darksilenceinsuburbia:

Hiroyuki Ito

Japan’s Paradoxes

In the summer of 2015, I set out from New York to travel my home country.

The Japan I saw was full of contradictions: ancient and modern, Western and Eastern, democratic and feudal, peaceful and anarchic, sacred and profane, anonymous and unique.

The country’s character is complex: it is charming, but not without its troubles. Opposing forces create dynamic tensions that drive you crazy and yet also keep you going.

“Going where?” I don’t know. But the country is forever moving forward, and my job is to document its endlessly fascinating paradoxes.

—Hiroyuki Ito