celebration at Todai-ji Temple’ and ‘Matsuri Festival in Hanamatsu Japan’ depict the culture and traditions of the place.

In addition to this, some amateurs have even documented the food, culture and fruits of Japan in pictures such as ‘Mamebu Preparation’ by Harish Chandrashekaran and ‘Taste of Japan’ by Nandhikeswari. R – who zooms on the strawberries growing on a branch in Japan. Plus there are also those who have been awestruck by the infrastructural development of this land and photographed its development across the country’s length and breadth.

There are shots capturing different human emotions in an aesthetic manner. Like for instance, the photograph titled ‘Konni Chiwa...Sayonara’ where Vasanthi Sundarajan catches the welcoming smile of the Japanese in two black and white frames. But the prize for the cutest picture must go to Donald Popat’s ‘Chotu Sumo Wrestler’ for clicking two chubby babies in a pram – while one inspects the camera lens with a keen eye, the other wails and adds depth and sensitivity to the frame.

A special mention to those who felt it was important to photograph their hosts when they were in Japan. These pictures depict the warm hospitality and amicable nature of Japanese. Also, they compel one to plan and experience all this first hand!  

The exhibition is on display at the gallery of The Japan Foundation till August 29.