Organized by students from Kyoto’s universities, the Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa has been an annual October event since 2003, drawing over 100,000 visitors to Heian Shrine and the Okazaki Promenade. With Kyoto’s reputation as a ‘college town,’ boasting over 30 universities, the festival’s production is driven by student unity. This year, the festival will be held for the 22nd time, and with the cooperation of the local community, businesses, schools, and the Kyoto City government, its student planners will strive to put on a great show for people of all ages and attract over 100,000 guests with food, music, dance, sports, and arts. All guests are welcome to come and experience the diversity and creativity that the ‘college town’ of Kyoto can bring!
With the slogan of ‘Bridge the Past, Build the Future,’ the 22nd Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa aims to honor traditions while fostering connections for a lasting legacy. With commitment from local partners, businesses, government, and universities, we strive to ensure the festival’s enduring appeal. The Kyoto Students’ Festival endeavors to become one of Kyoto’s ‘four great festivals,’ alongside Kyoto’s other renowned cultural events. 〔Excerpts from the official site of the Kyoto Intercollegiate Festa〕
photo equipment : PENTAX K-1 Mark II + HD PENTAX-D FA 24-70mmF2.8ED SDM WR
Starting my photography journey in 1998 during my time as an expatriate in Singapore, I have now been a photographer for over 20 years. My deep affection for Kyoto is reflected in my work, which has been exhibited internationally. I am a photographer with a global perspective, dedicated to capturing the universal beauty found in the interplay of light and shadow.
My core focus is on documenting and preserving Kyoto's landscape, which is being negatively affected by the rapid increase in inbound tourism. I work across genres—from landscapes to portraits—always prioritizing the unique "essence" of the subject and the atmosphere of the moment. I am also actively engaged in international photographic expression, including photo shoots for tourists visiting Japan, exhibiting my work both domestically and abroad, and participating in cultural exchange projects.
2008年日本写真家協会(JPS)展 入選(プロ写真家への登竜門)Selected for the 2008 Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS) Exhibition (a gateway to becoming a professional photographer)
International Exhibitions: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (JFLA) and the Consulate-General of Japan in New York's annual Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival)
The eaves of a traditional townhouse bathed in light and shadow, the stone-paved streets silent in the early morning, and the back alleys where the scent of daily life lingers.
Instead of the "Kyoto-ness" seen in tourist brochures, my mission as a photographer is to document and convey the genuine Kyoto—the lives of the people who live here and the atmosphere shaped by the passage of time.
However, this Kyoto is being quietly destroyed.
The traditional townhouses of Kyoto are not just scenery; they are a way of life.
Now, they are being sold off, along with their "memories of life," under the guise of temporary lodging businesses.
Tourism is undoubtedly a major industry that supports Kyoto. There is no denying that. However, if tourism transforms Kyoto from "a city for its residents" into "a spectacle for tourists," it becomes an act of cultural destruction.
I don't want to photograph a "tourist destination." I want to photograph a "living Kyoto," where people live, gather, and connect.
I will continue to photograph Kyoto. To document and share the "authentic Kyoto" that still remains. And I hope to contribute, even in a small way, to returning Kyoto to a place where "daily life, not tourism, is the main character."
Kyoto is not a place to see; it's a place to live.
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