shashasha

"Exit Town" is a portrait of Atsushi Yoshie's hometown of Ota in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Looking through the photographs, Ota seems to be characterized by its lack of features. No cultural landmarks, no historical sites, nothing to distinguish it from any other rural town in Japan. Yet while Yoshie's photographs depict Ota without exaggeration or fabrication, his sensibility, subtle arrangements, and use of color evoke an essence that is at once unique and universal.

“This area is not blessed with any attractive scenery. Many people say there is ‘nothing’ special there. However, there is a landscape with nothing. For me, it resonates more deeply with nature than any other scenic views and with life than any urban scenes.”
― from Atsushi Yoshie’s foreword (included in Japanese & English)

Please note that the closing essays by Keijiro Suga and Satoshi Koganezawa are only included in Japanese.