Not only did I not finish the School of Visual Arts (NYC) graduate program, but I also stopped photographing. Instead, music became my focus: that was what I wanted to do, and I thought I would never go back to doing photography.
But many years later, things were going differently than I wanted. I went through a divorce. And my music also hit the wall, not going anywhere. I was broke, working at a coffee shop, feeling lost.
One day, I was wandering around in my tiny apartment and found the 35mm film camera I used to use. It fit in my hand perfectly, just as it was before. Then, slowly but surely, my life with a camera began again.
The title “Bouquet For the Sunset U’ve Never Seen” came to my mind when I visited my home in Japan several years ago. My hometown is a beach town, and I grew up by the ocean. One day during my stay, there was this beautiful sunset at the beach, and I wished I could show it to the people I had met in the United States. I had known some of them for nearly twenty years, and many of them had become very important to me, but none had ever seen my home, and I wanted to share it with them.
This photo series is the world I see and a gift to the people I have met. My purpose here is to communicate through memories and thoughts I once shared with them. Some people remember, and I want to thank them and hope they smile when they see these photographs.
Everyday memories, dreams, and realities suddenly disappear and appear elsewhere. Everyday moments are fragile, and time never stops. This is an obvious thing to say, but I am so happy to realize it again through photography.
Spring 2014