Currently, more than 95 percent of Japan’s racehorses are born and raised in the southeast of Hokkaido, an island in northern Japan. The region was known for its war horses until the early 1900s. The intensity of competition at the horse races increased to the point that the new motto is “Losers must disappear.” Because of this competitive climate, about 90 percent of horses born with any kinds of defects are transformed into cat food, dog food and food for human consumption. Through this project, I hope to bring awareness to the life and use of horses in Japan.

Hajime Kimura is a Japanese photographer who was born in 1982. He studied at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo. Since 2006 he has been actively photographing in Asian countries, including China, India and Japan. He was most recently listed as an honorable mention in the FotoVisura grant for outstanding personal photography project. More of his work can be found on his website and on FotoVisura.com.

100 Words: Life And Death Of A Japanese Racehorse

Photo Credit: Hajime Kimura

In 2008 photographer Shiho Fukada read a story in the New York Times about a town in Japan that was filled with destitute old men. Having grown up in a prosperous Japan, she says couldn’t stop thinking about them.

She traveled to the Kamagasaki district of Osaka to document the collapse of the labor market, including the old and sick day laborers who had been abandoned by an economy they had given their lives to.

That essay sparked a four-part photo series documenting people who have made hard choices in the wake of Japan’s declining economy. Over the next few years, Fukada sought out people who were struggling, although they still tried to maintain a brave face.

“[Japanese] people suffer in private, in their homes, so I thought it was a really important story to tell, Fukada says.

Hard Times In Japan: ‘Home’ Might Be An Internet Cafe

Photo Credit: Shiho Fukada

keithwj:

margaritacorporan:

I’m a little late….

Especially love the image of the prostitute, glaring at the Shomei while breathing smoke out of her nose.

Full article

Ivan Vartanian, director of Goliga and co-author of Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and 70s, adds: “Beginning with his reportage of the 1960s, Tomatsu was able to present a vision of Japan that was deeply personal as it was complicated and vexed, creating many images that have become iconic in status,” he tells BJP.

thelittlehumandetail:

Shomei Tomatsu

A Master, At Rest.

(Source: thelittlehumandetail)

lomographicsociety:

Japan’s Whirling Photography

A group of funky Japanese artists created the “rrrrrrrroll” project. They took half a year to photograph many “Whirling” themed photos. Be it a girl whirling by herself or an object whirling, these are animated photos, representing the concept of temporal flow.

“The Japanese people have a strong connection with nature and the ocean and a huge respect for them. They do not blame the tsunami; they feel like it is part of nature’s way of regenerating.” - Daniel Berehulak/Getting Images 

Coping With Tragedy: An Intimate View of Japanese Daily Life