Japan

Latest Stories

The Japanese Women Who Transformed Photography

From Tokiwa Toyoko’s images of women working in the 1950s to Ushioda Tokuko’s domestic portraits, women artists have played a pivotal role in shaping the medium’s history in Japan.

Kosen Ohtsubo’s Flower Planet

Inspired by jazz, improvisation, and conceptualism, the ikebana artist has created playful works that merge disciplines.

Rediscovering Hisae Imai’s Otherworldly Vision

Once a darling of Tokyo’s avant-garde and fashion scenes in the 1960s, Imai took an unexpected turn after a tragic accident.

Japan’s Unparalleled History of Photography in Print

An expansive new book shows how the magazine format was a major, genre-defining space for Japanese photographers.

Coco Capitán’s Vision of Youth Culture in Japan

For her latest project, the Spanish photographer made portraits of young people in Kyoto who balance the expectations of tradition with contemporary life. 

Eikoh Hosoe’s Mythic Worlds

In his collaborations with influential literary figures and performers, Hosoe created surreal scenes that invoke the fantastic.

A Festival in Kyoto Dazzles with Photography and Architecture

Kyotographie is distinct among photo festivals for its clever site-specific exhibitions in many of the city’s stunning locations.

Ishiuchi Miyako’s Chronicles of Time and History

The pioneering photographer speaks about the evolution of her career—and how she negotiated a field dominated by men.

Daido Moriyama on the Unending Newness of Photographs

The legendary artist speaks about why photography never reaches a state of completion.

A Japanese Photographer’s Gleefully Chaotic Family Life

At home in Japan, Motoyuki Daifu captures his family with gleeful candor.

Delirious Tokyo

In a new exhibition, Daido Moriyama returns to his icons and obsessions.

The Endless Outer World

Daido Moriyama speaks about his Provoke days and capturing the streets of Tokyo.

A Witness to Resistance

From student demonstrations to farmers in revolt, Kazuo Kitai captured the social tumult of 1960s Japan.

Against Occupation

Japanese curator Rei Masuda discusses how postwar Japanese photographers adapted to a new era.

Behind the Barricades

Student protests shook late-1960s Japan. Hitomi Watanabe bore witness from inside the movement.

The Provoke Moment

In the first of an ongoing series of interviews about Japanese photography with Tsuyoshi Ito, Curator Simon Baker discusses the radical new vision of the 1960s.

Erotic Voyeurs of Japanese Photography

Three celebrated photographers push the limits of sexuality and surveillance.

The PhotoBook Review: Photobooks After 3/11

The destruction the Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami waves created have profoundly impacted the way art is both made and received in Japan.
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Aperture No. 257

Aperture presents “Image Worlds to Come: Photography & AI,” a timely and urgent issue that explores how artificial intelligence is quickly transforming the field of photography and our broader culture of images.

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