Seven years ago, I traveled through the northern regions with heavy snowfall before heading south, arriving at Tsunan Town in Niigata. What I saw was three meters of persistent snow—melting and softening during the day, freezing and compressing at night—like large waves sweeping over the city, engulfing everything. I decided to photograph there.
The snow clouds obscured the sky's light, while the snow accumulated on the ground completely absorbed sound. But inside the house, nothing changed. Time stood still. The endless silence was broken by the roar of snow sliding off the roof. The time that had stopped became more urgently present. However, such commotions, which feel life-threatening for those staying inside, are just tiny dots spread across the entire area. The pinhole, plugged with snow, brings us back to a world where sound and time are even more inanimate than before the event took place.
In mid-April, we began to hear a dripping sound from inside the snowpack. The snow had melted, creating a hollow space inside. These minute changes gradually connect with each other and form clusters. When the degree of change exceeds a certain point, it undergoes an explosive transformation. The hollow becomes an opening to the outside, through which time emerges with colors, sounds, and smells, twisting and forcing its way forward, while plants and animals—transcending species and categories—overlap and merge as one life. Time invigorates nature and people.
It was 8,000 years ago that snow began to fall on this land. The strata have proven it. Earthenware shows how people's lives and culture mutated in response to snow. A forest of large and small trees, twisted by snow, creates the illusion of constant swaying. Even after the land returns to its original state, the traces of villages and rice fields never cease to speak of the past. The pale black eyes belong to the people who were born and grew older under the reflected light of the humid snow.
This is a place where time is carved individually by all things, melting and echoing the time once carved, creating a singular vibrancy.
As its name dissolves, the land reverts into a zone where "snow" falls.
I tried to capture the "time" governed by the "snow."
| Product # | 86541-142-3 |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1020 g |
You don't need to be in Japan to shop like the Japanese. Sign up for a free account on ZenPlus now and enjoy buying and shipping to over a hundred countries, directly from Japanese online stores. You can ship your items internationally through JP Post (EMS, Airmail), UPS, DHL, FedEx, and other services. Get all the hottest items from Japan such as anime figures, Nendoroids, Nintendo and other video games, Hello Kitty and other kawaii plushies, fishing tackle, Japanese street fashion, Seiko and other watches from Japan, ramen and other Japanese foods, idol merchandise, and much, much more!
We work directly with Japanese shops registered with ZenPlus, so all internal processes are faster and more efficient - the result is a swift and affordable service, ready for you when you need it most. You have instant access to over 1,000 stores in Japan with just one click! Shop just as if you were in Japan, without spending a fortune. We'll get you the best deal possible from a vast collection of items from Japan. Join the ranks of people who prefer ZenPlus as their Japanese online marketplace.
We protect you, the buyer. Communication can be one of the biggest barriers when buying from Japan online, but it doesn't have to be that way. With ZenPlus, you are protected from many of the risks of international e-commerce: We'll take care of any questions, claims, and requests for the seller that you might have. We can provide a full refund if an item is not genuine, and a partial refund if it's not as promised. Feel free to ask us for more info about any of the items or shops on ZenPlus!