Once again a story about Japanese literature, following in the footsteps of the writer Akira Yoshimura (1927 – 2006).

And once again a nice meeting with Setsuko Tsumura, the writer’s widow,  in their house in the Kichijoji area (Tokyo).

More pictures here.

The picture was taken during the night at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.

Tsukiji market is the biggest fish market in Japan. For my first time there, I wanted to document the whole process of the tuna sale. At 1:00 am, I went through Tokyo by bicycle and spent the night in the middle of fish stocks.
The tuna market is officially not open to the public (except for auctions between 5:30 am and 6:30 am) and I did not ask for any press access in advance. But it was so early that I did not meet any policeman, except around 4:00 am. He asked me to leave but did not follow me. I turned into another alley of the market and kept on shooting.

All pictures here.

BusinessWeek story here.

After the japanese detective novel last month, this month’s main feature is about close relationship between mangas and movies.

I was lucky enough once again to make the cover picture. Very different than last month’s issue : no murder, no screaming, no knife, just the quietness and the lonelyness of the studio.

A few extra pictures of the photoshoot, not choosen in the final editing (more pictures here) :

Unfortunately I didn’t know any models or singers, but I think the girls really enjoyed the show…

More pictures here.

I had an assignment for the main feature of the first issue : Japanese detective novels. We had a lot of fun with Michael Goldberg and Japanese model Kana Shiraki, especially when the neighbours walked by and saw Michael holding a knife and Kana lying on the ground.

Here are the tearsheets (more pictures here) :

Last November, I worked on an assignment for Focus, a german weekly magazine. The magazine asked me to take pictures at Kotoen, a kindergarten and nursing home for elderly people. This very special place is not usual in Japan, and even more unusual in Europe. Kids can play with old people and old people can take care of kids.

When I was there, a special meeting was held and the kids and the elderly people could interact. Usually staying on different floors, they can meet once a week. When the kids went out of the elevator, the elderly welcomed them. Some of them already knew each other. The kids were a bit impressed and shy in the beginning, while the elderly people were all pleased and smiling.
A nurse switched on the music and the kids started to dance. The elder ones really enjoyed it, some of them stood up and danced, everyone was clapping in the hands or shaking their arms up and down. At this point everybody was laughing : the kids because they enjoy dancing and the elder ones because they really like to be with the kids. They played three songs, sang together and then the kids went away in a line to clap in the elder’s hands.

It was a real pleasure for both and especially for the elderly, as they really need this kind of social event. And it was a great pleasure for me too. So, why am I complaining?

Full story here (published in April, German only).

More pictures here.

Designer Aguri Sagimori (25, graduated from Vantan Institute in Tokyo in 2007) :

Designer Ohal Ando / Lessthan* :

Designer Keiichi Muramatsu / Everlasting Sprout :

Designers Hokuto Katsui & Nao Yagi / Mint Designs :

Better late than never, you can now follow me on Facebook, Linkedin or Viadeo.

The author is Michel De Grandi, Les Echos’s correspondent in Japan.

The picture editors choose a picture of mine for this article, the Shinjuku red-dressed girl, who embodies youth and dynamism.

Pecha Kucha night are based on 20sec * 20 slides presentations, about architecture, design, photography and any kind of contemporary creative fields. This concept was created in Tokyo in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture. PechaKucha Nights are now happening in over 230 cities around the world.

Japan is a great place to discover and create contemporary architecture : urban rules are quite flexible and houses/buildings have a very short lifetime, about 40 years. On Wednesday, Takeshi Hosaka from TAKESHI HOSAKA architects (Yokohama) introduced his last project, Hoto Fudo (Photos Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Partners Inc).

This strange building, looking like a mix between an igloo and a cloud, is a Soba restaurant (Japanese noodles). Thanks to a well-thought air circulation, the restaurant can keep its doors open almost every day of the year, without any air-conditioner.

This project is representative of my ideal architectural design concept : eco-friendly, landscape-friendly (despite the ugly car-park) and user-friendly.

Location : Fuji Kawaguchiko, Minamituru-gun, Yamanashi, JAPAN