The town where you live

Yoshiyuki Okuyama's photo book "Kimi no Sumu Machi" (The Town You Live In) is compiled from a series of the same name that ran in "EYESCREAM" magazine from the March 2014 issue to the November 2016 issue, and was published by SPACE SHOWER BOOKS in 2017. The collection features photographs taken with a Polaroid camera, depicting 35 women and cityscapes in Tokyo.

Okuyama repeatedly photographed his subjects as they walked through the streets of Tokyo. Rather than just capturing the individuals, he also included the surrounding landscapes such as roads, buildings, vacant lots, and signboards, thereby preserving "the relationship between the city of Tokyo and its girls" within the book. Looking back now, long after its publication, the depicted landscapes can also be seen as a record of the city before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

A key keyword in this work is "betweenness" (間, aida). This refers to the fluctuations of emotion, the interstices of time, and the spaces between places. By capturing the fluid time and distance before and after a completed moment, rather than just the moment itself, the book reveals the presence and raw sensations of human existence. This feeling, where staging and daily life, past and present, newness and nostalgia overlap, is fixed by the Polaroid medium with its square frame.

In addition to portraits, the book also includes photographs of Tokyo cityscapes taken while walking between different parts of the city. The composition presents not only the subjects but also the "town where they might live" as a single portrait. The juxtaposition of young actors from the time of the series and the changing city of Tokyo captures the atmosphere of an era.

This book features 35 women, including Nana Komatsu, Fumi Nikaido, Kasumi Arimura, Yao Ainin, Mugi Kadowaki, Suzu Hirose, Kaho, Tsubasa Honda, Hana Sugisaki, Ai Hashimoto, Riho Yoshioka, Mitsuki Takahata, Ayami Nakajo, Haruna Kawaguchi, and Yui Sakuma. The design is by Kazunari Hattori.

[Title] Kimi no Sumu Machi
[Publisher] Space Shower Network (SPACE SHOWER BOOKS)
[Publication Date] May 2, 2017 (First Edition)
[Pages] 256 pages
[Size] Approx. 150×149×21mm / 290g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] KIMI NO SUMU MACHI
[Author/Editor] Yoshiyuki Okuyama / Author, Kazunari Hattori / Design
[Printing/Binding] Dai Nippon Printing / Printing
[ISBN] 9784907435974
[Condition] Used [6] Good (Case: slight dent, Obi: minor stain)
[Accessories] Obi, Case
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibition] "Kimi no Sumu Machi" Omotesando Hills Space O, Tokyo, 2017

Yoshiyuki Okuyama (1991–)

Born in Tokyo in 1991. Photographer and film director.

In 2011, while attending Keio University, he won the 34th New Cosmos of Photography Excellence Award for his photobook "Girl." He continues to create photographic expressions that capture the fluctuations of "betweenness" in time and emotion through portraits and urban landscapes.

In 2016, he received the 47th Kodansha Cultural Award for Photography for his photo book "BACON ICE CREAM." His major photo books include "flowers," "As the Call, So the Echo," "POCARI SWEAT," "BACON ICE CREAM," "Kimi no Sumu Machi," "Los Angeles / San Francisco," and "The Good Side."

He has held solo exhibitions at Omotesando Hills Space O, Canon Gallery S, PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO, and other venues. In recent years, in addition to photography, he has also worked as a director of video works.

< Related Figures >

Kazunari Hattori
EYESCREAM
SPACE SHOWER BOOKS