shashasha

Part two of Tamiko Nishimura’s photographic journey through 1960s-80s Japan.

Japanese photographer Tamiko Nishimura has never ceased to travel, and has never stopped documenting her journeys in photographs. Since her first photobook “Shikishima” in 1973, she has continued to develop her own style of snapshot photography, capturing her surroundings, her impressions as well as her personal life in brilliantly composed photographs. In this second volume of snapshots taken between 1968 and 1989, Nishimura, accompanied by her young daughter, takes us with her to Okinawa, Tohoku, Hokkaido, the Joto and Johoku areas of Tokyo, and many other regions in Japan. In each of her photographs, Nishimura manages to weave together layers of stories and moods, creating images that echo both the external as well as her internal world.

“As we walked along the seashore, we saw a solitary lady gathering seaweed on the rocks in the cold wind. She noticed us and gave us some freshly picked seaweed in a plastic bag. After arriving at our accommodation, I asked the owner to add them to our miso soup for dinner. The flavor of the sea was fragrant; I was grateful for its deliciousness.” — from Tamiko Nishimura’s afterword (included in Japanese & English translation)